(27 July 2017) – The European Commission has today announced a new wave of emergency support projects to help refugees in Greece worth €209 million.
This includes the launch of the flagship ‘Emergency Support To Integration & Accommodation’ (ESTIA) programme to help refugees and their families rent urban accommodation and provide them with cash assistance. This marks a change from previous humanitarian projects which mainly provided support for accommodation in camps and the provision of direct supplies.
Today’s funding comes on top of the €192 million contracted through the EU’s Emergency Support Instrument in 2016 and therefore more than doubles emergency support to Greece to a total of €401 million.
Overall, the European Union has mobilised over €1.3 billion of support (until 2020) to Greece to help manage migration and the external borders, through various kinds of funding.