EU 270 million euro contracts to boost education infrastructure

The European Commission has signed contracts worth a total of 270 million euros for construction and equipping of school buildings for Syrian refugee children and their host communities in Turkey.

Under these contracts, some 100 schools are to be built and equipped, benefitting over 70,000 Syrian refugee children primarily in Turkey's Southern and South-Eastern provinces. The EU funding will also help the Turkish Ministry of National Education (MoNE) to manage educational infrastructure.

Johannes Hahn, Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, said: "The EU continues to deliver on its firm commitment to support Syrian refugees living in Turkey. With the contracts signed today worth 270 million euros, we will further improve the educational infrastructure on the ground, enabling over 70,000 Syrian refugee children to have access to schooling across the country. We look forward to signing additional contracts in the areas of health, socio-economic support and municipal infrastructure in the near future, to give refugee kids and their families a better perspective in the country".

Since March this year, the EU has mobilised 2.2 billion euros out of the total budget of 3 billion euros under the Facility for Refugees in Turkey. The Facility supports the implementation of both the EU-Turkey Joint Action Plan and the EU-Turkey Statement and is designed to address the most critical needs of Syrian refugees and host communities in Turkey today.