EU gives 275 mn euro for projects for Syrian refugees

BRUSSELS, June 20 (KUNA) -- The EU Regional Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian Crisis adopted new projects Tuesday totalling 275 million euro (USD 306 mn).
These projects will support refugees and their overstretched host communities in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, the Western Balkans and Armenia, said the European Commission in a statement.
The projects will focus on education, health care, support of local community, gender equality. The newly adopted assistance package brings the current overall volume of the EU Trust Fund up to over 1 billion euro (USD 1.1 bn).
EU High Representative Federica Mogherini commented: "We are giving a lifeline to millions of Syrians inside the country and across the region, helping create a future for Syrian refugees and host communities. By enabling girls and boys to access quality education, we are helping to prevent a lost generation of children whose lives have been devastated by the Syrian conflict." EU Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn commented: "Thanks to the EU Trust Fund, children in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey are able to go to school and have access to safe spaces for non-formal education, protection and psycho-social care. Syrian students whose studies were disrupted by the war are receiving scholarships to attend Jordanian, Lebanese and Turkish universities. (end) nk.mt