Refugees to be given DEBIT CARDS and monthly allowance as EU cosies up to Turkey
REFUGEES will now be given a debit card at the European Union’s expense so they can pay for basic needs, it has been revealed.
Syrian refugees in Turkey will get a debit card to help them survive
Brussels will give the refugees in Turkey a monthly allowance, but it is refusing to disclose how much money that amounts to.
Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid, Christos Stylianides, announced yesterday that €348million will be set aside for the controversial scheme.
The hundreds of millions of Euros form part of the overall £2.5billion aid package the EU has granted Turkey in order to help its government provide care for the millions of Syrian refugees who have fled their homeland and come to reside in Turkey’s makeshift camps.
The deal is designed to stop Turkey allowing the migrants to freely enter European territory.
Around three million Syrian refugees are residing in Turkey after fleeing the conflict
An electronic debit card will be handed to the most vulnerable refugees so they can buy basic goods such as food and sanitary products.
Mr Stylianides, from Cyprus, said the card would allow the migrants to “buy what they need to put bread on the table, to provide a roof for their families and to send their children to school instead of being forced to send them to work”.
Christos Stylianides, EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid, hopes the debit cards will help refugees
The situation in Syria remains very dramatic
He added: “The situation in Syria remains very dramatic.
“The European Union is keeping its promise to assist Turkey in hosting the largest refugee population in the world.”
However, Mr Stylianides stopped short of revealing how much money would be placed on the cards on a monthly basis when he spoke during a press conference in Brussels.
The humanitarian scheme is part of a joint effort by the EU, the UN World Food Programme and Turkish ministers to help improve the basic quality of life for the three million refugees currently living in Turkey.
It is set to be rolled-out next month.