EU sets aside €1.8 bln ‘Emergency Trust Fund’ to handle irregular migration from Africa
The European Commission said it has launched an “Emergency Trust Fund for stability and addressing root causes of irregular migration and displaced persons in Africa”.
The European Commission said it has launched an “Emergency Trust Fund for stability and addressing root causes of irregular migration and displaced persons in Africa”, made up of €1.8 billion from the EU budget and the European Development Fund (EDF). The fund is to be complemented by contributions from EU Member States and other donors. “Member States’ contributions amount to around €81.3 million and the EU expects more contributions to follow” a statement from the EU said.
According to the statement aTrust Fund is an innovative mechanism under the EU’s Financial Regulation used in the field of development cooperation to pool large resources from different donors to “enable a swift, common, complementary and flexible response to the different dimensions of an emergency situation.”
The Trust Fund will benefit a wide range of countries across Africa that encompasses the major African migration routes to Europe. “These countries are among the most fragile and those most affected by migration. They will draw the greatest benefit from EU financial assistance.”
The countries and regions to benefit from the latest Trust Fund include: the Sahel region and Lake Chad area: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, the Gambia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria and Senegal. From the Horn of Africa: Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. And from the North of Africa: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt.
“Neighboring countries of the eligible countries may benefit, on a case by case basis, from Trust Fund projects with a regional dimension in order to address regional migration flows and related cross- border challenges,” the statement further said.
The Trust Fund aims to help foster stability in the regions and to contribute to better migration management. More specifically, it aims to address the root causes of destabilization, forced displacement and irregular migration, by promoting economic and equal opportunities, security and development. It constitutes an important instrument for the implementation of the Action plan adopted at the Valletta Summit on Nov. 12, 2015.
Photo caption: About 42,000 people have attempted to cross the Mediterranean to Italy so far this year, according to the EU border agency, Frontex, the Guardian.
Photograph: Ettore Ferrari/EPA