EU Commission Allocates $174Mln on Migration Projects in Several EU Countries

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The European Commission announced on Wednesday that it has allocated 171 million euros ($173.83 million) on projects dealing with reception and return of migrants in the EU countries that are on the frontline of migrant arrivals.

"The European Commission has awarded today €171 million for projects to support the reception, asylum and return systems in Cyprus, Spain, Greece, Italy and Poland," the statement read.

In particular, the support for Cyprus will cover the construction of a housing and departure preparation center for migrants in Larnaca. In Spain, aid will be earmarked for the expansion of the reception system, including in the Canary Islands, helping to alleviate its overload caused by increased migrant flows. The project in Italy will focus on supporting migrant children and women.

"The financial support to international organisations in Greece will contribute to improving the quality of protection assistance to asylum seekers hosted within the reception system. It will have a particular focus on individualized management of people being in a situation of vulnerability," the statement said.

In Poland, the funding will be directed to the International Organization for Migration, which will work on strengthening a rights-based approach to direct assistance for migrants and refugees, as well as on improving return procedures, according to the statement.