The European Commission on Thursday said it had granted an extra 305 million euros in emergency assistance to support migration and border management in the front-line states of Italy, Greece Cyprus and Croatia.
The extra emergency funds will support efforts to increase migrant reception capacity, protect victims of human trafficking and strengthen border surveillance and management capacity in the four countries, the Commission said in a statement.
Italy, where there has been a sharp fall this year in migrant arrivals, will receive 5.3 million euros. The main share of the funding (289 million euros) will go to Greece, where more migrants landed this year than in Italy, according to the United Nations migration agency IOM.
“The Commission is committed to continue supporting member states under migratory pressure," said migration commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos.
"The additional 305 million euros awarded this week to several countries will address urgent needs by ensuring that new arrivals are accommodated adequately and have access to food and water, that the safety and security of the most vulnerable is guaranteed, and that border controls are strengthened where needed,” he said.
The new emergency funding is part of the 10.8 billion euros for migration, border management and internal security already granted by the Commission for the period 2014-20, said the EU executive.
The Commission has given Italy a total 950 million euros to help it handle the influx of over 700,000 migrants since 2014.
