After the Turkish state opened its borders in autumn 2015 and sent hundreds of thousands of refugees to Europe, the European Union had to sign the so-called refugee deal with the Erdogan regime in March 2016. The agreement, which was concluded under German leadership, provided for almost three million people who had made their way to Europe from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan to be detained in Turkey, for which the AKP government would receive a total of six billion euros.

 

Under this agreement, 3.2 billion euros have so far flowed to Ankara. Now the EU Commission has approved a further aid package of 485 million euros for the health and social care of refugees in Turkey.

 

The money is to be paid in addition to the six billion euros the EU had promised in the refugee deal with Turkey in 2016. The EU Parliament and the Council of Member States have yet to agree on a related change to the 2020 budget.

 

Turkey's economic situation has deteriorated further with the Coronavirus pandemic. The Turkish government sent tens of thousands of refugees to the Greek border in March to increase pressure on the EU. Several EU states, including Germany and France, had subsequently promised Turkey additional EU funds to provide for refugees. However, the fact that this financial aid does not benefit the refugees has been criticised several times.