European Union auditors have raised concerns about the effectiveness of the billions of euros that have been provided to Turkey to help it cope with Syrian refugees. The EU committed to providing at least $6.4 billion to Turkey in 2016 as part of a deal to stop migrants from crossing into Europe. While Turkey reported a significant drop in the number of migrants crossing into Greece after the deal was implemented, auditors have been unable to establish whether the funding has had a tangible impact. In 2021, leaders announced plans to send an additional $3.2 billion for refugees in Turkey, building on the initial agreement which was seen as a success and served as a template for similar deals with Tunisia and Egypt.
The money from the EU agreement is used to provide cash cards to registered refugees, improve education and healthcare, assist with integration, and build necessary facilities in Turkey for people fleeing the war in Syria. However, the European Court of Auditors found that the Turkish education ministry refused to provide the information needed to assess the impact of EU projects. Specifically, auditors requested data on the schools receiving EU support, the number of refugee pupils attending these schools, information on reintegrating children not in education, and exam pass rates compared to Turkish students. Without this data, they were unable to measure the impact or sustainability of the education projects being funded by the EU.
Despite some challenges such as the coronavirus pandemic, a major earthquake, and Turkey’s inflation issues, the auditors found that the EU funding package provided relevant support to refugees and host communities in Turkey. However, they noted weaknesses in the European Commission’s assessment of project budgets and the lack of systematic evaluation of project costs. The auditors were able to visit schools and hospitals benefiting from EU funds and observed that the facilities were being used by refugees and Turkish pupils, with teachers working in these locations. While the EU auditors and Commission officials made multiple requests for information from the Turkish education ministry, they were not successful in obtaining the necessary data.
The EU auditors emphasized the importance of being able to measure the impact of the projects funded by the EU in order to ensure accountability to European citizens. According to the European Commission, a significant portion of the funding was intended for supporting quality education for refugees in Turkey, including teacher salaries, education equipment, language training, and counseling. The auditors underscored that without access to necessary data from the Turkish authorities, they were unable to conclude on the effectiveness or sustainability of the education projects. While cooperation between auditors and authorities is typically good, the audit revealed challenges in obtaining critical information from the Turkish education ministry.
Ultimately, the audit conducted by the European Court of Auditors highlighted the need for transparency and accountability in the allocation and use of EU funds. Despite some positive outcomes in terms of providing support to refugees and host communities in Turkey, the lack of essential data from the Turkish education ministry hindered the auditors’ ability to assess the impact of the funded projects. The audit identified weaknesses in how project budgets were assessed by the European Commission and the lack of systematic evaluation of costs. Moving forward, it will be important for all parties involved to address these challenges in order to ensure that EU funding is effectively and efficiently used to support refugees and communities in need.
