Cyprus has benefited from €95.17 m of EU support since 2015 to manage migration and borders, according to figures made public on Wednesday.
The figures were released by the European Commission ahead of the October European Council as part of its report on the key progress under the European Agenda on Migration since 2015.
The Union’s support to Cyprus to better manage migration and borders comes from two EU funds, including €40.08 million from the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) and €55.08 million from the Internal Security Fund (ISF), it said.
Funding under AMIF supports Member States in managing migration flows, including in the fields of asylum, integration, legal migration and return. Funding under the ISF supports Member States’ efforts to better protect the security of citizens and to better protect and manage the EU’s external borders. It is composed of two instruments: ISF Borders & Visas and ISF-Police.
Speaking in Brussels, senior EU Commission officials said much had been done but acknowledged that more work and immediate steps are required in some areas.
Urgent action must be taken to improve reception conditions, increase transfers to mainland Greece from the islands and increase returns, the European Commission said.
And it added: “The Commission is also stepping up its support to Cyprus, which is currently facing an increase in arrivals.”
The announcement came as Interior Minister Constantinos Petrides told Radio Active that Cyprus, already under pressure from a spike in arrivals of asylum seekers, was concerned by the possible arrival of jihadists in view of an increased migratory flows from Syria.
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https://in-cyprus.com/unhcr-mediterranean-states-need-support-to-manage-refugee-flows/
