EU report calls for long-term support for refugees in Middle East

Sustained funding for Syria's neighbors in the Middle East and more support for local administrations are essential in dealing with the refugee crisis, European Union (EU) local and regional leaders have said.

In a report adopted Friday, the EU's assembly of local and regional politicians called on the EU to help improve the living conditions of refugees in the Middle East and other conflict zones, through long-term financial support and by combining emergency aid with longer-term measures.

The report noted that while many camps are built as emergency refuges with improvised services, they often become the long-term homes of many thousands of people. Member of European Parliament Hans Janssen, the author of the report, said the services for refugees should be planned for "at least the long-term presence of refugees," in camps and within the local community.

"The EU gives relatively large sums of money to help refugees in their regions of origin, but we need to pay more attention to the quality of care," said Janssen.

"Refugee camps are often like islands, cut off from local communities. Providing food, water, waste collection, and education is often logistically challenging and costly. The international community, including the EU, needs an integrated approach," he said.

He noted that the Syrian crisis had forced millions to move to Turkey, Jordan, and Lebanon, where refugees now account for a quarter of the population.

Janssen pointed out that in recent decades, crises in Afghanistan, Rwanda, and Somalia have resulted in refugees living in camps in neighboring countries for many years. The UN estimates that there are currently around 60 million internally displaced people, the highest number since the Second World War.

"EU member states know that care needs to be improved," Janssen said. "This report suggests ways to do so, and one of the most important means is to help local administrations, by involving them more in the planning process, channeling more money to them, and offering them more training."

Among other proposals adopted, the report called for efforts to boost refugees' self-reliance, including through the promotion of "options for them to carry out paid work." Endit