Migration & Asylum Ministry approves additional funding for 5 island municipalities

The Migration and Asylum Ministry’s Solidarity Fund approved 2.3 million euros in additional funding to support 5 island municipalities that contribute to the best management of the migration-refugee issue, the ministry said on Tuesday.

In a decision signed by Minister Dimitris Kairidis on Monday, the municipalities of Mytilini, East Samos, West Samos, Leros, and Gavdos will receive a combined 2,330,279.90 euros for projects and equipment, based on proposals they submitted.

The Solidarity Fund’s annual budget totals 25 million euros, and this is the first time that the beneficiaries include Gavdos, the smallest municipality of Greece at the southernmost border of Europe.

Proposals by municipalities of Crete and islands in the Dodecanese and the North Aegean for migrant identification and housing facilities are being reviewed currently. A recent ministry amendment provides additional funding for municipalities that need the facilities to manage the migration issue better.