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Greece to receive 470 mln euros from EU for immigration

Greece will receive about 470 million euros in EU funds for multiannual national programmes to support its efforts in tackling the surge in migration, the European Commission announced on Monday.

According to AMNA, the funds will be provided under the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) and the Internal Security Fund (ISF), with the total amount for all 23 programmes rising to about 2.4 billion euros for the period 2014-2020. According to the Commission, the funds will be allocated as follows:
 
From AMIF, Greece will receive 259.4 million euros to increase its reception capacity by 2,500 people by the end of 2015 and improve the quality of services provided. The country will also commit to accelerating the process of granting asylum, to settle pending applications and strengthen the system monitoring the housing areas. Greece will also aim at implementing a comprehensive policy for the integration of immigrants with regard to employment, language, education, etc., with particular attention to unaccompanied minors.

From the ISF, Greece will receive 214.8 million euros to focus on the improvement of the Visa Information System (VIS), the modernization of consular services, the correct application of the Schengen rules and the fight against illegal immigration. Greece also intends to reinforce the integrated border management and its capacity as a first entry country.