ΑΛΛΗΛΕΓΓΥΗ ΣΤΗΝ ΕΕ: ΕΞΕΛΙΞΕΙΣ ΣΤΟ ΠΕΔΙΟ ΤΗΣ ΠΡΟΣΦΥΓΙΚΗΣ ΠΡΟΣΤΑΣΙΑΣ ΚΑΙ ΠΡΟΚΛΗΣΕΙΣ ΣΤΗΝ ΕΕ ΚΑΙ ΣΤΗΝ ΕΛΛΑΔΑ

Maria Daniella Marouda 59 The Emergency Support Instrument (ESI) was therefore a sui generis innovation ac- tivated immediately in Greece initially for a period of two years from March 2016 to March 2018 for the management of the humanitarian impact of the refugee and migration crisis. The period was later extended until March 2019, to cover up for delays in the exit strategy and the hand over to national authorities and other more sustainable funding possibilities. What was the added value of this innova- tion: firstly, the speedy provision of funds to address needs with a swift activation of the mechanism in 19 days and signing of the first grants in three weeks (for FPA partners). In reality, within the first two months, 93 million euros were released for projects in Greece, through 8 major humanitarian organisations (UN special- ized agencies, Red Cross Movement and NGOS) 47 . At the end of 2018, funding in- cluded 29 projects, through 18 partners (UN agencies 70%, out of which UNHCR 369 million euros and IOM 56 million euros). 191 million euros were dispatched in the first year, 191 million euros until the end of 2017 and in total 644,5 million eu- ros were channeled through ECHO in the three-year period. Secondly, both ECHO and framework humanitarian partners had the capacity and experience to both submit and run projects on tackling the humanitarian implications of mass flows (notably in reception and direct basic needs). Their actions focused mainly on ac- commodation and protection needs, as well as health services and relief inside camps or supported accommodation through the program ESTIA run by UNHCR. During the first year of the intervention, projects were managed by IOs and NGOs, whereas in the second year several specialized government actors and local au- thorities were involved. Towards the third year, the funds were used to support both government structures and capacities, so as to develop the medium-term fi- nancial instruments (an action that has largely been delayed and with a deadline now postponed for the end of 2019). 4. Challenges of directing to Member States the external EU humanitarian aid policy The challenges of providing humanitarian assistance within the EU are mainly institutional, political, but also practical in nature 48 . 47. See the financial decision on ESI funding priorities accessed at https://ec.europa.eu/ echo/sites/echo-site/files/esop_2016_round1.pdf 48. Challenges include but are not restricted to the views presented in the Evaluation of the operation of Regulation (EU) 2016/369 on the provision of emergency support in the Union, Final Report, November 2018. They rather represent a critical approach to such an evaluation. Moreover, the methodology of the evaluation was in itself a challenge. Especially on the data provided (double counting of beneficiaries, incomplete financial info when the interviews were taken, most projects provided relevant final reports after the publication of the evaluation. It was not clear whether evaluation referred to projects under ESI or under AMIF, as both programs were run simultaneously. Moreover,