Beyond more overarching changes, renovation and refurbishment aimed to improve the quality of reception, for example in Bulgaria and Croatia.
In Bulgaria, socio-cultural and educational spaces were developed with AMIF support at the Registration and Reception Centre in Sofia, Voenna Rampa shelter.575 In addition, a new safe zone was established for unaccompanied children in Sofia, Ovcha Kupel with AMIF support and managed by the IOM.576 The reception facilities in Croatia were refurbished and received various types of new equipment (ambulance, cleaning material and medical equipment) with AMIF funding.
The renovation of the reception centre’s main building in Latvia was postponed to 2021 due to the pandemic.
Aditus noted that the conditions in open reception centres in Malta remained overall poor and often continued to deteriorate due to the pandemic, with run-down infrastructure, issues with access to bathrooms, limited availability of hot water and the lack of heating or air conditioning.577 The Maltese authorities underlined that since March 2020 AWAS was implementing mitigating measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and ensured a high level of hygiene. For example, staff on the Maintenance Team was increased, centre units were created and a number of projects were launched in 2020, including the repair and maintenance of additional toilet and shower facilities, the refurbishment of the Marsa Centre and the opening of the Hangar Open Centre in Hal Far.
[575] State Agency for Refugees with the Council of Ministries | Държавна агенция за бежанците при Министерския Съвет. (2020, July 30). Зона за социални дейности в РПЦ – София, „Военна рампа“[Zone for social activities in the RRC - Sofia "Voenna Rampa"]. http://www.aref.government.bg/bg/node/381
[576] International Organization for Migration. (2020). Safety zone for unaccompanied children – RRC Sofia, Ovcha Kupel. http://www.iom.bg/en/content/safety-zone-unaccompanied-children-%E2%80%93-rrc-sofia-ovcha-kupel
[577] AIDA Malta. (2021). Country Report: Malta - 2020 Update. Edited by ECRE. Written by aditus. https://asylumineurope.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/AIDA-MT_2020update.pdf
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