The cost and Greece's main sponsors In the period 2008-2013, Greece's asylum and migration control policy entailed expenditures of at least half a billion euros.28 To cover the costs, the country relied not only on its national resources, but primarily on four external sponsors that co-funded Greece's policies at a 75%100% rate. These were the following:  European Commission (SOLID Framework)  Frontex  Norway, Liechtenstein, Iceland in agreement with the European Commission (EEA Grants Framework)  United Kingdom Border Agency29 This external contribution is of significance, in both political and financial terms. At a financial level, it allowed Greece to pursue its national action plan on migration and asylum. At a political level, the implications were two fold; On the one hand, a more concrete national policy on migration and asylum was formed. On the other hand, Greece's practices, though at times controversial, were largely in line with EU aims and objectives as they were approved both by European Council and Commission. EU Commission: “SOLID” Framework Program, 2008-2013 In the period 2008-2013, the main sponsor of Greece's asylum and migration policy was the European Commission, through the “SOLID” Framework Programme (funding period 20072013). Greece effectively started making use of all financial possibilities of the program from 2008 onwards. With a generous support of EUR 386 million the Commission covered approximately two thirds of the overall irregular migration control and asylum management expenditure of Greece (estimated at half a billion for the 5-year period as we explain below in detail). The idea behind the SOLID Framework Program was to provide financial assistance to those EU Member States that were disproportionally burdened with implementing the EU's common asylum and migration policy. The EU Council acknowledged that policies required adequate resources. The equal application of the EU's common standards needed, therefore, to take place 28 See ‘Conclusions’ section p.22. 29 The financial contribution of UKBA is not known. However during 2012-2014 it provided funding to IOM to operate 682 voluntary returns, i.e. 3% of its overall work. Data provided during IOM meeting on 2 June 2014 Page 18