To reaffirm the EU’s commitment to protect refugees I have decided to convene a “High-level Resettlement Forum” that will take place on the 9th of July.
At this Forum I will discuss, with United States, Canadian and UNHCR partners, how we can scale up resettlement and other safe and legal pathways to protection. I am delighted that US Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi and Canadian Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Marco Mendicino can join us.
When I met Secretary Mayorkas in Lisbon in June his message was clear: the USA is back.
The commitment shown by the Biden Administration, and indeed Secretary Mayorkas’ personal story – his mother fled the Nazis from Europe and his parents fled Cuba when he was nearly one year old – are positive signals that send a global democratic message.
Representatives from international organisations, non-EU countries, EU institutions, the Member States and civil society will join the debate. We need strong alliances built on a clear, pragmatic approach to international protection. One that understands that Democracies have to lead by example.
WHAT IS RESETTLEMENT?
Resettlement is about safe routes to a welcome home.
In the global context, resettlement refers to the selection and transfer of refugees from a state in which they have sought protection to a third state, which has agreed to admit them as refugees with a permanent residence status.
In the EU context, resettlement is initiated by a request from UNHCR based on a person’s need for international protection, and the third-country national is transferred from a third country and established in a Member State.
The COVID-19 pandemic has derailed the implementation of resettlement programmes worldwide and led to a drop in resettlement departures. It is high time to correct this and take action for the protection of the most vulnerable.
On Friday, we will reconfirm, with our partners, that providing protection to those at immediate risk in their home country is more than an obligation. It is an ongoing sign of commitment to the spirit of the Refugee Convention signed in Geneva 70 years ago.
How is the European Union approaching resettlement?
The EU stands ready to play its part. We have been contributing to global resettlement efforts since 2015 and are determined to continue our engagement, including through the provision of EU funds. More than 80,000 people have already found a new home in the Member States. These numbers are clearly surpassing initial targets set by EU Member States.
Part of our motivation in investing in resettlement is providing ways for those who need international protection to arrive SAFELY. Preventing deaths in the Mediterranean is paramount. Irregular departures on the eastern, central and western Mediterranean routes must be curtailed because of the risk to innocent people’s lives.
Part of the EU progress in this area is built on our growing ability to work together, the growing ‘Europeanisation’ of asylum and migration management. And these last 12 months we are still increasing cooperation, despite the challenges of the pandemic. The European Asylum Support Office (EASO) plays a central role regarding capacity building through the Resettlement and Humanitarian Admission Network, which was created in January 2020. On Tuesday 29th June, an agreement was reached at EU level on the creation of a European Union Agency for Asylum.
The new agency will build upon the existing EU Asylum office EASO, and help make asylum procedures in Member States of higher quality, uniform and faster. Its new reserve of 500 experts will also provide more effective support to national asylum systems facing a high caseload, making the overall EU migration management system more efficient and sustainable.
This new Agency is part of the New Pact on Asylum and Migration presented in September 2020. It upholds the commitment to providing protection to those in need, including through fair and efficient asylum systems and procedures. The Commission Recommendation on legal pathways to protection in the EU invites Member States to create more places of safe admission for the most vulnerable through resettlement and humanitarian admission. It calls on Member States to involve communities and civil society more in the reception and integration of newcomers through rolling out community sponsorship schemes more widely to the benefit of refugees and host societies.
You will be able to watch proceedings on Friday LIVE. I hope you can join us.
#TimetoDeliverMigrationEU is a weekly blog outlining the benefits of the proposals on migration tabled by the European Commission on 23 September 2020. For more detail on the New Pact on Migration and Asylum see below.
For More information
New Pact on Migration and Asylum | European Commission (europa.eu)
Add link to the Resettlement Recommendation: EUR-Lex - 32020H1364 - EN - EUR-Lex (europa.eu)
Commissioner Johansson’s blog: A transparent and accountable EU-wide asylum and migration system means modern digital infrastructure
Commissioner Johansson’s blog: What a full European Asylum Agency would bring to asylum and migration management
Commissioner Johansson’s blog: More legal pathways to the EU
DG Migration and Home Affairs website: Resettlement and other pathways to protection
Statistics on migration to Europe
Details
- Publication date
- 4 July 2021
- Author
- Directorate-General for Communication