Brussels, 10/01/2012 (Agence Europe) - The European Asylum Support Office (EASO), located in Valetta and operational since June 2011, presented its work programme for 2012 on Monday 9 January. Improving the Greek asylum system will be a significant part of that programme. The EASO was first created to assist member states whose asylum systems are placed under strain or where there are serious failings in terms of respect of fundamental rights. The EASO will send teams of experts out into the field and provide expertise to member states not only on procedures to be complied with but also on asylum seekers' countries of origin. It also organises training for personnel entrusted with processing asylum requests.
An EASO press release explains that the office's work will be consolidated in 2012, with additional personnel recruited in order to make the EASO fully operational. In 2012, the EASO also hopes to focus on a number of projects such as the resettlement in the EU of refugees from third countries, after the fashion of the project set in place in Malta (several member states had taken in refugees who had reached Malta) or resettlement in other areas of the world. These two types of programme had taken on special significance in spring 2011 during the Arab Spring, which had brought a large number of Libyan refugees to the coasts of Europe and to the border with Tunisia. The projects will, however, have a modest budget and be faced by constraints, the EASO states. For the period 2010-2013, the EASO budget is €40 million. (SP/transl.jl)