Brussels, 12/09/2012 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 11 September the European Parliament adopted a non legislative resolution on solidarity between the member states with regard to asylum. The text focuses on future mechanisms for relocating refugees within the EU and on strengthening the means allocated to asylum policy in the EU.
The Parliament particularly calls on the Commission to include, in its next legislative proposal introducing a permanent intra-EU relocation system, an “EU distribution key” for relocating beneficiaries of international protection. “The system would take account of beneficiaries' best interests and integration prospects, and objective indicators for member states such as GDP, population and surface area”, a Parliament press release says. This EU distribution key could help the EU countries “facing disproportionate pressures on their national asylum systems or in emergency situations”, the MEPs say. They also call on the Commission to study the feasibility of developing a European system for distributing asylum seekers. In addition, they ask for more financial solidarity in this sensitive domain and more means for the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) in Malta. The MEPs adopted the report by Kyriacos Triantaphyllides (GUE/NGL, Cyprus) by 584 votes in favour, 41 against and 54 abstentions. (SP/transl.fl)