Brussels, 26/05/2016 (Agence Europe) - On 26 May, the EP approved the Commission's proposal submitted at the end of 2015 allowing Sweden to postpone its obligation to relocate asylum seekers for the first year of the mechanism.
The mechanism has been devised over two years and this temporary derogation granted on Thursday will postpone, but not suspend, Sweden's obligations to host its share of the asylum seekers currently in Greece and Italy. In November, the Commission authorised Sweden to have a derogation, as the country stressed that it was at its limits for hosting asylum seekers and that it had the highest rate of asylum seekers per million citizens (11.503/1 million) in 2015. Austria also secured arrangements regarding its obligations.
Of the 160,000 people concerned by this relocation mechanism, Sweden is to take 5727. However, the details have changed since the European leaders decided in March to reserve 54,000 resettlement places (of the 160,000 earmarked) for refugees currently in Turkey. The Council has still to approve this derogation in the coming weeks, which is expected to happen in Luxembourg on 9 June (under point A). The EP, which was consulted on the dossier, agreed to the system by 963 votes in favour, 190 against and 50 abstentions. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)