19/06/2020 (Agence Europe) – The European Commission highlighted on Friday 19 June, on the eve of World Refugee Day, that the Member States “have committed themselves to resettle almost 30,000 refugees by 2020, which represents 40% of all resettlement pledges worldwide”, in a statement issued with the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. While this World Day takes place in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Commission and M. Borrell note that by the end of 2019, nearly 80 million people around the world have been forced to leave their homes and that the health crisis is making the living conditions of refugees and displaced persons even more difficult. The Commission intends to strengthen the commitments on resettlement in the new Pact on Asylum and Migration. It is not expected to be presented until mid-July. (SP)