Brussels, 01/09/2009 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 2 September, Jacques Barrot, European Commissioner for Justice and Home Affairs, is to propose the creation of a voluntary common programme for the resettlement in member states of refugees that have the right of asylum in countries outside the European Union while being unable to remain in those countries for a longer period of time.
The commissioner's services suggest that priority be given to Iraqi refugees from Syria and Jordan, to Somali refugees from Kenya and to Sudanese refugees from Chad. Whether or not to take in the refugees remains a purely national decision. Nonetheless, the idea would be for EU countries to fix annual quotas for taking in these refugees who are for the most part unable to make a life for themselves in the countries where they have taken refuge, as the states in question do not have the means to help them or because the refugees feel they are in danger there. “The currently relatively low level of involvement of the EU in the resettlement of refugees impacts negatively on the ambition of the EU to play a prominent role in global humanitarian affairs and hence on the influence of the EU in international fora”, the Commission states as justification for its proposal. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), last year member states took in only 6.7% of the 65,596 legally resettled refugees worldwide. It considers some 203,000 people should in theory be resettled in 2010.
“The principal objective of joint EU action on resettlement should be to demonstrate greater solidarity to third countries in receiving refugees, to involve more member states in resettlement activities and to provide for an orderly and secure access to protection for those resettled”, the European Commission states. The European executive also sees its proposal as a way to combat illegal immigration in Europe at the same time. The Commission trusts that, with closer cooperation between member states in their resettlement measures, this will bring down the logistic cost of resettlement.
The common EU programme for the hosting of refugees recommends that member state participation in resettlement programmes remain voluntary. Nonetheless, the Commission considers resettlement in the EU should be enlarged by heightening awareness of this practice in the largest possible number of member states. In order to support its approach, the Commission will use the current ad hoc group of experts on resettlement which will be transformed into a body for regular meetings. All member states, including those where there is no resettlement, will take part, as well as other parties involved, for example the UNHCR, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE), and NGOs operating in the field. The experts group will identify the EU's annual common priorities, which will later serve as a basis for a draft Commission decision. These priorities will be based on a forward assessment of resettlement needs to be provided by the HCR in the spring of each year. The expert group will also allow information to be exchanged between member states on quantitative objectives fixed by member states and discuss specific resettlement needs such as activities to encourage member states that are not yet involved in the resettlement programme to take part. The experts group will, in collaboration with the future European Asylum Support Office, identify current practical cooperation needs in the field of resettlement. It has also been suggested that the new European Refugee Fund (ERF III), which became operational in 2008, should be amended so that member states working on resettlement receive financial aid adjusted to the new annual priorities of the EU. This aid is for now conditional upon resettlement by member states of four separate categories of people: - those designated under implementation of a regional protection programme, unaccompanied minors, particularly vulnerable women and children and people requiring major medical care.
Currently, 10 EU states, including France with 350-450 refugees each year, take part in an annual resettlement programme. Last year, the EU27 decided to take in 10,000 Iraqi refugees from Syria and Jordan. Germany took in 2,500. Belgium will be taking in 47 on Wednesday 2 September and Luxembourg is also expected to take part. (B.C./transl.jl)