European Union presents action plan to manage refugee crisis

Mandatory quota for each member state“The new set of measures will alleviate pressure from Member States most affected - notably Greece, Italy and Hungary - by proposing to relocate 120,000 people in clear need of international protection to other EU Member States," the EC said in a statement on Wednesday.

This number will be on top of the 40,000 that the Commission proposed in May to relocate from Greece and Italy and for which the decision by the Council is still to be adopted.

The EC proposes to relocate 15,600 people from Italy, 50,400 from Greece and 54,000 from Hungary.

“We Europeans should know and should never forget why giving refuge and complying with the fundamental right to asylum is so important. [...]If ever European solidarity needed to manifest itself, it is on the question of the refugee crisis. It is time to show collective courage and deliver this European response now," Juncker said.

The relocation would be done according to a mandatory distribution key using objective and quantifiable criteria (40% of the size of the population, 40% of the GDP, 10% of the average number of past asylum applications, 10% of the unemployment rate).

It applies to nationalities of applicants with an EU-wide average recognition rate of 75% or higher. This currently refers to refugees from Syria, Iraq and Eritrea. On the basis of current data, this would thus apply to applicants from Syria, Iraq and Eritrea.This comes in addition to the Commission’s proposal from 27 May to relocate 40.000 people in clear need of international protection from Italy and Greece to other EU Member States, thus bringing the total proposed number up to 160,000.

“The relocation will be accompanied by EUR 780 million EU budget support for participating Member States, including a 50% pre-financing rate to ensure that governments on national, regional and local level have the means to act very swiftly."

The EC also proposes a temporary solidarity clause: “If - for justified and objective reasons such as a natural disaster - a Member State cannot temporarily participate totally or in part in a relocation decision, it will have to make a financial contribution to the EU budget of an amount of 0.002% of its GDP. The European Commission will analyse the reasons notified by the country and take a decision on whether or not they justify the non-participation of a country in the scheme for a maximum of up to 12 months. In case of partial participation in the relocation, the amount will be reduced in proportion."

A Permanent Relocation Mechanism for all Member States

The Commission is proposing a structured solidarity mechanism which can be triggered any time by the Commission to help any EU-Member State experiencing a crisis situation and extreme pressure on its asylum system as a result of a large and disproportionate inflow of third country nationals.

Such future emergency situations would be defined by the Commission based on the number of asylum applications in the last 6 months, per capita as well as the number of irregular border crossings in the last 6 months.

The same objective and verifiable distribution criteria will apply as in the emergency relocation proposals. The permanent mechanism will also take into account asylum seekers’ needs, family situation and skills. The temporary solidarity clause will also apply here.

A common European list of Safe Countries of Origin

Such a European list will allow for swifter processing of individual asylum applications from candidates originating from countries considered to be safe across the EU, and for faster returns if the individual assessments of the applications confirm no right of asylum.

Following discussions with and current practices by Member States, the Commission proposes to add Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey to the EU list of safe countries of origin.

Making return policy more effective

To improve the return policies of Member States, the Commission has issued a common Return Handbook and an EU Action Plan on Return. The latter “defines the immediate and mid-term measures to be taken by Member States to enhance voluntary return, to strengthen the implementation of the Return Directive, to improve information sharing, to strengthen the role and mandate of Frontex in return operations, and to create an integrated system of return management."

The adopted Return Handbook “offers national competent authorities practical instructions when carrying out returns of those migrants who do not have the right to stay in the European Union."

The EC also said Member States “have to satisfy adequately and speedily the most immediate needs of asylum seekers for housing, supplies and services." The communication released yesterday provides guidance for national, regional and local authorities on how to ensure compliance with EU law while procuring these services in a simple, speedy and non-bureaucratic manner.

Addressing the external dimension of the refugee crisis

“Renewed efforts are being devoted to support diplomatic initiatives and find political solutions to the conflicts in Syria, Iraq, and Libya," the EC said.

“The EU is providing assistance to the population in Syria - in particularly to internally displaced person - and financial support to neighbouring countries hosting the highest number of refugees from Syria, such as Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey."

So far, EUR 3.9 billion have been mobilised to this end.

Fight against organised crime responsible for human smuggling is another priority, notably with the launch of the naval operation EUNAVFOR MED.

The EU will also deepen the existing high-level dialogues on migration with key partners - such as the Rabat and Khartoum processes with African countries and the Budapest process with East and Central Asia, as well as the upcoming Conference in early October and Summit in Valetta on 11-12 November.

Trust Fund for Africa

Te European Commission has allocated EUR 1.8 billion from the EU's financial means to set up an 'Emergency Trust Fund for stability and addressing root causes of irregular migration in Africa'.

“The aim is to improve stability and address root causes of irregular migration flows in the regions of the Sahel, Lake Chad, the Horn of Africa, and the North of Africa. It will support these regions to develop better socio-economic opportunities and migration management policies. The European Commission is expecting Member States to pitch in too and match our ambition. Spain, for example, has already confirmed its participation."

Assisting frontline Member States

The flip side to showing solidarity with frontline Member States is also that everyone must show responsibility in applying the common EU rules, the EC said.

To this end, the Commission is also this week stepping up infringement procedures where necessary to enforce the rules and is implementing a 'HotSpot' approach in frontline Member States to assist them in applying common EU asylum rules.

Next steps

The extraordinary Home Affairs Council on migration on 14 September will be the next opportunity for Member States to discuss and adopt the Commission’s legislative proposals. The Trust Fund proposal is submitted to Member States with the objective of completing the necessary procedures in time for the Valletta Summit in November, where the EU will meet with key African countries to discuss migration and the refugee crisis.

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