European Commission

1
Resettlement

• Instrument of resettlement recognized as useful
  and essential part of comprehensive policies on
  asylum
• The Commission looks forward to develop the
  cooperation on resettlement further with the
  Member States, UNHCR and NGOs

Living in an area of Freedom, Justice and Security
European Commission
Directorate General Justice, Freedom and Security
2
Resettlement, EU policy framework

• The Hague Programme (Nov. 2004) on external
  dimension of asylum
• Importance of strengthening protection capacity
  regionally, support to third countries
• Resettlement as part of these policies
• the European Council acknowledged the need for
  the EU to contribute in a spirit of shared
  responsibility to a more accessible, equitable
  and effective international protection system in
  partnership with third countries and to provide
  access to protection and durable solutions ..

Living in an area of Freedom, Justice and Security
European Commission
Directorate General Justice, Freedom and Security
3
Resettlement, EU policy framework

• The Hague Programme
• Commission invited to develop Regional Protection
  Programmes (RPPs)
• These programmes will incorporate a variety of
  relevant instruments, primarily focused on
  capacity building, and include a joint
  resettlement programme for Member states willing
  to participate in such a programme

Living in an area of Freedom, Justice and Security
European Commission
Directorate General Justice, Freedom and Security
4
Resettlement, EU policy framework

• Policy documents of the Commission
• Communication on Improving access to durable
  solutions (June 2004)
• Proposal for an EU-resettlement scheme
• Communication on Regional Protection Programmes
  (Nov. 2005)

Living in an area of Freedom, Justice and Security
European Commission
Directorate General Justice, Freedom and Security
5
Resettlement, concrete objectives

• First objective
• promote resettlement in general
• particularly from RPP-regions Great Lakes/
  Tanzania and Ukraine/Belarus/Moldova
• Commission has put it on the agenda and will
  continue to do so in different EU-meetings and
  fora

Living in an area of Freedom, Justice and Security
European Commission
Directorate General Justice, Freedom and Security
6
Resettlement, concrete objectives

• Second objective
• Aim is to have more Member States participating
  in resettlement
• Even if not at large scale, participation
  important
• Political and financial support for activities
  which may familiarize Member States which are no
  resettlement countries yet with resettlement
  activities
• Positive signals Portugal, interest among other
  Member States

Living in an area of Freedom, Justice and Security
European Commission
Directorate General Justice, Freedom and Security
7
Resettlement, concrete objectives

• Third objective
• Cooperation among Member States which have
  resettlement policies
• Resettlement as joint EU effort
• Forms of cooperation to be discussed
• Flexible, pragmatic and on voluntary basis
• Benefits in practical terms joint missions,
  logistical arrangements

Living in an area of Freedom, Justice and Security
European Commission
Directorate General Justice, Freedom and Security
8
Resettlement, recent developments

• Recent developments
• General Green Paper on the Common European
  Asylum System (CEAS)
• External dimension of asylum and resettlement are
  part of the Green Paper
• 80 contributions from variety of stakeholders
• Public hearing on 7 November
• Policy plan in July 2008
• Informal expert meeting on resettlement on 27
  November
• Informal discussion with Member States on forms
  of cooperation on resettlement and making more
  Member States participate in resettlement

Living in an area of Freedom, Justice and Security
European Commission
Directorate General Justice, Freedom and Security
9
Resettlement, RPPs

• Recent developments further development of RPPs
  
• Communication on Regional Protection Programmes
  (Nov. 2005)
• General framework
• Create conditions for one of three durable
  solutions
• Emphasis on capacity building
• Resettlement is important component
• Identify protection gaps and develop measures in
  complement to humanitarian and development
  activities
• Distinction between different needs of different
  regions (region of origin, region of transit)
• No new financial instruments new measures to be
  financed by existing financial instruments
  (AENEAS, European Development Fund)
• Two pilot regions Tanzania (as part of Great
  Lakes) and Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova

Living in an area of Freedom, Justice and Security
European Commission
Directorate General Justice, Freedom and Security
10
Resettlement, RPPs

• Concrete RPP projects
• In 2006 four RPP-projects were selected (AENEAS
  05)
• one in Tanzania (UNHCR), two in Ukraine (Danish
  Refugee Council, Caritas Austria) and one in
  Belarus (UNHCR)
• Implementation started in beginning of 2007 /
  duration between 18 and 36 months / budgets
  between 0,5 and 1,5 m. Euro
• Currently, selection of new projects underway
  (AENEAS 06)
• to be carried out in all four RPP countries

Living in an area of Freedom, Justice and Security
European Commission
Directorate General Justice, Freedom and Security
11
Resettlement, recent developments

• Recent developments further development of RPPs
  
• Ad-hoc meeting in Brussels in July 2007
• EU MSs, different DGs Commission (JLS, Dev,
  Aidco, ECHO), UNHCR, NGOs
• discuss current RPP projects
• look at other protection related activities in
  RPP countries
• discussion on existing gaps / develop adequate
  follow-up measures
• National meetings in Tanzania, Moldova, Ukraine
  and Belarus
• Follow-up meeting in Brussels in December 2007

Living in an area of Freedom, Justice and Security
European Commission
Directorate General Justice, Freedom and Security
12
Resettlement, financial underpinning

• European Refugee Fund III (2008-2013)
• ERF will be part of the General Programme
  Solidarity and Management of Migration Flows
  (2007-2013), subheading 3A of the Community
  budget (Area of Freedom, Security and Justice)
• General Programme consists of four Funds
  Integration Fund (starting 1 Jan. 2007), External
  Border Fund (starting 1 Jan. 2007), Return Fund
  (starting 1 Jan. 2008)
• Total amount of the General Programme 4026,9
  million Euro
• Consisting of a common regulatory framework but
  with different policy objectives and different
  participating states, depending on the Fund
• ERF III Decision is published in the OJ L144,
  6.6.2007, p.1

Living in an area of Freedom, Justice and Security
European Commission
Directorate General Justice, Freedom and Security
13
Resettlement, financial underpinning
Purpose of the General Programme A fair share
of responsibilities between Member States as
concerns the financial burden arising from the
introduction of an integrated management of the
external borders of Member States and the
implementation of common policies on asylum and
immigration General objective of the ERF To
support and encourage the efforts made by Member
States in receiving, and in bearing the
consequences of receiving, refugees and displaced
persons, taking account of Community legislation
on those matters, by co-financing the actions
provided for in the Decision establishing the ERF

Living in an area of Freedom, Justice and Security
European Commission
Directorate General Justice, Freedom and Security
14
Resettlement, financial underpinning

Living in an area of Freedom, Justice and Security
European Commission
Directorate General Justice, Freedom and Security
15
Resettlement, financial underpinning

• New ERF financially underpins the Hague Programme
  on asylum
• Support for resettlement
• the voluntary efforts made by Member States to
  provide international protection and a durable
  solution in their territories to refugees and
  displaced persons identified as eligible for
  resettlement by the UNHCR
• Support for burden sharing
• voluntary burden sharing operations consisting in
  the transfer of applicants for international
  protection and beneficiaries of international
  protection between Member States
• Support for MS capacity
• efforts of Member States to enhance their
  capacity to develop, monitor and evaluate their
  asylum policies in the light of existing and
  future Community legislation
• Support joint efforts by Member States to
  identify, share and promote best practices and
  establish effective co-operation structures to
  enhance the quality of decision making.

Living in an area of Freedom, Justice and Security
European Commission
Directorate General Justice, Freedom and Security
16
Resettlement, financial underpinning

• Key changes in the Decision
• Increase in resources gradual but significant
  (628 million)
• Increase in percentage Community Actions 10
• address practical cooperation needs
• 3. Introduction of three new categories of
  eligible actions
• Capacity building for the asylum systems in the
  MS
• Resettlement from third countries to MS
• Transfer of beneficiaries of international
  protection from one MS to another
• Additional target group any third-country
  national or stateless person who is being or has
  been resettled
• Additional financial support to Member States
  whose resettlement actions are targeted at
  certain particularly vulnerable categories of
  persons and persons falling under the Regional
  Protection Programmes (bonus of 4000 Euro for
  each person)

Living in an area of Freedom, Justice and Security
European Commission
Directorate General Justice, Freedom and Security
17
Resettlement, financial underpinning

• Priorities in the Strategic Guidelines 2008-2013
• (framework for intervention by MS in their
  national programmes)
• Implementation of the principles and measures set
  out in the Community acquis in the field of
  asylum, including those related to integration
  objectives
• Development of reference tools and evaluation
  methodologies to assess and improve the quality
  of procedures for the examination of claims for
  international protection and to underpin
  administrative structures in an effort to respond
  to the challenges brought forward by enhanced
  practical co-operation with other Member States
• Actions helping to enhance responsability sharing
  between Member States and third countries
  (optional)

Living in an area of Freedom, Justice and Security
European Commission
Directorate General Justice, Freedom and Security
18
Resettlement, financial underpinning

• Sources of financing actions for resettlement
• Community Actions (what, how much and how?)
• Transnational cooperation, pilot projects (new
  forms of co-operation/ EC law), studies,
  awareness raising campaigns
• Co-financing percentage up to 80
• Annual work programmes (calls for proposals /
  tenders) by the Commission
• 2. National programmes of MS (what and how
  much?)
• Concrete actions of Member States relating to
  persons to be resettled (from selection to
  integration)
• Co financing percentage 50 or for Cohesion
  countries up to 75
• Co-financing percentage 75 for actions
  relating to resettlement of persons from a
  country or region designated for the
  implementation of a Regional Protection Programme
  (specific priority Strategic Guidelines)

Living in an area of Freedom, Justice and Security
European Commission
Directorate General Justice, Freedom and Security
19
Resettlement, financial underpinning

• Actions eligible under the National Programmes of
  Member States
• Establishment of national resettlement
  programmes, such as
• Training of selection officers
• Development of specific integration programmes
• Private sponsorship programmes
• Training and capacity building actions
• Actions raising awareness among receiving
  communities and the general public

Living in an area of Freedom, Justice and Security
European Commission
Directorate General Justice, Freedom and Security
20
Resettlement, financial underpinning

• Selection and transfer to MS territories, such
  as
• Conducting missions to the host country
• Interviews
• Medical and security screening
• Pre-departure orientation programmes
• Transportation of the resettled persons and their
  belongings
• Appropriate reception conditions and integration
  measures, such as
• Information and assistance immediately upon
  arrival
• Interpretation services
• Information packages
• Comprehensive cultural and civic orientation
  courses

Living in an area of Freedom, Justice and Security
European Commission
Directorate General Justice, Freedom and Security
21
Resettlement, financial underpinning

• Implementation of the ERF III (national
  programmes)
• Submission to the Commission of a draft
  multi-annual programme
• 2008 -2013 by 1 December 2007
• Framework for intervention in the MS over the
  entire period
• Strategic choices on the basis of strategic
  guidelines and national needs
• Implement partnership principle
• Submission to the Commission of the first annual
  programme 2008 by 1 March 2008
• Definition of actions which should be implemented
  through projects
• Description selection process for the projects
  (eligibility period 2008 2009)
• Financial planning (co-financing)

Living in an area of Freedom, Justice and Security
European Commission
Directorate General Justice, Freedom and Security