UNHCR issues recommendations to the Swedish EU Presidency
Briefing Notes, 23 June 2009
This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson William Spindler – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at the press briefing, on 23 June 2009, at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
UNHCR has published its recommendations to Sweden for its upcoming EU Presidency (July – December 2009), which will be a particularly critical period for the future of EU asylum policy. During the second half of this year, the EU will adopt a new multiannual programme in the area of Justice and Home Affairs which will determine the course of EU law and policy on asylum from 2010 through 2014.
UNHCR calls on Sweden to use its Presidency to reassert the importance of a rights-based approach to border management and migration control. Recent events, including Italy's push-backs of boat people and elections in which anti-immigrant parties scored big gains in a number of EU countries, give rise to concern about Europe's commitment to ensuring access to protection.
UNHCR supports strengthened solidarity among EU Member States, to assist those facing particular pressures resulting from the arrival of irregular migrants and asylum seekers, and suggests a menu of options in this respect which could include the relocation from one Member State to another of persons recognized as refugees. But UNHCR points out that this should not be at the expense of solidarity with non-EU countries hosting large refugee populations. UNHCR appeals for much stronger EU engagement in refugee resettlement, pointing out that the EU currently offers less than 10% of global resettlement places.
UNHCR's recommendations also stress the need to improve the quality and consistency of decision-making on asylum claims across the EU. The current situation, whereby applications from persons of the same nationality and with similar case histories have totally different outcomes from one country to another undermines the very premise of a Common European Asylum System. UNHCR hopes that the planned European Asylum Support Office will give top priority to this matter.
Although the European Commission's proposals for amendment of existing EU laws of asylum have met with considerable resistance from Member States, UNHCR believes that legislative amendments are needed to fill gaps and improve standards. UNHCR points out that more systematic observation and evaluation of the practice of EU countries is needed in order to identify best practices as well as shortcomings.
Advocacy is a key element in UNHCR activities to protect people of concern.
EU law and practice affects creation of refugee protection mechanisms in other countries.
All in the same boat: The challenges of mixed migration around the world.
July-December 2011. Also available in Spanish on Refworld.
Results from UNHCR's research project on the application of key provisions of the Asylum Procedures Directive in selected European Union Member States, March 2010.
Detailed comparative analysis on the application of key provisions of the Asylum Procedures Directive in selected Member States, March 2010.
Summary of main points, Brussels, 24 February 2011
Brussels, 6 December 2007
Introductory remarks by Volker Türk at the Ministerial Conference, Brussels, September 2010.
Updated UNHCR observations on the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending directive 2003/109/EC establishing a long-term residence status to extend its scope to beneficiaries of international protection, August 2010.
UNHCR comments on the European Commission's proposal for a recast of the directive laying down minimum standards for the reception of asylum-seekers.
UNHCR comments on the European Commission's proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on minimum standards for the qualification and status of third country nationals or stateless persons as beneficiaries of international protection and the content of the protection granted, July 2010
UNHCR comments on the European Commission's proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on minimum standards on procedures in Member States for granting and withdrawing international protection, August 2010
Related Internet Links
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Drifting Towards Italy
Every year, Europe's favourite summer playground - the Mediterranean Sea - turns into a graveyard as hundreds of men, women and children drown in a desperate bid to reach European Union (EU) countries.
The Italian island of Lampedusa is just 290 kilometres off the coast of Libya. In 2006, some 18,000 people crossed this perilous stretch of sea - mostly on inflatable dinghies fitted with an outboard engine. Some were seeking employment, others wanted to reunite with family members and still others were fleeing persecution, conflict or indiscriminate violence and had no choice but to leave through irregular routes in their search for safety.
Of those who made it to Lampedusa, some 6,000 claimed asylum. And nearly half of these were recognized as refugees or granted some form of protection by the Italian authorities.
In August 2007, the authorities in Lampedusa opened a new reception centre to ensure that people arriving by boat or rescued at sea are received in a dignified way and are provided with adequate accommodation and medical facilities.
Drifting Towards Italy
Nansen Award presentation for the late Senator Edward Kennedy
UNHCR's annual Nansen Refugee Award was posthumously awarded to Senator Edward Kennedy at a ceremony in Washington DC on October 29 for his life-long commitment to refugee rights. Kennedy's wife, Victoria, accepted the award on behalf of her late husband. In presenting the award, UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres, praised the "vision and commitment" of Senator Kennedy in his support for the displaced.
The prize money of US$100,000 will be donated to the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate, where it will be used to train the next generation of leaders dedicated to the cause of refugee advocacy. The Nansen Award is given to an individual or organization for outstanding work on behalf of refugees. It was created in 1954 in honour of Fridtjof Nansen, Norwegian polar explorer, scientist and the first global High Commissioner for Refugees.
Nansen Award presentation for the late Senator Edward Kennedy
Dialogue on Asylum & Migration
Delegates from about 70 nations recently met in Geneva and grappled with the complex issue of how to identify and better protect refugees who travel alongside irregular migrants on dangerous journeys in search of safety.
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