High Commissioner addresses European Parliament Development Committee on refugee and asylum issues

High Commissioner António Guterres is in Brussels today at the invitation of the European Parliament's (EP) Development Committee. He is addressing a meeting of Members of the EP right now. Mr. Guterres will give an overview of the main challenges facing UNHCR today - the major refugee crises in today's world, the preservation of asylum in the face of stricter measures to counter irregular migration, UNHCR's new responsibilities for internally displaced persons (IDPs) - and stress the importance of UNHCR's cooperation with the European Parliament and other European institutions. The European Parliament played an important role in the debate and the legislation on the harmonisation of asylum in Europe, especially the EU Directive on asylum procedures, which will be setting minimum standards for asylum procedures in EU Member States. The Parliament now has a right of co-decision in asylum matters.