Relocation and Resettlement: EU Member States urgently need to deliver
European Commission – Press release
Strasbourg, 12 April 2016
Relocation and Resettlement: EU Member States urgently need to deliver
Today, the Commission gives an update on the progress made up until 11 April 2016 and assesses the actions undertaken by Member States to implement the emergency relocation and European resettlement schemes. Overall, progress since the Commission’s first report has been unsatisfactory: on relocation, little progress has been made since mid-March, while we see good progress on resettlement. Good progress on resettlement is also the result of the EU-Turkey agreement which has shifted greater focus onto resettlement efforts. Greater efforts on relocation, however, are increasingly urgent in view of the humanitarian situation in Greece.

Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship, Dimitris Avramopoulos said: “EU Member States need to urgently deliver on their political and legal commitment to relocate persons in need of international protection from Greece and Italy. We cannot be satisfied with the results achieved so far. Relocation efforts have to be increased dramatically to reply to the urgent humanitarian situation in Greece and to prevent any deterioration of the situation in Italy. Member States also need to speed up and increase their resettlement efforts. To effectively close the backdoor to irregular and dangerous migration routes, we have to open safe and legal routes to Europe for people in need of international protection. With the EU-Turkey agreement and the 1:1 mechanism in force, it has become even more urgent for Member States to deliver swiftly on their resettlement commitments.”…