Eleventh report on relocation and resettlement

The Eleventh Report on Relocation and Resettlement provides an updated state of play on the implementation of the relocation and resettlement schemes since the last report of 2 March 2017, and outlines the gaps and outstanding actions that still need to be taken to deliver on the commitments under both schemes.

Although arrivals of migrants continue at low levels, Greece remains under pressure with over 62,200 migrants still present in its territory, of which around 14,000 are on the islands and around 48,200 persons on mainland Greece. In Italy, 24,672 have arrived since the beginning of the year, a 36% increase compared to the same period in 2016. The number of arrivals of Eritreans, the main nationality eligible for relocation in Italy, has dropped significantly in 2017: from the second country of origin of arrivals in 2016, representing 11.5% of arrivals, to the tenth place in March 2017, representing only 2.4% of arrivals. However, despite this steep decline, there is still a significant number of Eritreans who arrived for the most part in 2016 (11,000) and who should be relocated to other Member States. Relocation therefore remains a key measure to alleviate the pressure on Greece and Italy by sharing the responsibility in dealing with those migrants clearly in need of international protection.

As previously reported, the number of people eligible for relocation present in Italy and Greece is below what is foreseen in the Council Decisions. So far, 26,997 eligible applicants were registered in Greece and 8,000 in Italy. In Greece, where the number of registered applicants for relocation is expected to remain stable, around 14,000 people still need to be relocated. Relocating all those eligible within the remaining months is therefore feasible and should be a priority. The set monthly targets of at least 1,500 people relocated from Italy and at least 3,000 from Greece intend to facilitate and accelerate the relocation of all those eligible in an effective and smooth manner within the timeframe of the Council Decisions, thus reaching the goal of this emergency measure.

The Commission has consistently called upon Member States to increase their efforts to meet the set relocation targets and stands ready to assist Member States in making progress towards meeting their legal obligations. The Maltese Presidency of the Council of the EU organised a specific session during the Justice and Home Affairs Council of 27 March 2017 to discuss how to intensify relocation. Some results are emerging. Some Member States that had slowed down their participation are now relocating again. Thanks to all relevant stakeholders, progress has been made, which has resulted in a new record of monthly relocations (more than 1,600 for Greece and more than 800 for Italy) bringing the total number of people relocated to 16,340 (5,001 from Italy and 11,339 from Greece) as of 10 April 2017. This is a 27% improvement on the best previous month.

However, further intensified and coordinated efforts from all Member States, in particular those who have not relocated at all, as well as solid cooperation between all actors involved is still required to relocate all those eligible from Italy and Greece by September 2017. As already indicated in previous reports, the preconditions and operational infrastructure to make relocations happen are now fully in place. While Italy, Greece, the EU agencies and international organisations have all increased their capacities to meet the set targets, some Member States still face difficulties to respect the timeframes agreed in the Relocation Protocols for certain steps and therefore are creating bottlenecks that prevent intensified relocations. This 11th report includes targeted recommendations for specific Member States aimed at removing those bottlenecks that affect the common efforts to facilitate and accelerate relocations.

As regards resettlement, the implementation of the July 2015 Conclusions to resettle 22,504 people is well on track with 15,492 people in need of international protection resettled so far, which is over two thirds of the agreed number. Since 28 February 2017, 1,070 people have been resettled mainly from Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon. Part of the resettlement under this European scheme serves also to implement the resettlement under the EU-Turkey Statement. Since the starting date of 4 April 2016, 4,618 Syrians have been resettled from Turkey to the EU within that mechanism, including 1,053 since the previous report.

ESO: Background information: 11th report on emergency relocation and resettlement scheme http://www.europeansources.info/record/11th-report-on-emergency-relocation-and-resettlement-scheme/

---