UN plan to resettle Syrian refugees in northern Europe اللاجئون السوريون لشمال أوروبا
UNHCR proposes one-year
pilot programme for ‘orderly relocation’ from overstretched southern countries
Syrian Kurdish boys at a refugee camp in the Turkish town of
Suruç in Sanliurfa province in November 2014. Photograph: Aris
Messinis/AFP/Getty Images
Wednesday 11 March 2015 15.41 GMTLast modified on Wednesday 11 March 201517.08 GMT
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The UN
has drawn up radical plans for an “orderly relocation” of thousands of Syrian
refugees from southern Europe to
richer countries in the north, and is pressing the EU to agree to a year-long
pilot programme.
On the
eve of the fourth anniversary of the start of the Syrian conflict, and with
ever greater numbers of refugees arriving in southern European countries, the
UN refugee agency, the UNHCR, has approached senior EU figures to get backing
for its pilot programme.
The
proposal, outlined in a letter to the EU foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini,
and the commissioner for home affairs, Dimitris Avramopoulos, is a radical
departure from current EU policy, which forces asylum seekers to apply for
asylum in their first country of entry, under legislation known as the Dublin
law.
The
director of the UNHCR’s Europe bureau, Vincent Cochetel, told the Guardian new
approaches were urgently needed: “We are concerned that when the boat arrivals
resume on a large scale in April, not all the lessons learned from last year
have been drawn by EU member states,” Cochetel said.
“More
than two-thirds of those disembarked in Italy moved on without fingerprinting
or proper identification,” he added. “At a time of increased security concerns
over movements from Libya, this situation is abnormal. Not all those saying
that they are Syrians or Palestinians are Syrians or Palestinians. And not all
of them are refugees.”
The
Syrian conflict has exacerbated a refugee crisis in north Africa and the Middle
East. More than 3 million people are estimated to have fled the country in the
past four years, and although the vast majority have remained in neighbouring
countries – Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan – thousands have tried to make the
perilous journey to Europe.
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Most of
those who survive the Mediterranean crossing – and more than 3,000 died last
year – end up in Italy and Greece. More than 42,000 Syrians ended up in Italy
in 2014 alone. EU rules mean migrants should apply for asylum in their country
of arrival. But only a tiny minority do. In practice, many migrants simply slip
through the net and move, vulnerably, around Europe.
Cochetel
said the huge numbers of Syrians who chose to move irregularly across Europe
could be reduced if people were allowed to legally travel onwards to join
family or move to countries where they have language skills or work
opportunities.
“We
need to convince them that it is better to go legally, that there is an
alternative to months of suffering,” he said. “When I see a Syrian arrive in
Italy who has relatives in the Netherlands who are not close enough to be
eligible for reunion under the family directive, for example an 18-year-old
with a brother in the Netherlands, the choice for policymakers is that he
either moves illegally or legally. The person is going to move.”
Syrian migrants at a refugee centre in Milan. Photograph:
Giuseppe Cacace/AFP/Getty Images
The
proposed relocation, which would start as a one-year pilot programme, would
focus only on Syrians who have been recognised as refugees in Italy and Greece
and would depend on an initial voluntary commitment from member states. But
previous attempts to reform the Dublin law have been met with fierce resistance
during internal EU discussions.
The UK
and other northern European countries have fought in both domestic and
European courts to defend the right to return asylum seekers to
their first country of entry, despite lawyers and human rights groups arguing
that protection and accommodation conditions in Italy and Greece are
inadequate.
Asked
whether there is internal support for the proposal, Natasha Bertaud, European
commission spokeswoman for migration, home affairs and citizenship stressed the
importance of states upholding the Dublin regulations.
“Regarding
Syrian migrants, they should be invited to lodge requests for international
protection in whichever member state they arrive. The member state concerned is
obliged to comply fully with its legal obligations in accordance with the
provisions of the [appropriate EU law, including the Dublin Regulation].”
Bertaud
said the EU would continue to focus on tackling the refugee crisis through
direct resettlement of vulnerable refugees from camps, not through any change
in policy on arrivals at EU borders.
“EU
member states have offered over 36,300 resettlement places so far, with Germany
offering the majority, at over 30,000 places.
What are the possible
solutions to the Syria conflict? – live Q&A
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“Right
now, the commission is discussing with the member states on how to ensure a
more balanced distribution of resettled refugees among all member states. We
will soon elaborate on the proposal for a pilot project on resettlement in
which all member states and associated states could take part.”
Cochetel
acknowledged that only a significant interest in building a new system would
create a change in behaviour among desperate migrants, but pointed out that
pressure outside Europe’s borders made it an urgent task.
“Last
month Turkey become the largest country of asylum in the world – very few
people take notice of this. [The pilot project] will need to be large enough to
constitute a credible alternative to what we have experienced so far: massive
irregular secondary movements feeding trafficking, leading to human suffering
and exploitation.”
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