A new briefing from 17 civil society organisations highlights the stark disparity between the number of asylum claims being submitted in different EU countries, and warns that the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum could fail to meet its goals unless states better share responsibility.
While Cyprus and Greece received more than 7,000 asylum applications per million inhabitants last year, Denmark registered 387 applications per million inhabitants, Romania 127, and Slovakia just 30.
The increased pressure on countries of first-entry, such as Cyprus and Greece, has put strain on their asylum systems, resulting in people being exposed to overcrowded reception conditions, becoming trapped in a state of legal limbo, and facing an increased risk of human rights violations at borders, including pushbacks.
The EU Pact on Asylum and Migration - due to be implemented next year - requires the creation of a new ‘solidarity mechanism’ which will allow states to either relocate people seeking asylum from countries of first arrival, or contribute to their reception in another way - for example, by making a financial contribution. The IRC and partners are concerned this will end up being spent on further deterrence methods, rather than upholding people’s rights and welcoming them with dignity.
Today’s briefing from organisations including the International Rescue Committee (IRC), Caritas Europa, and the Greek Council for Refugees, draws from their own experiences to highlight how EU states could improve relocation and other systems to welcome people seeking asylum. They are together calling for the EU’s ‘solidarity mechanism’ to prioritise relocations, warning that the failure to make this a reality will result in even greater fragmentation, and undermine the chances of forging a truly common EU asylum system.
The analysis is co-signed by:
- International Rescue Committee
- ARSIS Association for the Social Support of Youth
- Association for Integration and Migration
- Caritas Europa
- Centre for Peace Studies (Croatia)
- ECPAT Deutschland e.V.
- Fenix-Humanitarian Legal Aid
- Foundation for Access to Rights (FAR)
- Greek Council for Refugees (GCR)
- JRS Romania
- Network for Children's Rights (Greece)
- Reachout Foundation
- Refugee Legal Support (RLS)
- Samos Volunteers
- Symbiosis-Council of Europe School of Political Studies in Greece
- Terre des Hommes - helping children worldwide
- Terre des Hommes Germany
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