Written by Anja Radjenovic (4th edition, updated on 29.3.2019),

Resettlement of refugees: EU framework
© julia_lazarova / Fotolia

Resettlement is one tool to help displaced persons in need of protection reach Europe safely and legally, and receive protection for as long as necessary. It is a durable solution which includes selection and transfer of refugees from a country where they seek protection to another country. Apart from providing international protection to refugees, its aim is also to strengthen solidarity and responsibility-sharing between countries. For a resettlement to take place, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has to determine an applicant is a refugee according to the 1951 Geneva Convention, and has to identify resettlement as the most appropriate solution.

On 13 July 2016, as part of the reform of the Common European Asylum System and the long-term policy on better migration management, the Commission presented a proposal which aims to provide for a permanent framework with standard common procedures for resettlement across the EU, and will complement current national and multilateral resettlement initiatives.

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Proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a Union Resettlement Framework and amending Regulation (EU) No 516/2014 of the European Parliament and the Council
Committee responsible: Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) COM(2016) 468 of 13.7.2016

2016/225(COD)

Ordinary legislative procedure (COD) (Parliament and Council on equal footing – formerly ‘co-decision’)
Rapporteur: Malin Björk (GUE/NGL, Sweden)
Shadow rapporteurs:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Agustín Díaz de Mera García Consuegra (EPP, Spain)

Kati Piri (S&D, the Netherlands)

Helga Stevens (ECR, Belgium)

Louis Michel (ALDE, Belgium)

Judith Sargentini (Greens/EFA, the Netherlands)

Ignazio Corrao (EFDD, Italy)

Nicolas Bay (ENF, France)
Next steps expected: Continuing trilogue negotiations

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