UN plan to relocate Syrian refugees in northern Europe | World news | The Guardian - 0 views
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“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
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the UN refugee agency, the UNHCR, has approached senior EU figures to get backing for its pilot programme
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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.
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We need to convince them that it is better to go legally, that there is an alternative to months of suffering
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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
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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.
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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
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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
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previous attempts to reform the Dublin law have been met with fierce resistance during internal EU discussions
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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
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the commission is discussing with the member states on how to ensure a more balanced distribution of resettled refugees among all member states. We wil
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Cochetel acknowledged that only a significant interest in building a new system would create a change in behaviour among desperate migrants
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massive irregular secondary movements feeding trafficking, leading to human suffering and exploitation