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RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BRUSSELS 001282 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: CVIS PREL PREF SMIG KCRM EUN
SUBJECT:  EU MOVES TOWARD JOINT RESETTLEMENT PROGRAM FOR REFUGEES 
 
BRUSSELS 00001282  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
¶1.  EU ministers in the September 21 Justice and Home Affairs 
Council broadly supported the idea of setting up a joint 
resettlement program for refugees from non-EU countries aimed at 
closer political and practical cooperation among Member States.  The 
program would target particularly vulnerable populations from 
specific geographical areas such as Iraqi refugees coming from Syria 
and Jordan.  The Council meeting, which was almost exclusively 
devoted to migration and asylum issues, confirmed the lack of 
enthusiasm on the part of Member States to take in recognized 
refugees now residing in Malta.  Ministers also turned their 
attention to the problem of unaccompanied minors coming to and 
seeking asylum within the EU, an issue of major concern to the 
forthcoming Spanish Presidency.  Full text of the Council 
conclusions is available from the Council website 
(http://consilium.europa.eu).  END SUMMARY. 
 
JOINT EU RESETTLEMENT PROGRAM 
----------------------------- 
 
¶2.  EU ministers in the September 21 JHA Council broadly supported 
the idea of moving toward a joint resettlement program.  A 
Commission paper submitted to EU capitals earlier this month argues 
that "the impact of resettlement will be enhanced if priorities are 
formulated in a coordinated way at EU level."  The program would 
only address refugees from non-EU countries and would target 
particularly vulnerable populations (unaccompanied women, children, 
disabled persons) from specific geographical areas such as Iraqi 
refugees from Syria and Jordan, Somalis from Kenya and Sudanese from 
Chad. 
 
¶3.  Following a public discussion in the Council, Swedish Minister 
for Migration/Council chair Tobias Billstroem told a press 
conference the program would be "a useful tool" and "a concrete 
expression of solidarity" among Member States.  Billstroem made it 
clear many delegations wanted the program to operate on a strictly 
voluntary basis.  The public discussion showed no concrete 
commitment on the part of Member States on the relocation of 
refugees within the EU.  Apart from the ten countries already 
involved in national resettlement, Luxembourg, Slovakia and Hungary 
also expressed clear support.  Austria (Interior Minister Maria 
Theresia Fekter) voiced the most cautious comment, stressing the 
bearing of resettlement programs on the external policy of the EU. 
Fekter insisted that ministers themselves should pronounce on 
"issues" -- read: the definition of priorities and choice of target 
groups -- for which the role of experts should be strictly limited 
to preparatory work.  Delegations of countries most exposed to the 
influx of refugees from Northern Africa obviously emphasized the 
need for solidarity. 
 
¶4.  Commission Vice-President Jacques Barrot, responsible for 
Freedom, Security and Justice, told the press conference the plan 
was aimed at creating a framework for refugee resettlement that 
would make it possible to set common priorities on an annual basis. 
Member States resettling in accordance with those priorities would 
receive financial assistance of EUR 4000 per resettled person from 
the European Refugee Fund.  Among the issues that required further 
examination was how these annual priorities would be determined. 
 
¶5.  Barrot said he was anxious to develop cooperation with the 
UNHCR, the IOM, NGOs and the future European Asylum Support Office 
(expected to become operational in 2010 to carry out concrete 
activities with the Member states, such as selection and 
fact-finding missions, pre-departure orientation programs, medical 
screenings, travel or visa arrangements).  The Commission will 
presumably set up a group of experts to liaise with other bodies in 
order to identify the target groups for the program.  UNHCR Antonio 
Guterres, who joined ministers for discussions over lunch, expressed 
the "full, enthusiastic support" of his organization to the creation 
of the program, described as "a strategic tool" and "a burden 
sharing instrument" for the EU to deal with the problem of refugees. 
 According to the UNHCR, of the 65,000 refugees resettled in 2008, 
only 4,378 were resettled in a European country, compared with more 
than twice that many in Canada. 
 
¶6.  Taking questions from reporters on his reaction to the (lack of) 
EU response to the interception by Italy of refugees from Libya, 
Guterres said Libya was not currently offering conditions "that 
would allow for the protection of bona fide asylum-seekers to 
exist."  He said there was a risk that people in need of 
international protection would be sent back to their country of 
origin by Libya and expressed the "reservations" of his 
organization.  Noting that the UNHCR was currently working in Libya 
without official recognition, Guterres said: "It is precisely 
because we work in Libya that we are in a position to say that such 
conditions do not exist" (over there).  Barrot opined on the need to 
have a protection mechanism on the Southern borders of the 
Mediterranean to prevent refugees being subject to human 
 
BRUSSELS 00001282  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
trafficking.  Barrot expressed hope he will soon be able to visit 
Libya with Billstroem to try to make the Libyans understand that 
"the current situation in the Mediterranean cannot persist." 
 
HELPING MALTA AND REINFORCING FRONTEX 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶7.  UNHCR Guterres also voiced support for a separate Commission 
proposal concerning a pilot project for Malta on the internal 
reallocation of beneficiaries of international protection.  The 
Commission, which sounded out countries that might be willing to 
take in recognized refugees from Malta, has not been very successful 
thus far, according to EU sources.  Apart from France, which in 2009 
took in 92 refugees from Malta and is willing to repeat the 
operation in 2010, only Portugal, Slovakia, Poland, Luxembourg, 
Hungary, Slovenia and possibly the Netherlands would be willing to 
take part.  Barrot has been voicing displagations t and the fight against abuse.  In February 2009, 
the JHA Council already noted a Commission report that revealed 
substantial differences in the transposition and application of the 
Directive in the Member States. 
 
¶11.  Over lunch, Commission Vice-President Barrot updated ministers 
on the state of play concerning visa reciprocity and Canada's visa 
requirement imposed on Czech nationals.  The Commission will present 
its next visa reciprocity report in October 2009. 
 
MURRAY