9 Resettlement of refugees from third
countries
| (a)
(30894)
12986/09
COM(09) 447
+ ADDs 1-2
(b)
(30893)
12985/09
COM(09) 456
|
Commission Communication on the establishment of a joint EU resettlement programme
Commission staff working document: impact assessment of the proposal and summary of the assessment
Draft Decision to amend Decision No. 573/07/EC establishing the European Refugee Fund for the period 2008-13
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| Legal base | (a) —
(b) Article 63(2)(b) EC; co-decision; QMV
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| Department | Home Office |
| Basis of consideration | Minister's letter of 4 January 2010
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| Previous Committee Report | HC 19-xxvii (2008-09), chapter 10 (14 October 2009)
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| To be discussed in Council | Date not known
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| Committee's assessment | Politically important
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| Committee's decision | (Both) Cleared
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Previous scrutiny of the documents
9.1 Last October, we considered document (a), a Commission
Communication proposing the establishment of an EU programme for
the resettlement in participating Member States of third country
nationals who are temporarily resident in a third country and
have been granted refugee status. We also considered document
(b), the draft of Council Decision to make consequential amendments
to the rules of the European Refugee Fund.[36]
9.2 We noted that, at present, only ten Member
States (of which the UK is one) have programmes for the resettlement
in their areas of refugees temporarily living in a third country
as their "first country of asylum". There are no formal
arrangements for Member States to cooperate with each other on
their plans for resettlement or to agree a common position in
negotiations with the UNHCR and others on resettlement matters.
9.3 The Communication explains why the Commission
considers the present situation is unsatisfactory and why it proposes
a joint EU resettlement programme. Participation in the programme
would be voluntary. Each Member State would remain free to decide
whether to allow any resettlement in its area, how many refugees
to accept and who to take. Every year, an Expert Group (comprised
of representatives of every Member State, the UNHCR, the International
Organisation for Migration and relevant NGOs) would give the Commission
the draft of a Decision defining common EU priorities for the
resettlement of refugees from particular regions, or of particular
nationalities, or who are particularly vulnerable. Member States
would be entitled to a one-off payment from the European Refugee
Fund of €4000 for the resettlement of each refugee who falls
into one or more of the categories specified in the Decision on
the common EU priorities for that year.
9.4 We noted that the objective of the programme
would be to increase the number of resettlements, encourage more
Member States to have national resettlement programmes, achieve
economic and efficiency gains through cooperation between Member
States, benefit from closer cooperation with the UNHCR and strengthen
the EU's influence and standing in its relations with third countries.
9.5 The Minister of State at the Home Office
(Mr Phil Woolas) told us that the Government broadly supported
the Commission's proposals for the joint programme and believed
that the amendments included in the draft Decision were acceptable.
There were a few points on which the Government would seek information
or clarification.
9.6 In the conclusion to our report on the proposals,
we said that we did not doubt the potential benefits of greater
practical cooperation between Member States in planning for and
implementing the resettlement of refuges from third countries.
Moreover, so long as participation remained entirely at the discretion
of each Member State, we could see the advantages of developing
a joint EU resettlement programme along the lines the Commission
proposed.
9.7 We noted that the Government intended to
seek clarification from the Commission of the estimates of the
effect of the proposals on the number of resettlements and the
annual cost of the payments to Member States. We asked the Minister
to tell us the Commission's response. We also asked him to provide
us with progress reports on the negotiations and to tell us the
Government's decision whether to opt in to the draft Decision.
Meanwhile, we kept documents (a) and (b) under scrutiny.
The Minister's letter of 4 January 2010
9.8 In her letter of 4 January, the Parliamentary
Under-Secretary of State at the Home Office (Meg Hillier) provides
the information for which we had asked. It is as follows:
- the Commission estimates that,
if the joint EU programme were adopted, more Member States would
decide to accept refugees for resettlement, leading to a 15% increase
in the number of resettlement places (about an additional 765
places);
- the Commission also estimates that the annual
cost of the increase to participating Member States would be €11.475
million in total; and
- Member States would receive a contribution from
the European Refugee Fund of €4,000 for each resettled refugee
falling into one of the categories defined by the annual priority-setting
exercise.
9.9 The Minister also provides us with a summary
of the discussion of the proposals in the Asylum Working Group
and in bilateral talks with the Commission and other Member States.
Notably, the Government has succeeded in gaining agreement to
an amendment to Article 1(4) of the draft Decision to require
consultation with the UNHCR and Member States before the Commission
establishes the EU annual priorities for resettlement.
9.10 Finally, the Minister tells us that the
Government has decided to opt into the draft Decision.
Conclusion
9.11 We are grateful to the Minister for her
letter. The Government's decision to opt into the proposal was
expected. We have no further questions to ask and we are content
now to clear documents (a) and (b) from scrutiny.
36 See HC 19-xxvii (2008-09), chapter 10 (14 October
2009). Back
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