European Agenda on Migration

The European Agenda aims to give concrete answers following the recent tragedies in the Mediterranean and, more generally, to manage migration better in all aspects.

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Today, 13 May 2015, the European Commission has published a European Agenda on Migration. The Agenda outlines the immediate measures that will be taken in order to respond to the crisis situation in the Mediterranean as well as the steps to be taken in the coming years to better manage migration in all its aspects.

Concrete actions that will be undertaken:

  • Tripling the capacities and assets for the Frontex joint operations Triton and Poseidon;
  • A temporary distribution mechanism for persons in clear need of international protection within the EU;
  • An EU-wide resettlement scheme to offer 20.000 places distributed in all Member States to displaced persons in clear need of international protection in Europe;
  • Working on a possible operation in the Mediterranean to dismantle traffickers' networks and fight smuggling of people.

Long-term orientations – four pillars to manage migration better:

  • Reducing the incentives for irregular migration, notably by seconding European migration liaison officers to EU Delegations in key third countries and addressing the root causes through development cooperation and humanitarian assistance;
  • Border management – saving lives and securing external borders, notably by strengthening the role and capacity of Frontex and helping strengthen the capacity of third countries to manage their borders;
  • Europe's duty to protect: a strong common asylum policy: The priority is to ensure a full and coherent implementation of the Common European Asylum System, notably by promoting systematic identification and fingerprinting;
  • A new policy on legal migration: by modernising and overhauling the Blue Card scheme, by reprioritizing integration policies, and by maximising the benefits of migration policy to individuals and countries of origin.

More details on the European Agenda on Migration are available here or in the European Commission press release.

Please also read attached the UNHCR statement on the European Commission’s Migration Agenda.

Publication Date: Wed 13 May 2015
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