Focus on Europe

(updated)

Resettlement:

The Joint EU Resettlement Programme was adopted on 29 March 2012, and will take effect in 2013. Refugees from Afghanistan, Burma, Congo, Eritrea, Iraq, and Somalia will be given priority. For more information:
- Financial Incentives for EU Countries to Take up More Refugees (European Parliament, March 2012) [text]
- UNHCR Welcomes Adoption of Joint EU Resettlement Programme (UNHCR, March 2012) [text]
- Linking-In EU Resettlement Newsletter, no. 2 (March 2012) [text]
- Resettlement of Refugees: A New Life (Rui Tavares, 2012) [text]

See also these new web sites:

Know Reset (European University Institute & ECRE) [access]
- "Building knowledge for a concerted and sustainable approach to refugee resettlement in the EU and its Member States."

Linking-In EU Resettlement (IOM, UNHCR & ICMC) [access]
- "The emphasis of this new project is on the reception and integration of refugees at the local level and the importance of linking the pre-departure and post-arrival phases in order to make resettlement more successful."

Other publications:

Asylum in the EU27: The Number of Asylum Applicants Registered in the EU27 Rose to 301,000 in 2011 (Eurostat, March 2012) [text]

Entering the Territory: Exploring New Forms of Access to Asylum Procedures (Italian Council for Refugees et al., March 2012) [access]
- Examples of complementary forms of access include "diplomatic asylum," "resettlement," "humanitarian evacuation operations," "flexible use of the visa regime," and "Protected Entry Procedures (PEPs)." Note: Both the full-text of the report and a list of recommendations can be accessed via the link.

Lives Lost in the Mediterranean Sea: Who is Responsible? (Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, March 2012) [text]
- Report of the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons. See also related press conference coverage, news articles (both via Migrants at Sea), IntLawGrrls blog comment and EJIL:Talk analysis.

"Safe Countries of Origin: An Inconvenient Truth," ECRE Weekly Bulletin, 30 March 2012 [text]

Other web resources:

Asylum in Switzerland (Swissinfo.ch) [access]
- Includes news articles, photos, video and background information. See also interview with the High Commissioner for Refugees.

CARIM-East: An Observatory of Migration East of Europe (European University Institute & Centre of Migration Research) [access]
- Focuses on "all countries of the Eastern Partnership initiative (Belarus, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan) and Russian Federation."

Tagged Publications and Web Sites/Tools.