Our ref : A (2015) 11339

Dear Mr Karyakin,

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However, with a view to the content of your message, it was transmitted to the European Parliament Citizens' Enquiry Service (ASK EP), responsible for providing answers to request for information about the European Parliament.

Kind regards,

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A(2015)11339

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Dear Mr Karyakin,

The European Parliament has received your message of 15 September 2015 in
which you request information about the refugee crisis.

The Citizens' Enquiries Unit of the European Parliament has been asked to
reply.

Please rest assured that your message has been read attentively and its
contents duly noted.

The European Parliament has repeatedly urged the EU and the Member States
to do everything possible to prevent further loss of life at sea or on
land and pointed to the need for a holistic EU approach to migration, as
stated for example in the [1]European Parliament resolution of 10
September 2015. The main aspects of the resolution are summarized in the
corresponding [2]EP press release.

 

The President underlined Parliament's position in his [3]speech of 23
September 2015 at the informal meeting of Heads of State and Government.

 

The EU currently has 28 different national systems and it is the national
authorities that decide whether the country takes in refugees fleeing a
war zone and whether asylum is granted.

 

In order to better coordinate these systems, the EU has adopted legal
provisions on establishing the criteria and mechanisms for determining the
Member State responsible for examining an application for international
protection lodged in one of the Member States by a third-country national
or a stateless person. These provisions are contained in [4]EU Regulation
604/2013.

 

The European Parliament calls for closer coordination of EU and Member
State policies in tackling the root causes of migration, such as poverty,
inequality, injustice, climate change, corruption, ill-governance and
armed conflict. A comprehensive long-term approach is needed, that will
strengthen the coherence of the EU's internal and external policies and,
in particular, its common foreign and security policy, development policy
and migration policy.

 

In this context, the Parliament calls for the convening of an
international conference on the refugee crisis, with the participation of
the EU, its Member States, UN-related agencies, the United States,
relevant international NGOs and Arab states, among others, with the aim of
establishing a common global humanitarian aid strategy.

 

The European Parliament also welcomes the efforts of civil society groups
and individuals all over Europe who are mobilising in large numbers to
welcome and provide aid to refugees and migrants and encourages European
citizens to keep up their support and engagement for a humanitarian
response to the refugee crisis.

 

In view of the biggest refugee crisis in Europe since World War II, the
European Parliament approved temporary emergency rules to relocate an
initial total of 40,000 asylum seekers from Italy and Greece to other EU
member states over two years ([5]EP press release of 9 September 2015) and
[6]backed, on 17 September 2015, by way of an urgency procedure, a second
emergency scheme to relocate an additional 120,000 asylum seekers in the
EU. It also endorsed the announcement by the Commission of a permanent
relocation mechanism, to be activated in emergency situations.

 

The Parliament also reiterated its calls on the European Commission to
amend the existing Dublin Regulation in order to include a permanent,
binding system of distribution of asylum seekers among the 28 Member
States, using a fair, compulsory allocation key, while taking into account
the prospects of integration and the needs and specific circumstances of
asylum seekers themselves.

 

The European Parliament stands for open borders within the Schengen area,
while stressing the need to ensure effective management of external
borders. The temporary reintroduction of border controls between Member
States is an exceptional possibility explicitly foreseen in and regulated
by the Schengen Borders Code, in case of a crisis situation. Following the
temporary reintroduction of border controls by some Member States, the
European Commission [7]announced on 17 September 2015 that it will closely
monitor the situation and keep the European Parliament and the Council
fully informed.

 

In reaction to the requests from the Parliament and the Council, the
European Commission in May 2015 presented a [8]European Agenda on
Migration and [9]first proposals for several concrete measures. On 9
September 2015, the European Commission put forward a [10]comprehensive
package of proposals to respond to the refugee crisis and the migration
challenges.

 

The Heads of State or Government of the EU Member States discussed the
Commission's proposals at their [11]mid-June summit and at an [12]informal
meeting on 23 September 2015. The Member States' justice and interior
ministers met [13]on 14 September 2015 and [14]on 22 September 2015, and
discussed a further course of action for dealing with the current
migration crisis, adopting decisions establishing a temporary and
exceptional relocation mechanism over two years from the frontline member
states Italy and Greece to other member states.

 

Migration issues will continue to be discussed between the Member States
and at the EU level and an international summit on migration with African
and other key countries will take place on 11-12 November in Malta. This
special summit on migration will focus on assistance to partner countries,
strengthened cooperation on return and better targeting of development
cooperation and investment in Africa.

 

Currently, the EU supports the Member States' efforts in the field of
migration and home affairs e.g. through the [15]Asylum, Migration and
Integration Fund (AMIF), which has been set up for the period 2014-20 with
a total of more than EUR 3 billion for the seven years.

 

The AMIF funding supports national efforts to: enhance reception
capacities, improve the quality of asylum procedures in line with the
Union standards, integrate migrants at local and regional levels and
increase the sustainability of return programmes. More information on
these measures is available in the European Commission press releases of
[16]31 August 2015, [17]of 10 August 2015 and [18]of 25 March 2015.

 

The [19]thematic webpage on refugees summarises information on how the
European Parliament and the EU are responding to the migration challenge.

 

Further information is available on the European Commission webpage [20]on
migration and home affairs, on the European Commission webpage
'[21]Towards a European agenda on Migration', on the Council webpage
'[22]Finding solutions to migratory pressures' and on the website of
Frontex, the [23]European External Borders Agency.

 

Please rest assured that the European Parliament is committed to working
towards finding a sustainable solution at the European level.

 

We hope the above information is of interest to you and we thank you for
contacting the European Parliament.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Citizens' Enquiries Unit

[24]www.europarl.europa.eu/askEP/en

Disclaimer: Please note that the information given by the Citizens'
Enquiries Unit of the European Parliament is not legally binding.

Please also note that this email box is used for sending emails only.
Incoming emails are not treated. If you wish to contact the Citizens'
Enquiries Unit, please use our [25]webform.

 

 

References

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1. http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getD...
2. http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/ne...
3. http://www.europarl.europa.eu/the-presid...
4. http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/E...
5. http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/ne...
6. http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/ne...
7. http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_STA...
8. http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-...
9. http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-...
10. http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-...
11. http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/...
12. http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/meetin...
13. http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/meetin...
14. http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/meetin...
15. http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/home-affairs/fin...
16. http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-...
17. http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-...
18. http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-...
19. http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/to...
20. http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/home-affairs/ind...
21. http://ec.europa.eu/priorities/migration...
22. http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/polici...
23. http://frontex.europa.eu/
24. http://www.europarl.europa.eu/askEP/en
25. https://www.secure.europarl.europa.eu/at...