Executive Committee of the High Commissioner’s Programme
Sixty-third session
Geneva, 1-5 October 2012
Update on UNHCR’s operations in Europe
A. Situational analysis including new developments
In the first half of 2012, more than 154,000 asylum applications were lodged in the 38 European countries for which UNHCR compiles statistics. Some 122,500 of the applications were made in European Union (EU) member States. Europe continued to receive large numbers of unaccompanied and separated children (UASC).
Throughout Europe there has been a rise in the number of refugees from the Syrian Arab Republic. Nearly 115,000 have arrived in Turkey since April 2011 and are being assisted under a temporary protection regime. The majority of Syrian refugees are living in camps in the Turkish border provinces of Hatay, Gaziantep, Kilis and Sanliurfa. The emergency response by the Turkish authorities has been of a high standard, with new arrivals rapidly settled in camps and provided with food, accommodation and medical care. UNHCR is assisting the Government with relief items and technical advice.
There was also a significant increase in the number of Iraqi asylum-seekers arriving in Turkey during the second half of 2011 and first half of 2012. Challenges remain in the areas of reception, registration, status determination and assistance.
Managing mixed asylum and migration flows within Europe requires consistent and protection-sensitive border management. This is particularly important in the Mediterranean context, where the need for a comprehensive approach to issues such as rescue-at-sea and access to territory remain of critical importance. UNHCR continues its engagement with the European border management agency, Frontex, and has contributed to the forthcoming Frontex Consultative Forum. The Office has strengthened its cooperation with European institutions on the prevention of human trafficking. The needs of unaccompanied children were highlighted in UNHCR’s “Protecting Children on the Move” project, which ran in France, Greece and Italy.
As many European countries struggled with severe economic difficulties, UNHCR called for continued respect for asylum principles. UNHCR and the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) assisted in asylum reform in Greece, including the creation of an Asylum Service. Significant progress was made on the legislative amendments to the Common European Asylum System (CEAS). A new early-warning mechanism under the Dublin Regulation involving EASO is an important step towards closer cooperation among EU member States.
Efforts to increase resettlement to the European Union resulted in a joint resettlement programme and the launch of a publicity campaign encouraging an increase in the number of resettlement places within the EU to 20,000 a year by 2020. UNHCR remained engaged in the relocation of refugees from Malta to other EU countries.
Public outreach and awareness-raising activities related to racism and xenophobia were increased in many countries. In Greece and Italy, UNHCR carried out an anti-racism campaign under the slogan, "One victim of racist violence is too many".
In Malta and Cyprus, public service announcements were screened on television and in cinemas. Working with Greece’s National Commission for Human Rights, UNHCR established a racist incident and reporting tool. Together with the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), UNHCR contributed to European Commission country reports on racism and intolerance and to the European Parliamentary Assembly resolution on the portrayal of refugees during election campaigns. The Office also engaged partners in these efforts at its Annual Consultations with Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs).