MINUTES 12th EASO s Management Board meeting Malta, 16 September 2013

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1 1. Opening and adoption of the draft agenda MINUTES 12th EASO s Management Board meeting Malta, 16 September 2013 EASO/MB/2012/118 The Chair welcomed the participation of the representatives of the associate countries for the whole Management Board meeting. A proxy was notified by Croatia to be represented by Austria during the meeting. The Chair informed on the attendance of Mr Viktor Ostrovnoj as new alternate member appointed by Lithuania. The agenda was adopted. 2. Adoption of the draft minutes of the 11 th Management Board meeting The draft minutes of the 11 th Management Board meeting held on 3 June 2013 were adopted. 3. Brainstorm on the implementation of the new asylum package and on the post-stockholm programme Implementation of the recast EU asylum package The members discussed the implementation of the recast EU asylum package and EASO s role therein, on the basis of a discussion paper and a presentation by ED EASO. A coherent EU legal framework for the CEAS has been developed to cover the different aspects of the Member States asylum systems and the different steps of the asylum procedures. The recast EU asylum package addresses cross cutting issues, establishing common definition to protection and actors of protection, granting better access to rights, enhancing quality of the asylum procedures, giving special attention to vulnerable persons, developing further the conditions for detention and establishing an early warning, preparedness and crisis management system. The coherent legal framework on asylum (asylum acquis) is complemented by EU rules on issues directly or indirectly related to asylum matters, such as family reunification, long term residence, temporary protection or return. The current state of play of the CEAS is characterised by the existence of different processes, conditions and outcomes for similar situations. There is a different use of EASO training in Member States and different levels of participation in EASO practical cooperation activities. It can be observed that there are different views on the production and use of common COI products and activities, as well as different interpretation of common definitions regarding data. In this context, there is a need for coherent implementation of the recast EU asylum acquis in order to reach greater harmonisation at practical and operational level, more convergence on decisions, more common products and activities (e.g. COI reports, trends analysis, training programmes), high quality asylum systems, more comparable data, greater efficiency by pooling resources and increased solidarity, responsibility and mutual trust. In order to achieve this goal, EASO plays a central role by translating legislation into action by developing concrete activities in the field of professional development, COI, practical cooperation, Early warning and Preparedness and operational support. Hence EASO promotes common practices which should lead to a situation where similar cases are given similar treatment resulting in a similar outcome. These common practices may provide evidence based policy input. The Member States should fully assume their responsibilities and contribute to this aim, including by committing themselves to support EASO and to actively participate in its activities is crucial to reach this common goal. The distribution of roles between EASO and the Commission should be further explained to avoid misunderstandings and duplication. While the Commission has, inter alia, the role to ensure the Tel: ; website: 1/10

2 transposition in conformity with the legal instruments, to monitor the implementation of the acquis, and to support a common interpretation via the contact committees, EASO could play a role in order to provide evidence based input and support the practical implementation of the legal instruments through manuals or technical documents. In this sense, the transposition phase should already take into consideration the common understanding and common practices that will enable an effective and efficient transposition phase. In the implementation of the recast EU asylum package, cooperation with members of the courts and tribunals, with other EU Agencies, as well as with UNHCR, other International Organisations and civil society could be further enhanced. EASO s current products, activities and programmes already bring EU-wide added value. Thus EASO should consolidate and develop further its existing core activities. However, new areas and new activities could be promoted following a step-by-step approach, including by organising pilot projects. In the field of training and professional development, the members highlighted the importance of developing common training in order to develop common understanding of the CEAS and to promote common practices. The idea of developing an EASO comprehensive core training programme was welcomed. Participation in this training should be encouraged in all Member States. However, its voluntary nature and flexibility should be ensured and the possibility to develop national training should be granted. A certification system in order to encourage the participation in the EASO training programmes could be envisaged. The tailor made training and professional development for special situations and groups, the regional trainings and the use of information technology tools should be enhanced. In particular, the cooperation with members of the courts and tribunals is highly relevant in this field and should be further enhanced. Additionally, the extension of these activities to other beneficiaries (e.g. border guards, legal practitioners, civil society) could be examined. Regarding COI, EASO should focus in EU relevant aspects, pooling COI capacities to enhance efficiency and coherence and filling in the information gaps. EASO should continue producing high quality COI products, coordinating specific networks on key countries and eventually coordinating fact finding missions to those countries. Member States should retain the possibility to implement national COI activities. In the short term, EASO could provide an overview of the fact finding missions completed or planned by Member States and gather and exchange information on their outcome to avoid duplications. With regard to practical cooperation, EASO plays the key role to promote practical cooperation and quality initiatives and to exchange information and best practices among Member States, including country specific, legal and thematic activities. EASO should consolidate further its existing core activities on practical cooperation. New forms of practical cooperation, such as sharing of reception capacities and joint processing, could be explored. Member agreed that EASO should start engaging in joint processing in line with the discussions held following the Commission study on this subject. A pilot project could be developed to this end. The possibility to pool reception capacity could be explored further following a cautious step-by-step approach, including the assessment of the different legal and practical implications and the eventual development of pilot projects. Concerning the external dimension, the members considered that EASO should start implementing comprehensive actions in this field focussing on capacity building in key third countries asylum systems. In addition, some members suggested cooperating on return and reintegration with key third countries. EASO should act with respect to the EU institutional framework and the EU external relations policy. Hence activities within the Mobility Partnerships could be put in place. Factsheets on key third countries could also be compiled by EASO. In the field of Early warning and Preparedness, the members assessed positively EASO s activities and products, such as the quarterly and the monthly reports committing to broaden data provision according to well defined needs. The EASO activities should feed into the application of Article 33 of the Dublin Regulation and to support contingency planning. EASO s analysis on the variation of the influx in the different Member States from one year to another could lead to new support activities by EASO. An EASO information and documentation system should be fully developed. EASO s operational support in emergency or specific situations should be reinforced through a wellresourced pool with Member States experts and timely targeted actions. Post Stockholm programme Tel: ; website: 2/10

3 The members discussed on the post Stockholm programme on the basis of discussion papers presented by ED EASO and the Commission. After the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty, the area of asylum has been incorporated in the normal decision-making processes in the EU. Thus it was suggested the post Stockholm programme could incorporate policy orientations rather than a catalogue of actions. Flexibility, cost-effectiveness and evidence based policy making should be guiding principles of the programme. The members considered that one key priority for the post Stockholm programme in the field of asylum is the implementation of the recast EU asylum package. EASO should play the central role in the practical implementation of the CEAS, with a particular focus on its core areas of activity, such as training, COI, Early warning and Preparedness and practical cooperation. The EASO practical cooperation activities should be developed further, but new forms of practical cooperation, such as joint processing and sharing of reception capacity, could be outlined in the post Stockholm programme. The Early warning and Preparedness System, together with the mechanism under Article 33 of the Dublin Regulation should be further enhanced in the next multiannual programme. In addition to the analysis of the influx to Member States, EASO should also examine and exchange information on the Member States asylum systems and practices. In this sense, a toolbox for crisis management should also be developed in order to be better prepared for an EU coordinated response to emergency or specific situations. A coherent relation between the internal and the external dimensions of the EU asylum policy should be reinforced by e.g. operationalizing the Regional Protection Programmes and promoting EU resettlement schemes. A coordinated and coherent EU approach should be enhanced in order to be more effective and efficient. Therefore, EASO s actions should be implemented within the EU external relations policy and with respect to the EU institutional framework, particularly to the roles of the Commission and the European External Action Service. As regards return, many members deemed that return is an integral part of the asylum system, given that the return possibilities of those persons who do not need international protection should be taken into consideration in the asylum processes. In this sense, EASO could concentrate in COI relevant to return and/or in the area of voluntary return, in cooperation with IOM. However, some members stated that return does not directly concern the asylum procedure. They also stressed that duplication with Frontex should be avoided. The use of EU funding, particularly the Asylum and Migration Fund, in a more strategic way was underlined as an essential element to include in the post Stockholm programme. Some members proposed that the EU could explore to apply the principle of mutual recognition to positive decisions for beneficiaries of international protection. Finally, the need for new legislative proposals should only be analysed after a thorough assessment of the implementation of the recast EU asylum package. The new programme should not predefine topics for new legislation. A POINTS (Information points) The Management Board took note of the written information provided under the list of A points. B POINTS (Decision points) 4. EASO Work Programme 2014 The Chair recalled the presentation of the outline of the Work Programme 2014 in February 2013 and the presentation of the first detailed draft thereof in June The Chair mentioned the developments on the med COI project, including the meetings organised by the Commission. ED EASO referred to the new draft Work Programme 2014, which has taken into consideration the opinion of the Commission, the outcome of the discussions taken in the previous Management Board meetings and the input from other JHA Agencies. The draft Work Programme improves its usability and reflects better the tasks and priorities in the context of the CEAS. A flexibility clause is included in order to adapt to changing scenarios and circumstances. The practical cooperation approach and tools have been reinforced and streamlined, leading to nearly 30 practical cooperation activities for next year. A general disclaimer on budget and staff has been included in the draft Work Programme under the premise that the final figures are subject to the decision by the budgetary authority on the EU General Budget Regarding the Tel: ; website: 3/10

4 MedCOI project, ED EASO thanked the initiative taken by the Commission and expressed EASO s willingness in principle incorporate the core part of the project in its COI activities after The substantial budget implications of the project do not enable EASO to take over the project at this point in time and with the present structure. EASO will remain closely involved in its development in the coming years. However, the project will not be mentioned in the Work Programme Several members (EL, NL, FI, BE, SE) assessed positively the draft Work Programme EL proposed to develop training on reception and suggested including concrete examples on certain activities (e.g. practical cooperation, COI, quality and emergency support). NL and SE underlined the importance of MedCOI and agreed on ED EASO s approach in this respect. FI emphasised the relevance of creating a documentation system, the cooperation with members of the courts and tribunals and the result-oriented approach in the implementation of the recast asylum package taking into account the outcome of the contact committees (e.g. with regard to the Dublin III Regulation). UNHCR welcomed the new draft Work Programme, particularly the mentions to vulnerable persons, prevention of trafficking in human beings and gender aspects. The cooperation with members of the courts and tribunals was deemed highly relevant, as well as the development of a case-law database which could create synergies with existing tools. BE underlined the development of common frameworks and assessments, as well as the attention given to cooperation with civil society and IT governance. The Commission appreciated the draft work programme as a balanced and well structured document. The application of performance indicators was welcomed. EASO should consolidate and develop its key functions before embarking on activities in the external dimension. Regarding MedCOI, the Commission expressed its commitment to support the project where possible, including through AMF funding. EASO should only take over the project in full or partially only after an assessment of the overall implications. ED EASO confirmed the plans to start developing a reception module in In line with the necessary flexibility in developing added value tools, it was suggested that the work programme could include examples of possible products or tools (e.g. manuals, templates, checklists). The activities on prevention of trafficking in human beings will be limited to asylum related aspects and within the framework of the EU strategy in this area. EASO will follow a practical approach in the implementation of the CEAS developing tools which bring added value taking fully into account the outcome of the contact committees. The Management Board adopted the Work Programme 2014, after including concrete examples of possible outputs related to certain activities. 5. Draft Working Arrangement between EASO and UNHCR The Chair emphasised the very constructive cooperation between EASO and UNHCR which forms an integral part of EASO s activities. ED EASO stressed the excellent cooperation with UNHCR since EASO started its activities. The draft working arrangement consolidates and formalises the existing cooperation and sets the framework for future cooperation. The draft working arrangement does not foresee special financial implications. Should they arise in the future, a proposal will be submitted to the Management Board for its approval. If adopted, the working arrangement will be signed and enter into force shortly. UNHCR assessed very positively the cooperation with EASO and the confirmation and consolidation of this cooperation through the conclusion of the working arrangement, establishing the basis to continue working closely in the future. UNHCR welcomed the negotiation process. The working arrangement was adopted by the Management Board. 6. Decision on the Strategic Internal Audit Plan ED EASO recalled that the Chair of the Management Board, the Director General of the Internal Audit Service and himself signed the Mission Charter of the Internal Audit Service (IAS). In accordance with the Charter and the visits of IAS in 2012 and 2013, the Strategic Internal Audit Plan (SIAP) for the period foresees four audit topics: implementation of an operating plan in the framework of EASO s emergency support; training; budget execution and procurement plan implementation; and business continuity. Action plans have been prepared by EASO in order to implement the recommendations by IAS. As follow-up, the yearly risk assessments and the state of play of implementation of the SIAP will be submitted to the EASO Management Board for endorsement. Tel: ; website: 4/10

5 The final version of the SIAP was endorsed by the Management Board. 7. Decision on the Charter of the Accounting Officer The Chair stated that the Management Board appointed the EASO Accounting Officer on June The Charter details the tasks and the relations with the Management Board and with ED EASO. The Charter of the EASO Accounting Officer was adopted by the Management Board. 8. EASO budget a. EASO budget 2013 implementation The Chair mentioned the ED EASO letter on the mid year budget review, according to which no additional amendment was proposed and that a notable carry forward of payment appropriations to 2014 is expected due to the cautious approach in terms of expenditure and the replanning of projects. At the request of the Chair, ED EASO confirmed that the current implementation and the proposal for next year s budget, which foresees equal amounts on commitment and payment appropriations, exclude in principle the possibility to face in 2014 the same situation which arose in February ED EASO briefed on the budget implementation as of 15 September. The overall implementation is satisfactory, although it will be closely monitored, given the execution of 65% of Commitment Appropriations and 55 % for Payment Appropriations. Particular efforts will be devoted to the infrastructure and operating expenditure (Title 2) and operational expenditure (Title 3). Regarding staff, EASO has already appointed 72 staff members of 20 nationalities and will have appointed 77 staff members at the end of the year, covering 100% of the authorised posts. With regard to contingency budget planning, EASO addresses emergency situations by two approaches: on one hand, EASO estimates a non-defined budget for emergency support and, on the other hand, if additional budget is required, a justified proposal needs to be discussed with the Commission and the Budgetary Authority. b. State of play of the EASO budget 2014 The Commission underlined that 2014 is an extraordinary year for budget planning, since the overall framework is still to be decided. The good cooperation with EASO throughout the whole process was emphasised. The Commission s proposal for EASO s budget is in line with the constraints applied to all institutions, particularly with regard to the establishment plan which foresees only 4 new temporary agents. This limited staff increase could pose challenges which need to be addressed. The Commission informed that the LIBE Committee adopted its opinion on the budget proposing an increase in EASO s subsidy. The EU general budget is expected to be agreed by December ED EASO confirmed the excellent cooperation the Commission and thanked the Commission proposal which foresees nearly what EASO had estimated. However, the staff situation continues to appear as a point of concern, since EASO is a human resource intensive Agency whose operational activities are not directed to cover infrastructure costs, but to assist Member States with expertise and practical cooperation. The Work Programme 2014 takes into consideration the Commission proposal with extraordinary efforts. The increase of staff to the level initially estimated and requested by EASO would allow the Agency to perform better in quantitative and qualitative terms for the implementation of the CEAS. In this regard, ED EASO hopes that the Budgetary Authority will decide in this direction, after the amendments by the European Parliament. The Chair concluded that the Management Board will adopt the budget 2014 on the basis of the decision by the Budgetary Authority on the EU general budget which will be taken most likely in December. Once decided, a written procedure will be launched with sufficient time to take a decision on the EASO budget State of play of Operating Plan phase II for Greece The Chair congratulated Greece for the start of formal operations by the new services on 7 June EASO welcomed also the official launch of the new Greek services which EASO had devoted specific efforts to support since the first day of the Agency. In line with the Operating Plan for Greece, EASO informed that 100% of the staff of the new asylum service had followed EASO s training programme. An agreement with the backlog committees and the appeal committees was reached in order receive EASO training for all their staff. Furthermore, the implementation of the Operating Plan phase II is highly satisfactory. Enhanced Tel: ; website: 5/10

6 coordination with the Greek authorities is ensuring that the Asylum Support Teams are deployed according to the agreed schedule and implement effectively their activities. Regarding the call for experts 2013, it can be observed that less Member States have responded to the call. However, new Member States are actively participating, resulting in the appointment of new experts in the Asylum Intervention Pool. EASO affirmed that more Asylum Support Teams are required for the implementation of the Operating Plan and thus new call for experts will follow. In addition, the identified need for new activities will lead to an amendment of the Operating Plan phase II in the near future. Greece presented a video highlighting the start of the asylum services which showed some of the main figures since the start of their operations. The Commission congratulated Greece for the start of the new services and for the progress made with regard to the quality of the asylum procedure and the decision-making capacity. Nevertheless, the reception conditions, the limited capacity in open reception centres and the need to find alternatives to detention remain the key elements to be addressed by targeted actions. The EU funds absorption capacity should also be reinforced. The DG for Home Affairs will visit Greece in October, followed by a visit by the Commissioner, probably, in November. The Commission announced a meeting of the Friends of Greece to be convened on 27 September in Brussels. UNHCR shared a written update on its activities in Greece. UNHCR is intensively involved in the reform of the asylum system in cooperation with the Commission and EASO. UNHCR also congratulated Greece on the progress made, mentioning access to procedures, quality registration, processing times and positive decisions on Syrian asylum seekers. However, a number of challenges remain, such as sustainable funding and staff for the new services, the establishment of a coordination mechanism between different authorities and the expansion of the territorial scope of the services. UNHCR also shared some concerns related to the limited open reception capacity, the conditions and use of detention, the quality of the asylum procedure still under the responsibility of the Hellenic Police and the pending applications in the old and in the new system. Several members (IE, DE, NL, FR, UK and SE) congratulated Greece, EASO and UNCHR. They asked for detailed information on the situation of the first and second instance decisions as well as on the pending cases and requested more information on the level of progress made to have a well functioning system in Greece which would allow for a comprehensive application of the CEAS, including the Dublin Regulation. A clearer picture should be presented in order to inform the JHA Ministers. In addition, a strategic discussion on the overall situation of the asylum and reception system in Greece should be held soon, including the assessment of the impact of the Operating Plan agreed between EASO and Greece. Greece explained that the data on the backlog related to the old system are being merged. The pending cases under the old system should decrease given that no new applications are processed within that system. The new backlog committees are fulfilling their objectives effectively. Regarding the new cases, information is provided to the EU Member States Embassies in Athens and to EASO. Until 30 August, the new asylum service has registered more than 1900 applications and issued almost 490 negative decisions, while around 200 positive decisions are pending the signature of a Presidential Decree. Greece suggested providing a clearer picture in the meeting of November. The Commission informed that around cases were pending and that the management of the backlog under the old system should be completed by the end of ED EASO considered that, given the pending formalities in Greece, it would be advisable to hold a strategic discussion and have a thorough analysis only when comprehensive data are available over a certain period of time. EASO expressed its commitment to provide additional data in the Management Board meeting of November and in the monthly reports. ED EASO deemed that the total impact of the Operating Plan for Greece and of the other EU investment in Greece in the field of asylum should be fully assessed at the end of However, ED EASO agreed to give an interim assessment of the situation as an independent centre of expertise, once sufficient consolidated data allow such an assessment. The Chair proposed that Greece provides in the upcoming Management Board a clear and simple picture with clear figures relating to number of applications, number of positive and negative decisions and number of pending cases. In addition, a restricted strategic discussion could be held in the meeting of the Management Board in May 2014 to analyse the situation of asylum in Greece, including the outcome of the Operating Plan phase II, the activities that EASO and other stakeholders could implement. Tel: ; website: 6/10

7 10. State of play of Special Support Plan EASO-Italy EASO gave an update on the implementation of the Special Support Plan for Italy signed on June After the kick-off meeting in July, the working methods and plan have been agreed and the support activities (e.g. trainings and workshops) have started. The activities will be intensively implemented in the coming months. In this regard, a first call for experts will be launched on 17 September A first amendment of the Special Support Plan is being prepared in order to include additional measures. Italy thanked EASO for the support and expressed its commitment for the effective implementation of the plan. Italy mentioned specifically the work on Dublin, the reception system and the emergency capacity. The training of case workers was deemed essential. 11. Report on the Western Balkans The Chair underlined the importance of the influx from the Western Balkan countries, which justified the decision to draft an EASO report on this region. EASO presented the preliminary results and conclusions of the report, which gives a comprehensive analysis of the situation in the region, the profiles and composition of the flow, the countries of origin and destination, as well as the push and pull factors determining the big influx of applicants for international protection to the EU. On the profiles, geographical origin and destination, the influx is composed of mostly Roma and ethnic Albanians, mostly families with children, with little working experience, coming from Kosovo, northern FYROM, northern and central Albania, southern parts of Serbia, Belgrade and Novi Sad. The main countries of destination are DE, FR, SE, BE and HU. A seasonal factor can be observed, together with fluctuating numbers and a large proportion of repeated applications. The major push factors are the general socio-economic situation and societal problems of particular ethnic groups, whereas the major pull factors relate to long processing times, cash benefits, legal or illegal work, existing diaspora-ties and in-kind benefits. In this context, the asylum migration is mainly economically driven, no magical solution but comprehensive set of measures, including key elements such as efficient procedures and seasonal work opportunities. The report should be finalised by the end of September and will be shared with the members for comments. DE and FR mentioned that, given that asylum applicants from Western Balkans are mainly economically driven, leading to very low recognition rates, comprehensive and targeted measures need to be taken in many fields. UK referred to the existence of potential victims of trafficking in human beings, particularly female minors from Albania. UNHCR emphasised the need for individual assessment of the claims to determine the protection needs, particularly in the case of victims of trafficking in human beings. UNHCR showed its readiness to participate in the consultations. The Chair concluded that in line with the COI methodology, the report will be publicly available. Once finalised at the end of September, the final draft will be sent to the members for comments. 12. Asylum situation in the European Union (with particular focus on Russian Federation, Western Balkans and Syria) The Chair referred to the letter sent by the Commission on the situation in Syria and Egypt. EASO presented the trends in the first 7 months of 2013, which were characterised by higher numbers of applicants in the EU+ compared to the same period in 2012 and Very large rises in applications were observed in HU, MT and PL in Q2 2013, while large rises involving significant large numbers were registered in DE, AT, IT and EL. The pending cases are on the rise. There were changes in the countries of origin, being Russia the top country of origin (15% of the total), exceeding even Western Balkans (with 13%), although the repeated seasonality factor in the case of the applications from countries should be taken into consideration. However, a big drop of applicants from Russia took place in July. With regard to Syria, the number of applications are increasing and, most importantly, spreading across the EU. Syria is among the top 3 countries of origin for 16 Member States. Although DE and SE are still the main destination countries, significant increases in July have been observed in PT, ES, BG, RO, DK or NL. The numbers approached the highest-ever levels in July. The applications from Western Balkan countries saw a decline in numbers in line with seasonal trends but a change in the countries of origin was identified (towards Kosovo Albanian applicants instead of Serbian Roma). Although the decline in the figures for July, if the seasonal trend is followed, it will rise until October starting from a higher base than in The figures from Egyptians are Tel: ; website: 7/10

8 not rising or only very slightly, whereas Eritreans rose very significantly in July and Malians were back on the rise, including an augmentation of pending cases. The Chair underlined that the increasing trend in applications and pending cases will affect the asylum and reception capacities in Member States. The situation of applicants from Western Balkans, Russia and Syria poses challenges across the EU. The Commission stated that the trends confirmed the added value of the decision to draft a report on Western Balkans. The post-liberalisation monitoring report will be released in autumn and discussed in the Senior Officials Meeting with the Western Balkans. The newly adopted provision to suspend the visa liberalisation mechanism was highlighted. In this sense, the evidence based input by EASO, including the composition of the flow, is essential. Concerning Syria the situation of the 2 million refugees in the neighbouring countries asks for a coordinated approach. Although individual actions are essential (e.g. in SE and DE), coordinated actions at EU level will bring added value. The Commission stressed hat the EU and its Member States are little equipped for dealing with crisis in the asylum field. In addition, only limited amounts are left in the European funds, but should be fully used in a meaningful and coordinated way. The Commission considered that resettlement or, eventually, relocation actions should be explored. Most urgently, contingency planning should be enhanced in the countries in the EU front line under specific pressure, such as CY, BG, EL and IT, in order to be prepared for different possible scenarios. Three elements are deemed relevant: funding, practical cooperation through EASO and, eventually, Frontex, and civil protection and humanitarian response through ECHO-MIC (e.g. for temporary hosting capacity for refugees). The situation of the countries managing the external borders and subject to specific pressures in their asylum systems, in particular IT and MT, deserves a balanced and coordinated approach at EU level. The Commission pointed out the need to tackle the question of trafficking networks which take into consideration the situation in certain Member States and take advantage of the lack of possibilities of returning certain persons. The Commission announced that Syria will be included in the upcoming JHA Council meeting on 8 October and will be part of the Annual Relocation Forum. UNHCR highlighted the consequences of the situation in Syria as one of the biggest displacement crisis in the last years, with 2 million refugees recognised in the neighbouring countries, which host 97% of the total Syrian refugees. Given the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the region and, there are no prospects of alleviation. It is estimated that the numbers will reach around 3,5 million refugees in the region by the end of 2013 and 6,8 internally displaced persons in Syria. UNHCR was grateful to the EU for the great financial assistance received (1,5 billion EUR) and for the protection granted in most Member States for the applications lodged by Syrians, although the type of protection granted differs. The decisions by SE for permanent residency, as well as by the countries offering places for humanitarian admission or resettlement (DE, SE, NL, DK, FI, NO, ES, CH, AT and LU) are welcomed. UNHCR encouraged Member States to address the increase of the backlog of Syrian applications. UNHCR underlined its position that the majority of the Syrians should be granted refugee status and, if this status is not granted, subsidiary protection should be recognised. UNCHR encouraged Member States to take measures on access to territory, swift status determination, flexibility on family reunification, flexible application of Dublin criteria, strict limits on the use of detention and explore further measures of solidarity. Contingency planning should be developed at EU level, with the participation of the Member States, the Commission, EASO and Frontex. UNHCR stood ready to support those activities. The application of the Temporary Protection Directive should be explored. The return to Syria or the countries in the region shouldn t be considered. Frontex informed on the ongoing assessment regarding Syria and Egypt. The Frontex Management Board meeting in September will also discuss the situation in Syria. Regarding border crossings by Syrian nationals, a shift from the Aegean Sea to the Central Mediterranean has been observed as of August, mostly coming from the Turkish or Egyptian coast to Calabria via Crete. Secondary movements from Greece have decreased significantly over the summer. Increasing numbers have been registered in the land border between Bulgaria and Turkey, mostly families which choose Bulgaria for their more affordable living conditions compared to Turkey while remaining close to Syria. Border crossings have also taken place through the Black Sea from Turkey to Romania. Syrians have also been detected trying to cross air borders with forged documents. SE explained the decision of the Swedish Migration Board to grant permanent residence given the deterioration of the conflict and the lack of prospects of improvement in Syria. SE confirmed that the presumption of the permanent protection stems from long standing jurisprudence and national law. SE has experienced a large increase in applications, requiring finding 2000 accommodation places in just one week. PL briefed on the decreasing trend of applicants from of Chechen origin in the last months. 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9 measures were taken by PL to process efficiently the cases from Chechnya with low recognition rates and to apply the Dublin Regulation in close cooperation with other Member States, particularly, DE. AT informed on the decision to grand humanitarian admission of 500 Syrians who will be granted refugee status. In addition, the general asylum procedures will continue with high recognition rates. DE underlined the concerns on the critical situation in Syria and the humanitarian situation in the region. DE informed on the trends in that country, underlining the decrease in the numbers of applicants from Russia, highlighting the good cooperation regarding Dublin, investing in the quality of the asylum procedure and developing awareness campaigns by the German Embassy on the ground. Regarding Western Balkans, DE expects a large increase in the coming months starting from a higher basis posing challenges in the asylum and reception capacity. In addition, DE supports the suspension of the visa liberalisation mechanism, which entails a political message, but technical and financial aspects may hinder its application. As regards to Syria, DE supports an EU common strategy and initiative, but priority should be given to protection within the region which will facilitate their return to Syria when possible according to their needs. It will help most of the refugees and serve their purposes best, in order to return as soon as possible to Syria. In total, DE foresees to exceed applications at the end of the year in FR informed on the augmentation of the asylum applications by around 15%. New reception places are foreseen. Reinforced quality of the asylum procedures has enabled to take decisions on Syria in less than 3 months, granting subsidiary protection in most of the cases. The influx from Western Balkans was given special attention, particularly Kosovo and Albania. FR welcomed the suspension clause for the visa liberalisation mechanism. UK reflected on possible reasons for the rise in applications by Eritrea, pointing out the change of policy in Israel resulting in forced displacement of Eritrean nationals. Finally, IT informed that the influx from Syrian applicants is not large so far, but the trend is clearly upwards. 13. AOB a. Emergency exercise at the external borders of Hungary and Romania EASO briefed on the emergency exercise at the external borders of Hungary and Romania with Serbia which took place in July and August EASO thanked the cooperation by the authorities of both countries, as well as the members which made available their experts (NL, SE, DE and BE). The good cooperation with Frontex deserved a special mention as the exercise took place in connection with its operational exercise REX2013. This exercise tested EASO s capacity and procedures for deploying Asylum Support Teams in situations of particular pressure in certain Member States, as well as EU solidarity on the ground. EASO highlighted its ability to react quickly to emergency scenarios, since it only took 6 days to complete the whole procedure to deploy the experts on the operational area. The exercise also showed that efforts need to be reinforced in order to detail the Operating Plans addressing more effectively the existing needs, to better define the AST tasks and to strengthen the coordination before and during the deployment with the authorities in the territory concerned. ED EASO acknowledged the positive and negative results and the areas of improvement by EASO. The exercise had been very useful in order to have the experience to be prepared for real emergency situation requiring EASO s reaction at short notice. Taking into consideration the present situation in Syria, the exercise also allowed testing EASO s support possibilities in contingency planning. Frontex thanked EASO for the opportunity to have two parallel operations showing the added value of cooperation of both JHA Agencies in the field. The ability to react quickly at the level of Member States and the EU Agencies is crucial to respond to real emergency situations. Exercises close to real situations provide new information and intelligence and new abilities to be more effective. Frontex mentioned its experience in this field, including the RABIT operation in Greece in Finally, Frontex informed on the analytical findings of this exercise, underlining the significant number of illegal border crossings (mainly from Pakistan, Kosovo, Syria, Algeria, Nigeria, Bangladesh and Afghanistan), mostly the secondary movements from Greece entering Hungary from Serbia by foot in groups of small numbers. b. Provisional meetings of the Management Board in 2014 The Chair recalled that the next meeting of the Management Board will be held on 29 November 2013, the day after the plenary meeting of the Consultative Forum. Moreover, the 3 meetings of the Management Board in 2014 are provisionally planned to take place on 26 May, 15 September and 1 December. 14. Conclusions of Chair Tel: ; website: 9/10

10 The Chair highlighted the adoption of the Work Programme 2014, of the working arrangement between EASO and UNHCR and of the Charter of the Accounting Officer. Special mention deserved the brainstorm session on the implementation of the recast asylum package and on the post Stockholm programme. Finally, the Chair suggested holding a restricted brainstorm discussion on the situation of asylum in Greece in the Management Board meeting of 26 May. - The Work Programme 2014 was adopted. ANNEX SUMMARY OF OPERATIONAL CONCLUSIONS - The working arrangement between EASO and UNHCR was adopted. - The Charter of the EASO Accounting Officer was adopted. - The Strategic Internal Audit Plan was endorsed. - The preliminary dates for the Management Board meetings in 2014, namely, 26 May, 15 September and 1 December were agreed. - The agenda for the Management Board meeting of 29 November will include inter alia items related to the Multi Annual Work Programme , the EASO external dimension strategy, the budget 2014 as well as the comprehensive planning for 2015 (outline of the Work Programme, estimates of revenue and expenditure and draft establishment plan). Moreover, the agenda of the Management Board meeting of May 2014 will include a brainstorm session on the situation of asylum in Greece. Addressed to ED EASO - The draft COI report on Western Balkans should be sent to the Management Board members for comments. Tel: ; website: 10/10

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