European Asylum Support Office

ISSN: 1977-4818 European Asylum Support Office Newsletter - January 2014 European Asylum Support Office Editorial With the New Year, EASO activities are again in full swing. One of the main focuses of the coming months will be the discussion on the post-stockholm Programme, which will be the new framework of the JHA Programme. In this context, EASO s Executive Director has made a key contribution during a stakeholders conference held in Brussels (see pages 1 and 12). In this edition, amongst other subjects, we look at EASO s work in Greece (pages 2 and 5), EASO activities in Bulgaria (pages 3 and 6) and EASO s meetings on Iraq, where a sharp increase in the number of mass casualty attacks has been reported in 2013. I also invite you to look at our monthly latest asylum trends section which this month reveals that the total number of asylum applications made in the Member States and Associated Countries during 2013 appears to have exceeded 450,000. Contents Editorial... 1 EASO budget discharge discussed at the European Parliament... 1 EASO participates in the post Stockholm Programme stakeholders conference 1 EASO delegation visits the Greek First Reception Service... 2 Update on EASO support activities in Bulgaria... 3 JHA Contact Group meeting... 3 EASO adopts its External Action Strategy... 3 EASO engages in an ENPI project... 4 EASO establishes focused consultation channels with civil society... 5 EASO organises study visit in the framework of its support to Greece... 5 EASO training in Bulgaria... 6 Iraq: COI Specialist Network and Practical Cooperation Workshop... 6 EASO training... 8 Latest asylum trends... 9 Annual meeting and first advanced workshop with Courts and Tribunals... 11 EASO participates in post Stockholm Programme stakeholders conference... 12 EASO notices (including vacancies)... 13 EASO participates in the post Stockholm Programme stakeholders conference Jean-Pierre Schembri Newsletter Editor EASO Spokesperson EASO budget discharge discussed at the European Parliament On 20 January, EASO s Executive Director took part in a hearing at the European Parliament. The hearing was organised by the European Parliament s Committee on Budgetary Control (CONT). CONT looks at how the EU Budget is spent, how well goals are met and if the programmes are value for money and ensures that European tax payer money is spent efficiently, effectively and according to EU law. One of the tools CONT has at hand is the "discharge" procedure. During this procedure CONT scrutinises the implementation of the EU budget by all actors involved, i.e. inter alia the Commission, Parliament, other institutions and Agencies. On 20 January, the Members of the Committee discussed EASO s budget discharge for 2012, as well as the 2012 budget discharge of a number of other EU agencies. The European Court of Auditors was also represented at the meeting. Among the topics discussed were the general budget management, the recruitment procedures, the conflict of interest policies and the reports of the Court of Auditors. Members of the CONT Committee praised EASO s conflict of interest strategy and mentioned it as an example of best practices. The rapporteur for the 2012 discharge is MEP Petri Sarvamaa. EASO s Executive Director during the conference As part of the reflection on the future priorities on Home Affairs, the European Commission organised a conference entitled "An open and safe Europe what next? on 29 and 30 January in Brussels. The conference brought together the major stakeholders in the Home Affairs area and provided them the opportunity to share their views on future challenges and priorities. The EASO Executive Director was asked to participate in a panel discussion entitled "Implementing the Common European Asylum System in full. In his address, the Executive Director stressed that the Common European Asylum System (CEAS) is best seen as a framework of rules, rights and procedures which should be applied uniformly within the EU. The ultimate objective should be to obtain similar outcomes for similar situations through a similar procedure. This requires convergence on procedures and decisions. As it is a living framework, the CEAS needs to be flexible enough to respond to a constantly-evolving context both from a legislative and practical perspective. Consequently, he added, the second phase of the CEAS is certainly not the last. Continues on page 12 SUPPORT IS OUR MISSION

2 EASO delegation visits the Greek First Reception Service On 14 January 2014 an EASO delegation, headed by the Executive Director of EASO, visited the Greek First Reception Service (FRS) in Athens. The aim of the visit was to discuss the state of play regarding EASO support to Greece and progress made by the Greek authorities in the area of reception and in particular, reception of vulnerable groups in Greece. During his visit, the EASO Executive Director held a meeting with Mr. Panagiotis Nikas, Director of the First Reception Service, and met with the employees of the First Reception Service. Mr. Panagiotis Nikas, Director of the First Reception Service, and Dr Robert K. Visser, Executive Director of EASO. The Greek First Reception Service task is the management of the third -country nationals who enter the country illegally, by guiding them through the first reception procedures, including: a) the verification of their identity and nationality, b) their registration in a national database, c) their medical control and the provision of any necessary health care and psychosocial support, d) information about their rights and obligations, in particular the conditions under which they can be placed under international protection and e) special care for those belonging to vulnerable groups. During the meeting, Dr Visser and Mr Panagiotis discussed the support priorities in the field of reception and the implementation of the EASO- Greece Operating Plan Phase II which provides for EASO emergency support in the following areas: Asylum procedures: the training of the staff of the backlog committees (which deal with the backlog of asylum cases) and of the Hellenic Police; Sustainable and efficient asylum and reception procedures: in particular, the training of staff of the new services and in the field of provision of country of origin information; Horizontal issues, such as in the area of management of EU funds, the collection and analysis of statistical data and ad hoc workshops on nationality identification. Furthermore, Dr Visser was briefed about the experiences of the First Reception Services with its mobile units, which is a new instrument in Greece and which provides flexible support, in the field of reception, to the Greek islands. Dr Visser expressed his satisfaction with the progress registered by the Greek authorities in the area of reception, and welcomed the increased focus on support related to reception and, in particular, to the reception of vulnerable categories. This is in line with the agreement reached between the European Commission and the Greek government on expanding capacity in the field of open accommodation in Greece.

3 Update on EASO support activities in Bulgaria On 17 October 2013, EASO and Bulgaria signed an Operating Plan which provides various support measures to Bulgaria until the end of September 2014. Since the kick-off meeting on 5 November 2013, the implementation of 7 concrete measures has started, focussing on: - Pre-identification and pre-registration of mixed flows and asylum seekers, - Mapping out the asylum system, - Enhancing the reception system, - Training (see article on page 6), - Country of Origin Information, - Providing support on EU Funding. In the first three months of operation, 18 experts have been deployed from 10 different Member States. On 14 January 2014, a workshop was organised in Sofia, during which Member States experts presented the findings and recommendations of the Asylum Support Teams (ASTs) deployed in different reception centres and jointly discussed, with their Bulgarian colleagues, how the Bulgarian asylum and reception system could be restructured and improved. EASO experts and Bulgarian officials Furthermore, a manual on the registration process in Bulgaria has been introduced, that can guide, in particular, the newly hired staff members of the State Agency for Refugees (SAR), during their work and serve as a reference while registering asylum seekers within the Bulgarian asylum process. JHA Contact Group meeting Participants at the JHA Agencies Contact Group meeting On 27/28 January EASO hosted a meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) Agencies Contact Group, in Malta. The JHA Agencies established a network in 2006 to foster bilateral and multilateral cooperation and synergies in areas of common interest, such as strategic and operational work, external relations or training. The JHA Agencies network is currently composed of CEPOL, EASO, EIGE, EMCDDA, eu-lisa, Eurojust, Europol, FRA and Frontex. The European Commission, the Council of the EU, the European External Action Service, and OLAF are fully involved in the process. During the meeting, amongst other discussed subjects, JHA Agencies provided an update on their latest activities in the JHA area and held an exchange of views on the contribution of the JHA Agencies to the debate and implementation of the new multiannual JHA programme (post Stockholm). The European Commission and the European External Action Service informed participants on the state of play of the external relations in the JHA field with key third countries. An exchange of views by the JHA Agencies on potential coordinated actions in this field, with particular focus on the Southern European Neighbourhood Policy countries (see page 4) and the Task Force Mediterranean, was also held. As from the 1 January 2014 EASO took over the Chair of the network. During its presidency, EASO will give particular attention to the work of the JHA Agencies in the new multiannual framework for the JHA area to be adopted in 2014 (the so called post-stockholm programme ). EASO will also emphasis the operational interagency cooperation, strengthening the principle of complementarity and the added value at EU level.

4 EASO adopts its External Action Strategy The EASO Management Board recently adopted the EASO External Action Strategy. The Strategy defines the approach and general framework within which EASO will develop its work related to the external dimension of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS) in line with the provisions of its founding Regulation (EU 439/2010). Bearing in mind that the main objective remains to protect those in need, EASO's overarching aim for its external action could be defined as "to strengthen asylum and reception capacity in Third Countries in order to better protect asylum seekers, to facilitate the resettlement by Member States of refugees from third countries to the EU and to cooperate with third countries in matters connected with EASO's duties and activities". EASO's external action will be guided by a number of principles, which include partnership with third countries, delivery of tailor made support that provides added value and does not duplicate efforts carried out by other partners and stakeholders. EASO will engage in actions within the external dimension of the CEAS when it is best placed to bring added value in line with its role as a centre of expertise on asylum and reception. EASO will act in agreement with the Commission when defining the priorities for its operational activities in line with the overarching EU external policy needs. In its first years, EASO external action will mainly focus on the enlargement countries and the Western Balkans as well as the European neighborhood partners, the Russian Federation, and countries included in Regional Protection Programmes (RPPs). EASO external action may take different forms which include: supporting implementation of RPPs as coordinated by the Commission, providing EASO training; and exercising a coordination role by developing practical cooperation actions on resettlement activities undertaken by Member States with a view to meeting the international protection needs of refugees in third countries. EASO External Action Strategy can be found on EASO s website via the following link: http://easo.europa.eu/wp- content/uploads/easo-external-action- Strategy.pdf EASO engages in an ENPI project In November 2012, the Commission (DG Development and Cooperation) launched a European Neighborhood Policy (ENP) wide financial assistance project of EUR 3.7 million aimed at supporting the participation of ENP partners in the work of EU agencies. In the context of this project, following contacts with three ENP countries: Jordan, Tunisia and Morocco, EASO submitted a project proposal entitled Promoting the participation of Jordan in the work of EASO as well as the participation of Tunisia and Morocco in the work of EASO and Frontex. The proposal was accepted and the contract was signed on 31 December 2013. A number of activities will be subcontracted to EASO s sister agency - Frontex. Specifically, the project will focus on various asylum issues including access to protection, remedies, protection of vulnerable groups, and integration of beneficiaries of international protection, and sharing expertise on reception facilities. Moreover, Frontex will promote the Integrated Border Management concept and comprehensive approaches to the management of mixed migratory flows focusing in particular on the inter-agency cooperation aspects, enhance the overall quality of the border management systems of Tunisia and Morocco, and promote possible models for regional crossborder or inter-governmental cooperation in the fields of border and asylum management. This initiative is not only important for the beneficiary countries but also for EASO since this is the first time that the agency is engaging in such actions within the external dimension of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS) following the adoption of the EASO External Action Strategy in November 2013. Moreover, the initiative is being undertaken with countries with which the EU has concluded (Tunisia and Morocco) or is negotiating (Jordan) an EU Mobility Partnership, which creates the right framework for EU level cooperation with third countries. Activities foreseen in the project include field visits, training, familiarisation visits, workshops, meetings, thematic seminars, and translation of selected EASO training modules in Arabic and translation of necessary documents and publication in Arabic. EASO will involve Member States experts in the delivery of the actions foreseen in the project.

EASO establishes focused consultation channels with civil society EASO aims at developing a permanent two way dialogue with civil society (besides regular consultations during the annual Consultative Forum plenary meeting, the consultation on the Annual Report on the Situation of Asylum in the EU and the Annual Work Programme). In fact, during the past two years, several organisations have been involved more closely in specific areas of EASO work, and they share EASO s view that such cooperation has already yielded tangible results. As an independent European centre of expertise, EASO values additional insight and information which could help us develop more comprehensive and advanced practical cooperation tools aimed at supporting the implementation the Common European Asylum System (CEAS). Following the third Consultative Forum plenary, session, which took place on 27 & 28 November 2013, taking into consideration lessons learned and feedback from participants, EASO has decided to establish focused consultation channels with selected organisations on three key areas of EASO s work: unaccompanied minors (age assessment and family tracing), the EASO Training Curriculum (through the Reference Group), and the EASO Early warning and Preparedness System (EPS). Following an open call for expression of interest, EASO received an encouraging number of applications from organisations that have specific expertise in these areas. EASO will endeavour to involve relevant competent organisations operating in the field of asylum policy at European, national, regional and local level. Through this initiative, EASO intends to take its relationship with civil society to a new level where expertise and views that are not available to national administrations and institutions are shared and discussed. Interested? See the EASO s website for more information: http://easo.europa.eu/easoconsultative-forum/open-consultations/ EASO organises study visit in the framework of its support to Greece Participants during the study visit to the Dutch authorities In December 2013, a delegation of eight highranking officials from the Greek Police and the First Reception Service visited several institutions responsible for the asylum and reception system in the Netherlands. EASO organised an intensive study programme, in close cooperation with several Dutch immigration authorities and the Greek beneficiaries. The main objectives of the study visit were to gain further knowledge about how to effectively enhance institutional cooperation between the different institutional actors involved in the asylum and reception system, how to set up open accommodation centres, and how to reduce a backlog of 1 st and 2 nd instance asylum applications. To this end, the Ter Appel accommodation centre and Schiphol Airport Amsterdam were visited and consultations with the Dutch Minister responsible for asylum and reception were held. The timing of the study visit is of particular relevance in view of Commissioner Malmström s visit to Greece in September 2013 and the agreement reached on increasing the capacity of open accommodation centres in Greece by the end of 2014, and reducing the backlog. The study visit is one of a series of measures agreed upon between EASO and Greece in the framework of the EASO-Greece Operating Plan Phase II, which supports Greece with regard to the establishment of the new Asylum Service, the First Reception Service and the Appeals Authority as well as with regard to reception in general and the reduction of backlog with the deployment of experts from different EU Member States through the so-called Asylum Support Teams (ASTs). 5

6 One of EASO s main tools for providing support to EU Member States is the EASO Training Curriculum, which consists of a number of interactive modules covering the entire field of international protection. The training methodology, combining online e- learning and face-to-face sessions, supports both a theoretical and a practical approach to training. Within the EASO-Bulgaria Operating Plan, different training measures are foreseen for Bulgarian officials working in the asylum and reception field. As Bulgaria has increased its administrative capacity by hiring new staff members, immediate and practical solutions had to be found in delivering tailor made training. EASO training in Bulgaria The training sessions were jointly implemented by trainers from Bulgaria, four Member States (BE, CZ, DE and EL) and EASO. In total, 35 new staff members (registration officers, case officers and legal advisors) participated in the introductory training courses in Sofia from 14 to 16 January 2014. The trainees had different levels of knowledge in the asylum field and were coming from three territorial units in Bulgaria (Sofia, Harmanli and Banya). Introductory course in Inclusion By training the new SAR staff members EASO aims at ensuring that all persons involved in the training have the most necessary background knowledge and received important key tools before starting their work in the asylum process. Participants to the initial training In this regard, an initial training concept was set up in close cooperation with the Bulgarian State Agency for Refugees (SAR), covering 6 different topics: 1. Interview Techniques, 2. Inclusion, 3. Evidence Assessment, 4. Common European Asylum System, 5. Country of Origin Information, 6. National legislation, procedural templates. The next initial training will be organised in February 2014. In parallel, EASO is in the process of translating four modules of the EASO Training Curriculum into Bulgarian: Inclusion, Interview Techniques, Evidence Assessment and Dublin. This way, SAR personnel can also be provided with high quality and comprehensive, long term, common training tools. Mr Rafal Rogala, Polish Head of the Office for Foreigners visits EASO On 21 January, a Polish delegation headed by Mr Rafal Rogala, Head of the Office for Foreigners visited EASO and met with the EASO Executive Director. During the meeting, EASO s key developments and current activities were discussed.

Iraq: COI Specialist Network and Practical Cooperation Workshop Since early spring 2013, there has been a sharp increase in the number of mass casualty attacks in Iraq. With growing numbers of civilian casualties, 2013 was the deadliest year in Iraq since 2008. In this context, on 21, 22 and 23 January, EASO organized two back-to-back meetings on Iraq. and likely future situation in Iraq. During this session, a COI specialist from the Swedish Migration Board was invited to present the key findings of a recent joint fact-finding mission with the Norwegian COI Unit Landinfo in Iraq. Additionally, a Senior Policy Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), a pan-european think-tank, presented the complex political and security situation, while providing a historical perspective to the current conflict. Finally, a representative from the organization Iraq Body Count (IBC) gave an overview of the trends in casualties and nature of violence in recent years. The sources and methodology used by IBC to record such casualties were also explained. 7 Picture: European Commission, source The first was a kick-off meeting of the newlyformed Country of Origin Information (COI) Specialist Network on Iraq. The purpose of this meeting was to introduce participants of the Iraq network to each other and to the principles of EASO s Network Approach. Participants had the opportunity to discuss the objectives, potential activities and methods of communication of the Network. COI sources and activities were mapped and information gaps and recent developments in Iraq discussed. The use of the COI Portal, and in particular the use of the notification system was also explained to participants. On the morning of 22 January, the COI specialists had a joint session with the participants of the Practical Cooperation Workshop on Iraq (which continued on 23 January). The session looked into the current As to the Practical Cooperation Workshop on Iraq, other sessions focused on the policy perspective and aimed at clarifying the main profiles of asylum applicants and commonly claimed grounds and at discussing divergences in recognition rates and choice in protection status. EASO presented data analysis on recent flows from Iraq as well as the outcomes of a questionnaire on applicants profiles. In-depth discussions were then held on divergences in national decision policies, more specifically with regard to the application of Article 15c of the Qualification Directive. Specific case studies allowed for more practice-based discussions. In the last part of the workshop, participants discussed key challenges related to refugee status determination for the Iraqi caseload, such as exclusion cases, vulnerable groups, credibility issues and COI gaps. The opportunities for an exchange of views between a mixed audience of COI researchers, decision/policy makers and UNHCR led to a better understanding of the situation in Iraq and will also, promote harmonisation of policy and practice in Member States in regard to this key source country.

8 EASO training Overview of EASO training activities With the arrival of the New Year, the new EASO training season is already underway. This year, EASO plans to organise 13 train-the-trainer sessions (an updated training plan can be found on our webpage http://easo.europa.eu/aboutus/tasks-of-easo/training-quality). The first two training sessions will be on Inclusion and Interviewing Children with the online part starting on 10 February followed by the face-toface part starting on 11 March (at EASO premises in Malta). The next scheduled training sessions will be focusing on Drafting and Decision Making and Evidence Assessment with the on-line part starting on 3 March, while the face-to face part starting on 1 April in Malta. Participants have until 17 February to register. Participants are kindly requested to register through this e-mail address: training@easo.europa.eu. Furthermore, in 2014 EASO plans to update three modules, in line with the CEAS Asylum Package, namely Exclusion, End of Protection and Dublin III Regulation. This update will ensure that the content is up-to-date, consistent with the other training modules and of high quality. EASO will also continue to expand its range of training modules by developing two new modules in 2014. As agreed with EASO Training National Contact Points, the first module will be on Reception Conditions. Building upon a successful pilot development of two EASO handbooks, EASO will, in 2014, also develop two new handbooks for the two core EASO training modules namely, Interview Techniques and Evidence Assessment. The Quality Matrix In its kick-off meeting in November 2012, the Quality Matrix process began with an ambitious goal: to comprehensively map quality in the main aspects of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS). A year later, on 10-11 December 2013, the EASO National Contact Points on Quality met in Malta for an annual meeting and concluded that in the course of 2013 EASO has made considerable progress in its work on Quality. Following its thematic approach, EASO, with the invaluable support of participating states, has already succeeded in mapping four core aspects, namely: Personal Interview Evidence Assessment Eligibility Exclusion In the process, experts from participating states, EASO, the European Commission and UNHCR have provided instrumental information on current asylum systems, examples of good practices and identified quality needs. Further, experts came together to discuss the most challenging issues and to identify possible solutions, learning from each other s experience and mutually reinforcing the quality of their systems. Each mapping cycle was then concluded in a comprehensive thematic report. In 2014, the Quality Matrix process will build on the collected input and focus on developing practical tools to support case officers across the EU in their day-today work. Through common checklists and guides, developed with the expertise of participating states, EASO will effectively support the implementation of a high quality Common European Asylum System (CEAS) on the ground. In addition to developing quality tools on the CEAS aspects mapped so far in the Quality Matrix, EASO will continue to gather information, expertise and good practices, and to facilitate their exchange through practical cooperation. The three topics tentatively envisaged to be in focus in 2014 are: Access to procedures, Special procedures, such as accelerated procedures, border procedures and subsequent applications, Reception conditions, including identification of vulnerable persons EASO greatly appreciates the continuous active participation of Member States in the Quality Matrix and remains convinced that the process is a key step towards an improved and sustainable common quality in the CEAS.

Jan-12 Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan-13 Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 9 Latest asylum trends 1. Number of applicants for international protection in Member States and Associate Countries 60,000 Monthly trends total/new applicants 2012 - December 2013 50,000 40,000 30,000 20,000 10,000 0 Total applicants New applicants In December 2013, the total number of asylum applicants in the Member States and Associate Countries (EU+), decreased approximately 13% compared to November 2013. However, compared to the same month of the previous year the number of total applicants in 2013 was 24% higher than the number of applicants registered in December 2012. The total number of asylum applications made in the EU+ countries, during the year of 2013 appears likely to have exceeded 450,000. 2. Top countries of origin (% of total claims) in EU+ countries January - October 2013 0 10000 20000 30000 40000 50000 60000 70000 Syria Russia 10% 10% Afghanistan 6% Pakistan Somalia Eritrea 4% 5% 5% Nigeria Iran Iraq Stateless WB 3% 3% 3% 2% Total applicants New applicants 15% Nationals coming from Western Balkans countries continued to represent the largest proportion of asylum applicants in the EU+ countries in the first ten months of 2013. 3. Latest country of origin trends Syria In December 2013, Syrian applicants were in the top 3 countries of origin in 16 Member States and Associated Countries, representing the most widespread caseload of asylum applications across EU+ countries; However, following the seasonal trend, the number of Syrians decreased in almost all MSAC compared to previous months; Eritrea After a strong increase during the summer, Eritrean applicants continued to represent an important flow for EU+ countries in the last months of 2013 at a higher level compared to the first half of 2013; Western Balkans In December 2013, the number of total Western Balkans asylum applicants in the EU+ was 17% of the total applicants in EU+ countries though there was a 17% decrease in numbers of applicants registered in December compared to November; Germany continued to receive the vast majority of applications from Western Balkans citizens.

10 Development of the EASO training module on gender, gender identity and sexual orientation On 16-17-18 December, EASO organised a kickoff meeting of the Content Expert Group for the development of the new EASO training module on gender, gender identity and sexual orientation. EASO aims at having this module ready and operational by the beginning of 2015. Gender was one of the issues of focus in EASO s work programme for 2013 and will also be in focus throughout 2014, in line with the EU obligation to promote gender equality. EASO has decided that the thematic approach to the gender issue must include two actions. On the one hand, the mainstreaming of gender related issues throughout the whole training curriculum; and, on the other hand, the development of a new specialized EASO training module on gender, gender identity and sexual orientation. The module will be developed by a Content Expert Group which includes experts from the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, United Kingdom and Germany. The Content Expert Group will be supported by an EASO focal point and the Reference Group for the development of this module. The regular members of EASO Reference Group, that will also collaborate in the development of the module, are the European Commission, UNHCR, ECRE, FRA, IARLJ and the Odysseus Academic Network. In this kick-off meeting, the group agreed on the following learning objective for the module: By the end of this module participants will be able to: 1. Explain how your experiences and attitudes regarding gender, gender identity and sexual orientation influence the way you process the asylum claim (awareness). 2. Identify gender, gender identity and sexual orientation issues when you process an asylum claim (knowledge). 3. Apply an appropriate approach to gender, gender identity and sexual orientation when you process the asylum claim (skills both in interviewing and decision making). During the meeting, it was agreed that this module should mainly target case officers, both interviewers and decision makers. The Content Expert Group also decided about the draft structure of the module (on submodule and unit level) and distributed the future content between experts for drafting. They were also informed about EASO guidelines, procedures and codes of practice for Content Experts in the development of training modules. The next step in the development of the module will be a second meeting of the Content Expert Group on 18-19-20 February.

Annual meeting and first advanced workshop with Courts and Tribunals On 5 December 2013, EASO held its annual meeting with European Courts and Tribunals. For the first time, the meeting brought together the newly established EASO network comprising representatives from the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and Member States Courts and Tribunals competent on international protection matters. These were joined by other relevant stakeholders such as UNHCR, the International Association of Refugee Law Judges (IARLJ), the Association of European Administrative Judges (AEAJ), the European Judicial Training Network (EJTN) and the Academy of European Law (ERA). 11 These materials, together with the participative methodology followed for the workshop, contributed to stimulate advanced discussions among participants. The participants were also presented with relevant European jurisprudence undertaken by the CJEU and ECtHR. EASO is grateful to the IARLJ and the AEAJ for their invaluable contribution to the organization of the workshop and to all members of the network for their participation and support. The agenda for the meeting featured a joint reflection on the role of the EASO network, followed by a discussion on the progress made by EASO in this field during the year. This was followed by a session aimed at setting together a plan for EASO s activities in 2014. Furthermore, the meeting provided a good opportunity for an open exchange of views and practice and for constructive discussions among European and National Courts and Tribunals on the implementation of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS). The meeting was held in conjunction with EASO s first advanced workshop for Courts and Tribunals that took place in Malta on 6 December 2013. The workshop provided an avenue for reflection and exchange of practice among European and Member States Courts and Tribunals members on the implementation of article 15c of the Qualification Directive. EASO is already working on the implementation of its 2014 work programme with work underway on the adoption of its professional development methodology, the joint development of a first set of materials for the professional development of Courts and Tribunals members and the provision of support to the Italian School for the Judiciary in the organisation of a judicial training course in February within the framework of EASO s Special Support Plan to Italy. In preparation for the workshop, participants were provided with a compilation of European and Member States jurisprudence as well as references to relevant literature prepared by EASO during the year.

12 EASO participates in post Stockholm Programme stakeholders conference Continued from page 1 During his intervention, at the stakeholder conference organised by the European Commission entitled "An open and safe Europe what next? on 29 and 30 January in Brussels, Dr. Visser acknowledged that the EU Asylum Package provides the legal basis for greater harmonisation and sets higher quality standards. Member States must therefore build enough capacity to be able to deal with asylum claims in a fair and efficient manner, offering protection to those who qualify for it together with measures that ensure their integration into society, and a dignified return policy for those who do not qualify for protection and thus have no right to stay in the EU. In order to ensure that a genuine CEAS is achieved, coherent, comprehensive and consistent implementation of the recast EU asylum package, in a cost effective and efficient manner, whilst guaranteeing quality is essential. EASO plays a central role in supporting Member States and the EU Institutions in achieving these objectives. Dr. Visser summed up a number of considerations that could improve the implementation of the CEAS over the years under six headings: (1) a focus on implementation and consolidation of the CEAS, including continuous monitoring of the implementation and evaluation of the EU asylum acquis; European Commissioner for Home Affairs Cecilia Malmström addresses the conference (2) advanced practical cooperation amongst Member States, including improved access to and exchange of information amongst Member States; (3) early warning, preparedness and crisis management for effective implementation; (4) better integration of beneficiaries of international protection and effective return of failed asylum seekers; (5) translating solidarity into effective support; and (6) boosting efforts on the external dimension of asylum and migration. Finally, the Executive Director stated that the new JHA Programme 2015-2019 should encompass policy orientations, with flexibility, quality, costeffectiveness and evidence based policy making being the guiding principles. The EU should become a single genuine area of protection for those who need it and therefore Member States should be supported to fulfil their obligations within a common framework characterised by the principles of responsibility, mutual trust and solidarity with the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality that are at the core of EU Treaties. See EASO s website for its written contribution on the new JHA programme: http://easo.europa.eu/wpcontent/uploads/easo-written-contribution-infull1.pdf

BZ-AA-13-009-EN-N 13 EASO notices (including vacancies) EASO Vacancies EASO has recently published the following vacancies: Open Calls Reference Number Title Closing date EASO/2014/TA/002 Senior Data and Analysis Coordinator AD 8 14 February 2014 EASO/2014/TA/001 Senior Analyst AD 7 14 February 2014 EASO/2014/TA/003 Editorial and Documentation Assistant AST 4 14 February 2014 For more information please visit www.easo.europa.eu and select working for EASO. EASO is now on Facebook. Follow us and receive updates on EASO activities by liking our page here EASO newsletter Subscribe via http://easo.europa.eu/news/newsletter/ EASO website Visit www.easo.europa.eu for latest updates on EASO European Asylum Support Office, 2014. Neither EASO nor any person acting on its behalf may be held responsible for the use which may be made of the information contained therein. Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged.