Today the European Commission has announced that it is
stepping up its assistance to Italy. Firstly, the Frontex Joint Operation
Triton will be extended until at least the end of 2015. Secondly, the European
Commission has awarded an amount of €13.7 million in emergency funding from
theAsylum,
Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) to Italy. The European
Commission also stands ready to react quickly to any Italian request to
increase the resources of Joint Operation Triton. To help Member States prepare
for potentially continued high pressure given the ongoing instability in some
countries in the Mediterranean neighbourhood, the Commission is also stepping
up its surveillance of the implementation of the recommendations of the
Mediterranean Task Force and will report back to the March Home Affairs Council
on progress made. This comes on top of the support for Italy in dealing with
migratory pressures of a total of more than €500 million for
2014-2020.
First Vice-President Frans Timmermans said:
"As long as there are wars and hardships in our neighbourhood, people
will continue to risk their lives in search of European shores. There is no
simple solution to this complex problem, but it is clear that there is no
national solution. There is only a European solution. We are working hard to
prepare a comprehensive approach in a new European Agenda on Migration to be
presented this year. In the meantime, we have heard Italy's call and are
responding in every way we can, and we are ready to respond constructively if
Italy identifies the need to step up Operation Triton's resources."
Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the
European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the
Commission, said:"As we work to tackle the dramatic situation in Libya,
we have decided to step-up our partnership with third countries along the main
migratory routes as part of our cooperation on the Khartoum and Rabat
processes. This should help to dismantle criminal networks of traffickers and
smugglers and to give maximum protection to those in need, starting with areas
neighbouring crises. Our resettlement efforts have improved and this should
help to stabilise refugee communities in third countries, together with the
work of the UNHCR and the International Organisation for Migration."
Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship Commissioner Dimitris
Avramopoulos said: "Today we face a stark reality: Europe
needs to manage migration better, in all aspects. And this is above all a
humanitarian imperative. No, we cannot replace Italy in the management of the
external borders but we can lend a helping hand. So we will extend Operation
Triton and we will increase its resources if this is what Italy needs. At the
same time, we are not building Fortress Europe. Our resettlement efforts have
improved and now we are working to propose a credible number of resettlement
places, on a voluntary basis, to offer alternative legal avenues to protection.
The message we are sending today is very simple: Italy is not alone. Europe
stands with Italy."
Managing the external borders: Boosting Joint-Operation
Triton
The Commission has today announced that Frontex will extend Joint Operation
Triton, originally foreseen to run for only a few months, until at least the
end of 2015.
Triton is a Frontex coordinated Joint Operation, requested
by the Italian authorities that started its activity on 1 November 2014 in the
Central Mediterranean to support Italy. Since then, almost 19.500 people have
been saved, out of which close to 6.000 directly due to the deployment of
Frontex Joint Operation Triton. The operation's monthly budget is estimated at
between €1.5 and 2.9 million per month. 21 Member States participate in Joint
Operation Triton with human (65 guest officers in total) and technical
resources (12 technical assets: two Fixed Wing Aircrafts, one Helicopter, two
Open Shore patrol vessels, six coastal Patrol Vessel, one Coastal patrol boat;
five debriefing/screening teams).
Frontex has only a supporting function and can only provide
assistance to Member States at their request. So far, all Italian requests for
assistance have been met in full. The European Commission has today confirmed
that it stands ready to look constructively at any Italian request for greater
assistance.
The initial tentative operational budget allocation for the
continuation of Joint Operation Triton until the end of the year 2015 is
estimated at €18 250 000. For the management of its border, Italy already
receives more than €150 million under the Internal Security Fund for Borders.
€13.7 million in Emergency Funding for asylum seekers and
refugees
In a first step, the Commission has today put €13.7 million
in emergency funding from the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) at
Italy's disposal to support the country in managing the high influx of asylum
seekers and improve the situation on the ground.
The Italian authorities made an additional request for
emergency assistance in light of the dramatic increase of arrivals of
unaccompanied minors (by 278% compared with 2013), focusing on their reception
and assistance. An amount of approximately €11.95 million will now be granted.
In addition, €1.715 million will be granted to continue the
project "Praesidium", which is implemented by the Italian authorities
together with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the
International Organisation for Migration, Save the Children Italy and the
Italian Red Cross. "Praesidium" focuses on the first arrival
procedures, mainly in Sicily, including the first reception, medical screening,
legal information and special support for vulnerable asylum seekers and
unaccompanied minors, and monitoring of the reception conditions in the centres
hosting asylum seekers, which are highly challenged by the large inflows.
The provision of emergency assistance under the AMIF is part
of the Commission's overall efforts to implement the principle of solidarity
through concrete and effective actions addressing urgent and specific needs of
Member States facing high asylum and migratory pressure. To this end, for 2014
and 2015, the Commission has put aside a total of €50 million which will be
delivered through the AMIF. The Commission's emergency funding comes on top of
the regular AMIF funds Member States receive for the implementation of their
national programmes for the period 2014-2020 – in the case of Italy a basic
amount of €310.36 million.
Addressing the root causes of migration
After the tragic events which took place off the coast of
Lampedusa on 3 October 2013 when 366 migrants lost their lives, the European
Commission established the Task Force Mediterranean to identify concrete short-
and medium-term operational actions to better mobilise the EU's efforts. In its
Communication "On
the Work of the Task Force Mediterranean", endorsed by the European
Council in December 2013, the Commission outlined different strands of action:
1) increased engagement with third countries in order to avoid that migrants
embark on hazardous journeys towards the EU; 2) regional protection,
resettlement and legal ways to access Europe; 3) fight against trafficking,
smuggling and organised crime; 4) increased border surveillance; 5) assistance
and solidarity with EU Member States facing migratory pressures.
Following the Council Conclusions on 'Taking Action to
Better Manage Migratory Flows' adopted on 10 October 2014, the Commission reported on
the Task force Mediterranean at the Home Affairs Council in December 2014 and
will report on progress made at the upcoming Home Affairs Council on 12 March
2015.
Background – Solidarity in Action
Many actions have been undertaken to support Italy in the
framework of the migration and asylum policy. Following the 2013 Lampedusa
tragedy additional emergency funding was mobilised to an unprecedented extent.
The Commission granted a €30 million package of emergency
assistance to Italy (€10 million under European Refugee Fund emergency actions;
€7.9 million for the reinforcement of Frontex Joint-Operations in the Central
Mediterranean and €12 million made available under the External Borders Fund
and Return Fund emergency actions) which aims on the one hand to increase the
capacity of accommodation and of the authorities examining asylum cases, and on
the other hand to support surveillance and rescue operations at sea.
So far, the Italian authorities have not made an additional
request for emergency funding in light of recent events.
But the Commission does not merely react to emergencies. In
2007-2013 Italy received as a basic allocation €478.7 million from
the EU under the four former Funds in the area of Migration (European Refugee
Fund, European Fund for the Integration of Third Country Nationals, European
Return Fund and External Borders Fund).
In addition, more funds were allocated for the 2014-2020
period: more than €310 million from the Asylum, Migration and
Integration Fund and more than €212 million from the Internal
Security Fund. Italy is thus the largest beneficiary of EU funding for
migration.
Concrete assistance is also provided by the European Asylum
Support Office. EASO is a key player in order to channel the solidarity of
Member States to countries which are under significant pressure.
EASO is carrying out support programmes for Italy (as well
as Greece and Bulgaria). Several Member States have committed experts and other
qualified personnel to be deployed in Asylum Support Teams.
This assistance complements the EU's action to address
migration and asylum issues by working with third countries. The European Union
is actively continuing its engagement with third countries of origin and
transit as well as its close cooperation with the international community in
view of addressing the issues of migration and asylum, and in particular
combatting the root causes of irregular and forced migration. Regional
dialogues - the Rabat Process on Migration and Development, the EU-Africa
Migration, Mobility and Employment Partnership and the EU-ACP Migration
Dialogue – seek to foster cooperation and exchange of best practices between
countries of origin, transit and destination in all areas of migration
management. Mobility Partnerships with Morocco, Tunisia and Jordan as well as
the Khartoum Process with Eastern African countries offer also improved
opportunities for cooperation.
