Operations

 

238	Number of personnel (international and national)
25	Number of offices
64.2 Mio USD	Overall funding requirements (ExCom-approved 2016 budget)

A. Operational Environment and Strategy

The subregion is experiencing a dramatic increase in the number of people seeking protection. In the first half of 2015, the number of applications for asylum in European Union (EU) countries was almost twice as high as the same period in 2014 (398,680 versus 217,440). As of June 2015, Germany had received the largest number of applications (154,100), followed by Hungary (65,415), Italy (30,220), France (30,030), Sweden (25,716) and Austria (27,221).
 
Sea arrivals in Greece and Italy continue unabated, reaching 886,000 by the end of November 2015 - a significant increase compared to 2014 (219,000 in total). Arrivals are mainly Syrians, Afghans, Eritreans, Nigerians and Somalis, and include families, women, and unaccompanied and separated children. Despite extensive search and rescue operations, over 3,500 people had died or were missing at sea at the end of October 2015.
 
Most arrivals continue their journey onwards to other EU countries, intensifying pressure on European asylum and reception systems, and putting the Common European Asylum System (CEAS) under significant stress. The deadline for transposing the last two instruments of the CEAS, i.e. the Reception Conditions Directive and the Asylum Procedures Directive, elapsed on 20 July 2015 and the process has not been completed in many Member States.
 
In May 2015, the European Commission launched the European Agenda on Migration, which adopts a holistic approach to address the Mediterranean crisis and recognizes the need for coordinated action in a number of policy areas. Since then, the EU adopted a series of implementing measures for the Agenda.
 
In this context, UNHCR has maintained five key priorities in the subregion for 2016 and 2017:

1. Safeguard asylum space and ensure access to territory and acceptable reception conditions, including for people with specific needs;
2. Build and maintain effective and fair asylum procedures;
3. Secure durable solutions;
4. Prevent and resolve statelessness; and
5. Strengthen UNHCR’s external relations and mobilize support for its operations worldwide.

B. Response and Implementation

UNHCR will strengthen cooperation with relevant stakeholders, including European States and EU institutions. These efforts will continue to be guided by its Special Mediterranean Initiative (SMI), which includes measures not only within the European Union, but also in transit or first-asylum countries and in countries of origin. Activities will focus on monitoring admission practices and capacity building to prevent refoulement and ensure access to territory.
 
UNHCR will continue supporting the implementation of the European Agenda on Migration, focusing on measures to ensure a full and coherent application of the CEAS and enhancement of reception conditions, intra-EU relocation, and the EU resettlement plan; as well as to address the root causes of forced displacement.
 
In Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Italy and Poland, UNHCR will continue to work with the authorities to address onward movements across Europe. Focus will be placed on ensuring that borders remain open, and that protection-sensitive border management and prompt identification mechanisms for people in need of protection, including those with specific needs, are in place. In the Republic of Moldova, UNHCR will focus on assisting the Government in maintaining an effective asylum system.
 
UNHCR will continue to support the EU, its agencies and Member States in efforts to ensure that the relocation scheme for 160,000 persons is implemented successfully. In addition, UNHCR will continue to work with European States to fulfil their existing annual resettlement quotas, as well as those pledges made towards the EU resettlement scheme for 20,000 persons. It will also continue to advocate for Member States to offer other legal avenues for people in need of protection to reach Europe. Furthermore, UNHCR will pursue efforts to strengthen integration capacity, promote family reunification and fight xenophobia.
 
In the framework of its Global Campaign to End Statelessness, UNHCR will pursue advocacy efforts to encourage more EU Member States to accede to the 1954 and 1961 statelessness conventions. UNHCR will also continue to encourage adoption of national action plans to address statelessness and efforts to establish formal identification and protection mechanisms for stateless people.