Refugee Crisis: European Commission takes decisive action

EU News 241/2015

Strasbourg, 9 September 2015
IP/15/5596

Delivering on the European Agenda on Migration from May, the European Commission is today putting forward a comprehensive package of proposals which will help address the refugee crisis that EU Member States and neighbouring countries are facing, including by tackling the root causes making people seek refuge in Europe. The new set of measures will alleviate pressure from Member States most affected – notably Greece, Italy and Hungary – by proposing to relocate 120,000 people in clear need of international protection to other EU Member States. This number will be on top of the 40,000 that the Commission proposed in May to relocate from Greece and Italy and for which the decision by the Council is still to be adopted. Today's measures will also help those Member States faced with a growing number of asylum applications by enabling a swifter processing of asylum applications though a common European list of safe countries of origin. The Commission has today outlined the main actions for making return policy more effective and has proposed a €1.8 billion Trust Fund to help tackle the root causes for migration in Africa. Finally, the Commission and the EU external action service are also addressing the 'external dimension' of the refugee crisis.

Source and additional information:
http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-15-5596_en.htm

File Infographic: Immigration in the EU (C)EU, 2015 URL

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