Refugees: EU Countries

(asked on 11th September 2015) - View Source

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what practical support EU member states, which have recently received the highest numbers of refugees, have requested from the UK; and what such support the Government has provided.


This question was answered on 21st September 2015

In the last three years the UK has provided over 1,000 working days to support missions coordinated by the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) to other Member States under pressure. This is more than any other EU Member State. In addition, we continue to fund via the UNHCR asylum expertise to the Greek asylum system and support a programme of assisted voluntary return of illegal migrants.

We also support the European Commission’s proposals for 'Hot Spot' screening centres. These centres will help ensure that migrants are registered and fingerprinted at pressure points on the EU external border and that refugees are identified and protected quickly, while those with no need of protection can be returned immediately. We are discussing with EASO and Frontex how best we can contribute.

We have created a multi-agency 90-strong team from the National Crime Agency (NCA), Border Force, Immigration Enforcement and the CPS to fight the criminal gangs that are exploiting vulnerable people and are working closely with Europol to strengthen its operation to tackle organised crime groups involved in smuggling people across sea and land routes. We are focusing on tracking vessels in the Mediterranean and bringing together intelligence from EU and Europol partners to target these criminals.

We continue to support Frontex operations in the Mediterranean by providing debriefing and nationality screening experts to Operations Triton and Poseidon. The UK has an outstanding offer of additional debriefing and nationality screening experts which was made to Frontex during August. We are currently awaiting directions from Frontex as to where this resource may best be utilised.

The UK is excluded from the Frontex Regulation on Schengen-building grounds. Therefore our officers participate in Frontex joint operations and other activities with the agreement of the Management Board on a case-by-case basis in an observational/advisory role.

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