NORTHERN, WESTERN, CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN EUROPE

Albania Andorra Bulgaria Cyprus Czech Republic Estonia France Germany Holy See (The) Hungary Ireland Italy Latvia Lithuania (The) Poland Romania San Marino Slovakia Slovenia United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (The)

A Chadian asylum-seeker with his registration papers in a room he shares with 11 others in Dijon, France (March 2013)

UNHCR / J. TANNER | Overview |

Working environment

The 36 countries in this subregion have long is responsible for examining an asylum estimated 436,000 stateless people in the traditions of protection, strong application. region. legal frameworks and, for the majority of The trend of rising numbers of asylum Ensuring access to asylum for , them, functioning national asylum systems. applications in the region in 2011 and 2012 including at sea or land borders, remains a Nevertheless, different legal traditions and continued in the first half of 2013. The crisis in challenge. UNHCR calls on States to fulfil their asylum and migration experiences shape the Syrian Arab Republic (Syria), in particular, international protection obligations when the protection landscape of each country. has increased demand for asylum throughout faced with irregular migration. There is little Croatia, which became the 28th member-State the region. Germany and Sweden were distinction in public debate between irregular of the in July 2013, is the the most affected, with the two countries migrants and refugees, and the economic newest participant in the Common European receiving more than 50 per cent of Syrian crisis has also had a negative impact on the Asylum System (CEAS). applications. public perception of migrants. It has reduced The most significant development in 2013 was refugees’ chances of finding jobs and limited Germany was the recipient of the largest the adoption of amended European Union the availability of resources to build or number of asylum applications overall in legislation on asylum and the reception strengthen asylum and protection systems. the region in 2013, followed by France and of asylum-seekers. The recast statutes, In this difficult operational environment, Sweden. which will require extensive transposition UNHCR must continue to engage at the national level in 2014, strengthen While Syrians now form the second-largest governments and the institutions of the protection standards in the region. However, group of applicants, the biggest and still European Union to sustain access to discrepancies in implementation persist, increasing group comprises people from asylum; improve the quality of asylum leading to protection gaps in some countries the Russian Federation. Afghans and adjudication; promote fair and efficient and posing challenges to the functioning Serbian asylum-seekers are the third- and asylum systems; develop and clarify legal of the CEAS. These include challenges in fourth-largest groups, respectively. Also standards; and find durable solutions, the application of the III Regulation, among those seeking asylum each year are including integration, for refugees and which determines which Member State stateless people. There are currently an stateless people.

| UNHCR Global Appeal 2014-2015 • Northern, Western, Central and Southern Europe • 2 | | Response |

„„ UNHCR will support European Union policy-making Strategies processes related to people of concern and mobilize political and financial support in the region for its „„ UNHCR will help governments and other partners work worldwide. to build and maintain fair and efficient asylum and protection systems.

„„ To safeguard asylum space in the broader migration Challenges context, UNHCR will work to ensure that border management is more protection-sensitive. It will The economic difficulties being felt throughout the make every effort to see detention is only utilized region have had an impact on the ability and readiness as a last resort. It will also advocate for reception of many countries to strengthen protection, while conditions – including for asylum-seekers with budgetary restrictions have affected the civil-society special needs, such as unaccompanied and separated organizations that provide services and support to children and victims of trafficking or trauma – that asylum-seekers and refugees. Xenophobia and related meet minimum international standards. intolerance have led to incidents of discrimination and violence in some countries. Coupled with conflicts in „„ UNHCR will advocate for more resettlement places neighbouring countries and heightened sensitivities to and enhanced integration capacity in resettlement new influxes of asylum-seekers these concerns have, countries, as well as the implementation of local- at times, led to States giving precedence to curbing integration projects for the approximately 1.6 million irregular movement, including through tighter border refugees in the region. control and detention and penalization for illegal entry, „„ To prevent and resolve situations of statelessness, the over their international protection obligations. Office will continue to urge States to accede to the 1954 and 1961 Statelessness Conventions and improve mechanisms to identify stateless people. | Implementation | Safeguard asylum space in the Adequate reception conditions Operations broader migration context and procedures that are capable of responding to the specific needs UNHCR will achieve its objectives in UNHCR’s operations in the subregion of asylum-seekers are essential the subregion through a multi-faceted work to ensure that arrivals with components of a quality asylum strategy of standard-setting, advocacy protection needs are referred to the system. UNHCR will continue to work and partnerships. Comments on appropriate authorities. With the to ensure dignified reception standards, legislation, comparative analyses current scale of humanitarian crises, including the use of detention only as a and judicial engagement will allow more arrivals in the subregion can be measure of last resort. UNHCR to contribute to the setting expected. A particular focus will be on of legal standards at the national people arriving by sea. By monitoring In Cyprus and Portugal, UNHCR and regional levels. Monitoring and admission practices and building the will provide direct support to reporting on national practices, and capacity of immigration and coast guard asylum-seekers with special needs. comparison through multi-country officials, UNHCR will aim to avert the In Malta the office will work with studies, will facilitate gap analysis risk of refoulement. Border-monitoring the Government to reduce and and identification of good practice. projects will also continue in the three eventually eliminate the use of UNHCR will engage in dialogue with Baltic States, Italy and Spain as detention. Alternatives to detention all levels of government and regional well as in Central Europe. UNHCR will be promoted more widely, institutions; hold consultations will organize the third International including in Belgium and all with refugees, asylum-seekers and Summer School on refugee law for countries under the purview of the stateless people; and collaborate with border guards in France in addition Dublin Regulation. In the United civil society and new stakeholders. to cross-border cooperation meetings Kingdom, UNHCR will advocate for Country operations will build on and events. UNHCR will work with a more protection-focused approach UNHCR’s Age, Gender and Diversity Belgium to map practices related to the taking account of their special needs commitments and encourage referral of victims of trafficking, and to asylum-seekers in detention meaningful participation of refugees with specialized counterparts in Spain whose applications are being fast- in the planning and implementation to identify trafficking victims at entry tracked. In Finland, the findings of of government programmes points. the 2013 Age, Gender and Diversity

| UNHCR Global Appeal 2014-2015 • Northern, Western, Central and Southern Europe • 3 | consultations will be implemented UNHCR will continue to global resettlement efforts, 16 of and participatory approaches complement the efforts of the them by operating an annual relating to the reception system will European Asylum Support Office resettlement programme. Despite be promoted throughout the Nordic to improve practical cooperation this, the number of resettlement and Baltic countries. among EU Member States in the places in the region is limited building of asylum systems and compared with the global number of The specific needs of some improve the quality of country-of- resettlement places, with quotas and asylum-seekers, particularly origin information. Interpreters will reception and integration capacity unaccompanied and separated be trained in Austria, the Czech varying widely among countries. children, will be given priority by Republic and other countries. UNHCR will work to secure larger UNHCR throughout the region. UNHCR will create networks of resettlement quotas and strengthen The best interest of each child will legal practitioners and encourage national capacities for reception remain the primary consideration improvements in legal aid, and integration through the joint in all decisions affecting him or her, particularly in Spain and Austria. UNHCR-IOM-ICMC Emergency including those taken within the In Albania, UNHCR will provide Resettlement Project, which is context of the Dublin Regulation. A direct legal assistance to asylum- funded by the European Union. UNHCR-supported drop-in centre seekers. The project promotes good practice in Patras, Greece, will be dedicated through its dedicated website and to assisting unaccompanied children In 2014, UNHCR will publish a is helping build a resettlement who are in transit and are facing manual on case law from regional practitioners’ network. serious protection risks. courts in Europe. It will continue to support the Conference of Special attention will be devoted UNHCR offices in Bulgaria, Refugee Law Judges in Germany to resettlement and humanitarian Hungary, Poland, Romania, and the yearly Summer School admission of Syrian refugees in Slovakia and the United Kingdom for Border Guards in Strasbourg. 2014. UNHCR will continue to will follow up on the Response to UNHCR will participate in the manage the emergency transit Vulnerability project. Standard asylum adjudication process centres in Timisoara (Romania) operating procedures will be in Spain, France and Italy. In and Humenne (Slovakia). The instituted in reception centres to Greece, UNHCR will provide centres host refugees eligible for respond to sexual and gender-based direct operational support to the resettlement who are in urgent need violence (SGBV). authorities engaged in the reform of of evacuation to a safe place where the asylum procedure. their resettlement procedures can Build and maintain effective asylum be finalized. and protection systems To aid the transposition of the newly adopted legal standards of the CEAS, The local integration of refugees UNHCR has long sought to improve UNHCR will comment on law and and others with protection status the quality of adjudication by first- share legal analysis with stakeholders is central to effective asylum instance asylum bodies in the at the national level, in addition to systems. UNHCR’s operations will region, and will continue to work advocating for full implementation raise awareness of the particular with governments to implement of existing legal standards. Judicial challenges to integration faced quality audit mechanisms. A engagement and court interventions by refugees, as highlighted in the special emphasis will be placed on will permit UNHCR to ensure the research carried out in selected child-friendly asylum procedures, correct application of relevant laws countries in 2013 under the including mechanisms to determine in refugee cases. To this end, and EU-funded Refugee Integration: the best interest of the child. UNHCR particularly with the operation of Capacity and Evaluation project. The will advocate for more awareness of the Dublin Regulation in mind, integration evaluation tool, the use the links between trafficking and UNHCR’s operations will continue to of which was piloted in Central asylum, protection needs related make recommendations to national Europe, will help governments to to female genital mutilation, and asylum authorities. assess the quality of their integration the use of safe third-country or safe programmes and identify gaps. country of asylum concepts. Increase the number of resettlement places and enhance reception and To aid integration, UNHCR will In 2013 UNHCR published Beyond integration capacity in resettlement promote good practices in relation Proof, a comprehensive analysis countries, in addition to improving to labour market integration, of credibility assessment in the local integration prospects for some housing and the building of European Union asylum system. A 1.6 million refugees in the region social and professional networks. follow-up study on the credibility Awareness campaigns will highlight assessment in child asylum cases 21 of the 37 countries in the the particular problems of young will be completed in 2014. subregion contribute to UNHCR’s people.

| UNHCR Global Appeal 2014-2015 • Northern, Western, Central and Southern Europe • 4 | Prevent and resolve situations of will work with the authorities to In times of economic crisis, high statelessness improve quality of decision making. unemployment and confl ict in Related efforts will emphasize neighbouring regions, the growing UNHCR will use the opportunity reform of nationality law, birth number of refugees and migrants provided by the 60th anniversary of registration and the facilitation arriving in the region have to the 1954 Statelessness Convention of naturalization. Cooperation overcome fearful attitudes among in 2014 to advocate for accession with the European Network on locals. To counter this trend, UNHCR to the Statelessness Conventions Statelessness in advocacy and works closely with civil-society in the 16 countries of the region training initiatives in the region organizations and others involved in that have yet to sign. Studies have will continue. refugee protection. It is represented at been undertaken in 12 countries public events, seminars and al and in particular in Belgium, the Strengthen UNHCR’s extern conferences, and engages with the Netherlands and the United relations and mobilize support for media to raise awareness of refugee Kingdom in order to fully assess the work of UNHCR worldwide needs. Innovative approaches include the scope of statelessness issues and high-visibility campaigns using gaps in the protection of stateless UNHCR’s operations in the public spaces and transport. Particular people. The absence of statelessness subregion play an important role in attention is paid to improving determination procedures in most raising awareness of its work and the communication through social media. countries has been identifi ed as needs of refugees worldwide. Within Where xenophobia and racism have one particular gap that needs Europe, attitudes towards people of led to violence against asylum- to be fi lled. In countries where concern to the organization are often seekers and refugees, UNHCR will procedures are in place, such as linked to national debates about address the problem with the help France, Hungary, Italy, Spain and migration, both legal and illegal. of local partners. the United Kingdom, UNHCR | Financial information |

Over the last four years, UNHCR’s Budgets for Northern, Western, Central and Southern fi nancial requirements in the Europe | 2010–2015 subregion have increased slightly. In 2014, the fi nancial requirements are set at USD 62.5 million, a slight increase from the revised 2013 budget of USD 60.2 million, mainly due to the reinforcement of the Offi ce’s responsibilities in covering the Nordic and Baltic countries. Approximately 94 per cent of the 2014 budget is allocated to refugees and asylum-seekers, with the remaining 6 per cent allocated to the stateless programme.

Budgets for Northern, Western, Central and Southern Europe | USD 2014

2013 PILLAR 1 PILLAR 2 Operation REVISED BUDGET 2015 (as of 30 June 2013) Refugee Stateless TOTAL programme programme

Belgium Regional Office 14,553,295 12,505,096 1,504,165 14,009,261 14,009,261 Hungary Regional Office 11,294,317 11,724,569 1,004,580 12,729,149 12,729,149 Italy Regional Office 21,728,884 22,035,168 191,910 22,227,078 19,969,225 Spain 1,459,619 1,863,715 43,808 1,907,522 1,907,522

Sweden Regional Office 3,374,032 4,405,546 935,927 5,341,473 5,341,473

Regional activities 7,768,243 6,261,619 0 6,261,619 6,261,619 Total 60,178,391 58,795,712 3,680,391 62,476,103 60,218,250

| UNHCR Global Appeal 2014-2015 • Northern, Western, Central and Southern Europe • 5 |