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An asylum-seeker and her child receive medical assistance at a Fedasil asylum centre in Belgium. Albania Andorra Austria Belgium Cyprus Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Greece Holy See Iceland Ireland Italy Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Monaco Netherlands Norway Portugal San Marino Spain Sweden Switzerland United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 324 UNHCRGlobalReport2011 Northern, Western and Southern Europe OPERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS l UNHCR worked closely with European Governments to UNHCR stepped up efforts to support capacity-building, ensure that persons fleeing events in North Africa and solidarity and responsibility-sharing among States in the seeking protection had access to asylum procedures, region. This included the relocation within the EU of 230 particularly in Italy and Malta, where many of those refugees from Malta in 2011 as part of the EUREMA I rescued at sea in the Mediterranean disembarked. In project. addition to those received within European State borders, l UNHCR continued to help strengthen the quality of resettlement places for some 1,370 refugees in North national asylum systems. The conclusions of the Further Africa were identified in 10 European countries. Developing Quality project, which was funded by the l Greece received strong support from UNHCR in its bid to European Union (EU) and involved 12 EU Member States, reform its asylum system. The task was challenging in were presented to Governments and others at a light of the economic crisis in the country. With conference in Brussels in September. UNHCR also important court decisions pointing to the vulnerability of completed a project to improve the quality of the asylum asylum-seekers, notably under the Dublin regulations, system in Sweden. UNHCR / D. TELEMANS UNHCR Global Report 2011 325 l As part of the commemorations of the 50th anniversary of the events in North Africa, receiving nearly 67,000 asylum the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, requests in 2011, or 87 per cent more than in 2010. During UNHCR intensified work with governments on the issue. 2011, a shift was noted from arrivals predominantly at sea Research on statelessness was published in the borders to increasing numbers at the land border between Netherlands and the United Kingdom, and a seminar Turkey and Greece, in the region of Evros. promoting statelessness procedures in Brussels in July saw The economic crisis which hit some European countries the participation of representatives from several particularly hard put pressure on governments to minimize European Governments. Both Belgium and Luxembourg asylum costs. Budget cuts reduced already limited resources have pledged to ratify the 1961 Convention. for legal aid, reception conditions, support for vulnerable l UNHCR found new ways of helping unaccompanied and asylum-seekers and integration. Concerns about the separated children, and began a project in 2011 to identify economic crisis and developments in North Africa and the and assist 550 such children on the move in Greece, Italy Middle East also affected debates on migration in many and France through outreach activities and drop-in countries. The persistence of anti-immigration sentiments centres. reduced political will to maintain or improve asylum space. There has been a decline from years past in the number l The launch of the second phase of a joint resettlement of people entering Europe by irregular means, including project with IOM and ICMC aimed at building local through smuggling or trafficking, yet public discourse often capacity for the reception and integration of refugees. made little distinction between asylum-seekers and irregular Seventeen countries participated and shared their migrants without protection needs. Stricter border control experiences, knowledge and expertise on resettlement. and migration management by States in the region can affect An important development in this regard was Germany’s access to territory and asylum procedures for persons in need announcement of a new annual resettlement quota of 300 of international protection. places. UNHCR worked closely with government counterparts and a wide range of partners at both national and European Working environment levels. Strong links with national NGOs were maintained in all countries, while ties with OSCE have helped UNHCR to Countries in this subregion continued to receive the vast focus on hate-crime reporting and monitoring and responses majority of asylum claims in Europe. The overall number of to victims of trafficking, among other issues. In addition to applications in 2011 was slightly higher than in 2010. While well-established liaison with the Council of Europe on there has been a decline in the number of applications in human rights issues for asylum-seekers and refugees, some countries, others, such as the Baltic States, have seen UNHCR also cooperated with the Council’s institutions to significant increases. increase awareness of integration and durable solutions. While a relatively modest proportion of all the people The EU’s commitment to establish a Common European fleeing North Africa came to Europe, the largest rise Asylum System has been a key driver of asylum policy in the recorded in 2011 related to arrivals from Tunisiaand Libya. region. In this regard, the Court of Justice of the EU is gaining Southern Europe saw the largest relative increase driven by increasing importance in the interpretation of regional 326 UNHCR Global Report 2011 NORTHERN, WESTERN AND SOUTHERN EUROPE refugee law,as is the European Court of Human Rights, which aimed at countering prejudice and racism were implemented produced a number of key decisions in 2011 on asylum matters. in Greece and Italy. In addition to its engagement with the courts, UNHCR Stateless persons were also the focus of awareness-raising has worked closely with institutions of the European Union, actions. Discussions and analytical reports targeted as well as specialized agencies, such as the European Asylum policy-makers, while public events were held in the Support Office, the European Agency for the Management Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Spain to demonstrate of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the the impact of statelessness on peoples’ lives. EU Member States (FRONTEX) and the Fundamental Rights Agency. The overall aim has been to promote £ Access to territory and the quality of asylum UNHCR’s protection objectives and respect for international systems and European law on asylum. While significant differences persisted in recognition rates Access to territory via land and sea borders remained an issue for asylum-seekers among European countries, there was of major concern to UNHCR. Following the arrival of some acceptance of the need to ensure consistency and quality in 56,000 people from North Africa, mostly in Italy,UNHCR standards of treatment in order to ensure the viability of a worked closely with governments to identify those in need of Common European Asylum System. Reception conditions protection. In Italy,UNHCR strengthened its presence in continued to cause concern in some countries, with many locations with new arrivals and participated in the additional asylum-seekers homeless or destitute. In addition, the increased eligibility commissions established to respond to the surge in use of detention, sometimes in inappropriate conditions and on arrivals from North Africa. UNHCR also engaged new grounds not regulated by law,required further attention. partners to campaign for timely rescue at sea, but despite these efforts, an estimated 2,000 people lost their lives seeking to Achievements and impact cross the Mediterranean to Europe. UNHCR continued its liaison work with FRONTEX, Throughout 2011, UNHCR sought to ensure access to territory monitoring joint operations and conducting operational and asylum procedures, resettlement in European countries and visits to selected airports across the EU. Access to European integration of beneficiaries of international protection. territory at land borders was part of UNHCR’s focus in the Baltic countries, where border monitoring agreements were £ Building support for refugee protection put in place with partners in Lithuania and Latvia. UNHCR engaged with European institutions and UNHCR’s offices in Europe capitalized on the national authorities to strengthen the legal and practical commemorations of the Refugee and Statelessness protection framework. As part of these efforts, UNHCR Conventions during the year, to highlight the particular conducted a comparative study of the application of Article situation of asylum-seekers, refugees, stateless persons and 15c of the EU Qualification Directive relating to persons others of concern. In addition to rolling out globally the “1” fleeing indiscriminate violence in armed conflict. The final Campaign, UNHCR in Europe portrayed 60 years of refugee report, protection through the life stories of 60 refugees in Europe since 1951. Awareness of refugee issues was promoted in all , was widely acknowledged by States and other capitals through WorldRefugee Day. Projects specifically stakeholders. Budget and expenditure in Northern, Western and Southern Europe | USD PILLAR 1 PILLAR 2 Country Refugee Stateless programme programme Total Belgium Regional Office1 Budget 12,354,702 1,306,944 13,661,646 Expenditure 11,067,994 1,264,087 12,332,081 Italy Regional Office2 Budget 18,920,412 81,473 19,001,885 Expenditure 13,873,225 71,144 13,944,369 Spain Budget
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