Working Together to Protect and
Respect Refugees
–
The activities of the European
Council on Refugees and Exiles
(ECRE)
7 May 2010
Working Together to Protect and
Respect Refugees
• Networking on the European level
• The project “Strengthening the Regional
Advocacy Voice and Policy Impact of Civil
Society on Behalf of Vulnerable Groups in
Western Balkans” (South East Europe
Project 2005-2007)
Networking on the European
level
• ECRE represents 69 refugee-assisting
NGOs in 30 countries
• Located in Brussels
• The European voice of civil society in the
field of asylum policy.
Members of ECRE in the region
•
Croatian Law Centre
Working together
• Policy development and analysis of new policy
proposals (Secretariat and core groups)
• Informing ECRE Member Organisations on EU
asylum developments
• Advocacy and media work: working together to
have an impact on EU asylum policy
• ELENA – European Legal Network on Asylum
Common European Asylum
System
• First attempt in history to establish a
common asylum system among sovereign
states
• Process launched in 1999 at the Tampere
European Council
• Objective: Common European Asylum
System by 2012
Common European Asylum
System
– Dublin Regulation: which Member State is
responsible for examining an asylum
application
– Reception Conditions Directive
– Qualification Directive: refugee and subsidiary
protection
– Asylum Procedures Directive: granting
and withdrawing refugee status
EU Cards project
‘Strengthening the regional advocacy
voice and policy impact of civil society on
behalf of vulnerable groups in the Western
Balkans’
December 2005- December 2007
ECRE History in the region
 Working in the region since 1993
 Focus on creating networks and
addressing regional issues – IDPs and
displaced persons from war in exYugoslavia
 Using ECRE influence on European
Union level to influence EU, regional and
national policies
Aim
• Developing the capacity of a key group of
NGOs in the WB in advocacy,
communications, policy and organisational
sustainability;
• Strengthening the effectiveness of their
national and regional networks
Specific objectives
• Engage agencies in the region in the wider
ECRE network
• Help these agencies to advocate for effective
and fair asylum and migration policies and
practices
• Training and research on returns, smuggling and
trafficking, border issues, mixed migration flows,
etc.
• Improve institutional professionalism
• Strengthen in-country and regional cooperation
• Strengthen the agencies’ capacities to engage
with intergovernmental organisations
Issues we dealt with
Readmission agreements with EU
Sustainable return within the region
 Asylum policy
Border monitoring
Written outputs
 Research
‘Obstacles to
sustainable return’
• Region and from EU
• By country: Bosnia,
Croatia, FYROM and
Serbia
• Regional report and
recommendations
 Policy papers:
• Development of
asylum systems
• Border monitoring
• Sustainable return
Obstacles to sustainable return
- Key concerns • Unemployment among returnees
• Concerns regarding convalidation of
employment, social rights and other entitlements
• Discrimination in exercise of right to health care
• Occupancy and tenancy rights
• Safety and security of returnees
• Returnees from Western Europe
• Information and advice services in the region
Obstacles to sustainable return
– An agenda for action • The EU should use its influence to remove
barriers to return
• Solutions to be sought also at regional level
• 2004 Vienna Agreement on Succession issues
and 2005 Sarajevo Declaration on Returns
(occupancy and tenancy rights and employment
and social rights)
• Mandatory returns from Western Europe:
financial assistance for reintegration
• No return of ethnic minorities at risk in Kosovo to
Serbia
Advocacy
 EU level targets:
• MEPs from SEE
Delegation
• Commissioner for
Enlargement
• Justice, Home and Affairs
members
• ECRE member agencies
• EU Country Delegations
• Serbia chair of CoE
• Media in Brussels
 National level
targets:
• National decision
makers
• EC Country
Delegations
• UNHCR
• National and local
media
• Partner NGOs
Strengthening the Regional Advocacy Voice and Policy
Impact of Civil Society on Behalf of Vunerable Groups in
Western Balkans, 2010 - 2012
-European Commission, IPA – Socio Economic
Partnership Programme
- Objective of the Call for Proposals:
To develop strong regional partnerships among Civil
Society Organisations concerned with socioeconomic issues from the region itself and with their
EU counterparts and public authorities
Strengthening the Regional Advocacy Voice and Policy
Impact of Civil Society on Behalf of Vunerable Groups in
Western Balkans, 2010 - 2012
Countries:
-Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro.
Activities
-Creation of a website, translation of the most important
docuements on forced migration
-Training on EU standards in forced migration
-Development of a policy-advocacy document on forced
migration in Western Balkans
-Training on advocacy-lobbying campaign standards
-Advocacy visit to European Institutions, Council of Europe and
participation at OSCE
Thanks and enjoy the day!