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UNHCR
and EC Signs Cooperation
Development
of asylum laws & protecting refugees
The
UN refugee agency and the European Commission signed two
agreements which will strengthen their cooperation on
the development of European asylum laws, and on policy
and assistance for refugees both within the European Union
and beyond its borders.
During
a visit to Brussels, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees,
Ruud Lubbers, signed a Strategic Partnership Agreement
with the External Relations and European Neighbourhood
Policy Commissioner, Benita Ferrero-Waldner. This agreement
is intended to consolidate, develop and better structure
existing cooperation between UNHCR and the European Commission
(EC) on protection and assistance for refugees and other
people of concern to UNHCR outside the borders of the
European Union.
Lubbers
also signed another agreement, in the form of an exchange
of letters, with EC Vice-President Franco Frattini, who
is Commissioner for Justice, Freedom and Security formerly
known as Justice and Home Affairs. This agreement will
facilitate greater cooperation on asylum and refugee protection
issues, and builds on a previous arrangement geared to
the first phase of EU harmonization of asylum which was
completed in May last year.
UNHCR's
key role in the development of EU policy and legislation
on refugee matters is firmly established in European Community
law. The Amsterdam Treaty (Declaration 17) requires consultation
with UNHCR on matters related to asylum policy, and obliges
the Member States to adopt laws on asylum which are in
accordance with the 1951 Geneva Convention on the Status
of Refugees. The new EU Constitutional Treaty (signed
in November 2004 but awaiting ratification by all EU states
before it enters into force) also guarantees the right
to asylum, through the Charter of Fundamental Rights of
the EU.
In
addition to the technicalities of future cooperation between
UNHCR and the EC, a number of "overarching themes"
are laid down in the Strategic Partnership Agreement.
These include ensuring promotion and implementation of
the 1951 Geneva Convention relating to the Status of Refugees
and its 1967 Protocol, as well as support for policy making
and capacity building for the development of asylum systems
in third countries.
UNHCR
and the EC also pledge "to better prioritise and
synchronise their action with a view to ensuring an effective
transition from emergency assistance towards durable solutions"
(including sustainable voluntary return of refugees and
other people of concern to the UNHCR, as well as, when
appropriate, resettlement and local integration). In this
regard, the two institutions agreed to encourage close
co-operation with other UN Agencies on various EC and
UNHCR concepts for example 'Linking of Relief, Rehabilitation
and Development' and the "4Rs" (Repatriation,
Reintegration, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction).
"These
agreements will strengthen the strong working relations
and collaborative efforts to address the many refugee
challenges facing UNHCR and the EU, both within Europe's
borders and beyond," said Judith Kumin, UNHCR's Representative
in Brussels, who was closely involved in negotiating both
agreements. "Cooperation and coordination between
the EC and UNHCR can help both parties achieve more effective
results. It is symbolic that, on the very day that they
were signed, UNHCR and the European Commission are jointly
chairing an important session of strategic consultations
on Afghanistan, highlighting the scope and will for further
collaboration."
Source:
UNHCR.
