EU mulls quotas for refugees

Report of a discussion and decisions taken on asylum and refugees issues at the Justice and Home Affairs Council, Luxembourg, 9 October 2014.

Ministers had a discussion on action to better manage migratory flows, on the basis of a paper presented by the Italian EU Presidency. The Council concluded that the guiding principles for achieving a strategic and operational approach towards better managing migration flows were:

(1) Action in cooperation with third countries
(2) Reinforced management of external borders and FRONTEX
(3) Action at member states' level - reception and fingerprinting.

The paper defined a sustainable approach to responding to migratory pressure in a structured manner, going beyond the immediate emergency measures. Such an approach could be used as a blueprint to address possible future challenges and could be adapted to the specific needs of any emerging situation.

• Primary Source

Council of the European Union: Press Release, PRES/14/505: Justice and Home Affairs Council, Luxembourg, 9 October 2014 http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/en/jha/145033.pdf

ESO: Background information: Taking action to better manage migratory flows, October 2014 http://www.europeansources.info/record/taking-action-to-better-manage-migratory-flows-october-2014/

ESO: Background information: Memo: EU action in the fields of migration and asylum http://www.europeansources.info/record/memo-eu-action-in-the-fields-of-migration-and-asylum/

ESO: Background information: Frontex mission to extend just beyond Italian waters http://www.europeansources.info/record/frontex-mission-to-extend-just-beyond-italian-waters/

ESO: Background information: New refugee proposals: Send them bac http://www.europeansources.info/record/new-refugee-proposals-send-them-back/

ESO: Background information: Systemic Shame: Germany's Woeful Asylum Infrastructure http://www.europeansources.info/record/systemic-shame-germanys-woeful-asylum-infrastructure/

European Commission: DG Migration and Home Affairs: Policies: Common European Asylum System https://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/what-we-do/policies/asylum_en

Blog: LSE EuroppBlog, 10.10.14: Europe is suffering from a psychological blind spot over migration in the Mediterranean http://bit.ly/ZSG46V

Spiegel Online International, 09.10.14: 'Aren't We Human Beings?': One Year After the Lampedusa Refugee Tragedy http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/lampedusa-survivors-one-year-after-the-refugee-tragedy-a-994887.html

Council of the European Union: Council conclusions, 10.10.2014: Council conclusions on ''Taking action to better manage migratory flows' Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting Luxembourg, 10 October 2014 http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/en/jha/145053.pdf

---