The FINANCIAL — The European Asylum Support Office (EASO) to support the Spanish authorities in developing and implementing a new model for the reception of asylum seekers in line with EU standards.
The Executive Director of EASO, Nina Gregori, and the State Secretary for Migration of Spain, Hana Jalloul Muro, signed an Operating Plan for 2021 which will see the Agency immediately commence work to support the reception authorities in Spain.
The Operating Plan follows a Joint Rapid Needs Assessment (JRNA) carried out by EASO and the Spanish Ministry for Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, between mid-September and the end of October 2020. The JRNA helped identify the needs of the Spanish authorities, which EASO will now assist in addressing.
Commenting on the new EASO operation, Nina Gregori stated: “I am proud that EASO is once again able to quickly provide tangible support to frontline Member States’ asylum and reception capacity. I want to personally thank State Secretary Jalloul Muro and her services for the exceptional partnership that we have already developed, and for Spain’s clear commitment to the EU’s reception standards. EASO will immediately begin working to implement the Operating Plan and assist our colleagues in Spain.”
In addition to establishing a new dedicated team at EASO Headquarters in Malta, the Agency will deploy personnel to Spain.
In particular, EASO will:
Support in the transition towards a new model for reception in the country;
Enhance structural processes in support of the Spanish reception system;
Contribute to strengthening capacity within the Spanish reception system through professional development, tools and materials;
Provide enhanced capacity to reception services in the Canary Islands; and
Support the Spanish authorities in the area of resettlement.
Spain will become EASO’s fifth ongoing operation, the others being in Cyprus, Greece, Italy and Malta. The Agency has approximately 2 000 personnel deployed in these Member States, which is an unprecedented level of support, and recently announced that it had more than doubled it operational productivity in 2020.
