Portuguese Presidency prepares the creation of a European agency devoted to asylum - Main contents

The Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union has obtained approval from the Member States for the extension of the mandate to negotiate a new regulation for the European Asylum Support Office, aimed at establishing a fully-fledged European asylum agency.

The proposed regulation aims to improve EU asylum policy, transforming the current European office into a European agency responsible for improving the operation of the Common European Asylum System, providing reinforced operational and technical assistance to the Member States and contributing to greater convergence in the assessment of international protection requests.

“The mandate for the negotiations is an important step towards our common goal of building a fairer and more efficient asylum system”, the Portuguese Minister for Home Affairs said. Eduardo Cabrita believes that “a fully-fledged EU asylum agency will be able to provide rapid operational support where it is most needed and contribute to increasing mutual trust between the Member States”.

The new regulation will reinforce the current mandate of the European Asylum Support Office and facilitate the secondment of experts to the Member States that ask for help. The new regulation will also increase agency support for cooperation between the 27 and third countries, contributing too to the external dimension of migration management.

After this decision, the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the EU will continue the technical work of coordinating with the European Parliament, in its role as co-legislator.