Filenews 30 June 2021
In the first quarter of 2021 Cyprus issued 3,470 decisions concerning applications for political asylum with the services offered by the European Asylum Support Office, a record number since the current EU records began to be kept in 2008, European Asylum Support Agency (ESO) Executive Director Nina Gregory said today. A total of 6,027 applications were received for the first quarter of the year.
Mrs Gregory is in Cyprus and today met and discussed the asylum issues and the major problems facing Cyprus with the increased flows, with Interior Minister Nikos Nouris.
At first, Mrs. Gregory expressed her pleasure to be in Cyprus to meet with the Minister as well as to see up close the progress of EASO's operational support in the country.
During our meeting, I thanked the Minister and his team for their continued excellent cooperation with EASO and personally thanked the Minister for his efforts together with the other Med5 countries to unlock the approval of the European Union Asylum Agency, she pointed out.
Mrs . Gregory said that with the new mandate the Agency will be able to continue to deploy staff to support Cyprus to meet the country's needs, including the provision of training and practical tools and guidance.
It is clear, she noted, that there is a real will on the part of the Ministry to work with EASO to better manage the pressures caused by increased arrivals and applications, in line with EU standards.
"Our goal is to help Cyprus make the asylum system more efficient so that it can make decisions faster, but to continue to ensure that the process is fully in line with EU standards," she said, adding that this not only means less financial burden but also allows for faster identification of those who cannot have international protection.
Mrs Gregory expressed pride that in the first 5 months of the year, EASO has deployed 157 people to Cyprus, who have worked 7,502 working days in support of the Cypriot asylum and reception authorities, recording a 65% increase compared to the same period in 2020.
Citing other evidence, Ms. Gregory said that 62% of EASO's staff has been used in a primary process and EASO's 2021 Budget for Cyprus is 8.1 million euros. Also, between January and the end of May 2021, EASO made 1,493 of 3,980 registrations in Cyprus (almost 40%).
It is worth noting, she added, that in the first quarter of 2021, Cyprus issued by far the most decisions, 3,470 in total, since the current EU records began to be kept in 2008. "This of course reflects the increased arrivals in the country - but more significantly it reflects a more effective asylum system," he said.
Mrs Gregory said she visited the First Tournara Reception Center, and welcomed the cooperation that exists in the examination area there.
As discussed with the Minister, we are also ready to further strengthen the Cypriot authorities with additional workflows and procedures, such as reception training and coaching for staff, she said.
For his part, the Home Secretary said they had an extremely good and constructive meeting with the Executive Director of the European Asylum Support Office. "I am very pleased that our discussions today have also found ground for continued cooperation between us but much more to understand the many problems our country faces in managing migration," he said.
Mr. Nouris said that the situation in Cyprus was assessed and the many peculiarities it presents with the increased flows and the way it manages them. Mrs Gregory said the Minister visited the Tournara Centre and tomorrow she will visit the Lakes and Kofinou centre, as she will visit other organisations related to asylum and migration.
He mentioned that he and Mrs Gregory had had the opportunity to discuss the current situation in Cyprus and the continuation of disproportionate pressures and flows especially from Turkey and through the occupied areas and the Green Line. These peculiarities of Cyprus, he noted, and in particular the fact that it remains illegally divided by a 180-kilometre-long ceasefire line, creates unique conditions for the development of irregular migration.
Mr Nouris said this is why EASO's support is very important. "In response to increased pressure on Cyprus, EASO has expanded and will further expand its technical and operational assistance. More specifically, the Agency provides support to the Cypriot authorities in the management and reduction of pending asylum cases before the Asylum Service and the Administrative Court of International Protection, in the registration of asylum applications, in improving reception conditions in reception centres and in the drafting of a national reception strategy in cooperation with the competent authorities," he said.
The Minister stressed that cooperation with EASO has been excellent since 2014 and what is being recorded is the strong desire of the Agency to support Cyprus in these difficult times in order to enable the country to respond and result in the best possible management of migration flows.
Mr Nouris welcomed the political agreement reached by the Portuguese Presidency in cooperation with EASO, the European Commission and the European Parliament to turn EASO into an independent agency that will also change its name, expecting that this new structure will enable countries such as Cyprus to receive even better services in a much faster way to cope with difficult times.
The Minister expressed gratitude and thanks both to EASO and in particular to Mrs Gregory, as she may be one of the most important partners in this very difficult effort that Cyprus is making, he said.
Source: eyenews/KYPE
