The past, present and future of refugee resettlement in the European Union

Abstract

The aim of the study is to explore the past, present and future of resettlement, primarily in EU context, presenting the proposals and processes currently on the agenda at global and at EU level. The study highlights aspects of policy debates related to the orderly resettlement of beneficiaries of international protection directly from a conflict zone or a transit country, including the strategic use of resettlement in addition to humanitarian and solidarity considerations. It introduces the provisions of a draft EU regulation establishing a European Resettlement Framework and the highly contradictory positions of the Council and the European Parliament during its negotiations. In addition to the legislative process, the study also introduces the reader the practice, results and challenges of two-year resettlement programmes implemented at EU level with the voluntary contribution of Member States. Finally, the study points out that, through the European Commission’s new Migration and Asylum Pact, the issue of resettlement and other solidarity measures will be kept on the agenda of the EU when negotiating migration and asylum policy.