EU says relocation progress of asylum seekers remaining unsatisfactory

The European Commission here on Wednesday adopted its latest progress report on the European Union (EU)'s emergency relocation and resettlement schemes, saying the progress about the relocation and resettlement of the refugees remains unsatisfactory.

The report, the third of this kind, assessed actions taken on relocation and resettlement up to May 13 since the commission's second report.

According to a commission press release, despite signs of increased preparation for future action, few relocations have taken place since mid-April, though the pipeline of future relocations has been strengthened.

"Progress has been made on resettlement as part of the implementation of the EU-Turkey Statement, but must be accelerated to avoid migrants returning to irregular routes. Greater efforts on relocation are increasingly urgent in view of the humanitarian situation in Greece and the increase in arrivals to Italy," it said.

Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship, Dimitris Avramopoulos said that the EU side "cannot be satisfied with the results achieved so far. More has to be done, and swiftly."

"We need to quickly respond to the urgent humanitarian situation in Greece and prevent any deterioration of the situation in Italy. The planning we see for upcoming relocations must be delivered. I urge all Member States to get ready to move at last," he said.

He also called for increasing resettlements, not only mostly from Turkey, but also from other countries such as Lebanon and Jordan.

"Our recent progress in breaking the smugglers' business model is only sustainable if a safe legal channel also opens for asylum seekers. It is important to speed up the pace and deliver fully on the 1:1 mechanism as part of the EU-Turkey Statement," he said. Endit