European Asylum Support Office · 2018-04-19 · CALL FOR INPUT ON THE OUTLINE OF THE EASO WORK PROGRAMME 2016: see page 9 European Asylum Support Office ISSN: 1977-4818 SUPPORT IS

CALL FOR INPUT ON THE OUTLINE OF THE EASO WORK PROGRAMME 2016 see page 9

European Asylum Support Office

ISSN 1977-4818

SUPPORT IS OUR MISSION

European Asylum Support OfficeNewsletter - February 2015

CONTENTSEDITORIAL

Welcome to the February edition of the newsletter EASOrsquos latest asylum figures show that in January 2015 the total number of applicants in the EU+ (EU Member States + Norway and Switzerland) slightly decreased compared to December 2014 (see page 2) The latest asylum trends were amongst various issues discussed at the EASO Management Board meeting on 2 March 2015 (see page 3) EASOrsquos latest Country of Origin Information (COI) report on the security situation in Afghanistan reveals that armed insurgent groups such as the Taliban and Hezb-e Islami Afghanistan have increasingly conducted large scale attacks on the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) Read more about the report findingsrsquo on page 4 This and much more in the February edition of the EASO Newsletter Happy reading

Jean-Pierre Schembri EASO Spokesperson Newsletter editor

EASO publishes report on the security situation in Afghanistan

EASO recently published a Country of Origin Information (COI) Report entitled lsquoAfghanistan

security situationrsquo The report provides a comprehensive overview of the security situation in Afghanistan and provides information relevant for the protection status determination of Afghan asylum seekers Read more on page 4

Latest asylum trends 2 17th EASO Management Board3 COI Report on the security situation in Afghanistan4 EASO Quality Matrix5 COI Specialist Network on Eritrea5 EASO Training Module on Reception 5 Update on EASO activities on joint processing 6 ENPI Project with Jordan7 EASO Training Curriculum8 EASO Certification and Accreditation8 EASO Regional Training Session9 Call for input EASO Work Programme 20169

17th EASO Management Board meeting

On 2 March EASO held its 17th Management Board meeting The EASO Management Board is

made up of representatives of EU Member States the European Commission and UNHCR Representatives of Associate Countries attended as observers Read more on page 3

Editorial

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2 - EASO Newsletter February 2015

Latest asylum trends

Latest asylum trends and main countries of origin 1 Number of applicants for international protection in EU+1

In January 2015 the total number of applicants in the EU+ slightly decreased compared to December 2014 For the fifth consecutive month the EU+ total hovered around 70 000 applicants while the seasonal decrease

experienced during the last quarter of 2012 and of 2013 did not occur in 2014 The rising trend continues as shown by the comparison with the month of January of the last two years with the total number of applicants in EU+ countries in January 2015 remaining higher than 2013 + 103 and 2014 + 59

During the last six months the share of repeated applicants in the EU+ has remained stable at 9 of total applicants In January the number of applicants claiming to be unaccompanied minors fell by 16 compared to December As a consequence the share of unaccompanied minors decreased to 3 of the total a drop of one percentage point In January 2015 one out of three applicants claiming to be unaccompanied minors was an Afghan citizen while 15 were Syrians

2 Main countries of origin of applicants in EU+ countries in January 2015

In January 2015 applicants from Kosovo2 represented as in December 2014 the main citizenship of applicants in the EU+ their number exceeding that of Syrian applicants for the second consecutive month The number of Syrian applicants further decreased for the fourth month since September The number of applicants from Afghanistan fell by 20 while the number from Iraq and Pakistan remained stable

Syria ndash While the 11 decrease from December in the number of Syrian applicants constitutes the fourth consecutive monthly decline the number of applicants in January 2015 remains significantly higher than the number registered for the same month in recent years Compared to January 2014 the total this January showed a 73 increase when compared to 2013 the rise was higher (+ 231 )

1 The EU+ is composed of EU-28 plus Norway and Switzerland The share of repeated applicants is the proportion of repeated applicants in the total number of applicants for international protection The share of UAM (unaccompanied minors) represents the proportion of asylum appli-cants claiming to be below the age of 18 years in the total number of applicants It is important to emphasise that this term lsquounaccompanied minorrsquo here refers to applicants claiming to be minors and for whom an age assessment has not necessarily been carried out before provision of the data2 This designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with United Nations Security Council Resolution 124499 and the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on the Kosovo declaration of independence

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EASO Newsletter February 2015 - 3

Western Balkan nationals (WB) ndash The number of applicants from the Western Balkan countries grew for the fourth consecutive month in January 2015 and reached almost 23 000 applicants This rise was driven by increases in the number of applicants from Kosovo Albania and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Compared to the last months of 2014 when the month-on-month growth rates were consistently over 20 in January the monthly growth rate fell to a 5 increase

Afghanistan ndash After the high level recorded in December 2014 in January 2015 the number of Afghan applicants in EU+ countries decreased by 19 Nevertheless the January 2015 total represents a substantial increase compared to the levels reported for January in the past two years + 41 compared to 2014 and + 103 compared to 2013

Iraq ndash In January 2015 there were 2 500 Iraqi applicants Since June 2014 the number of Iraqi applicants has fluctuated around an average of 2 500 applicants per month It is worth mentioning that over the same period the share of first-time Iraqi applicants has been increasing

3 Number and type of decisions issued in first instance in EU+ countries

Syrians were by far the largest group of applicants in terms of decisions issued (over 10 000) in January 2015 These decisions were almost entirely positive (a 96 recognition rate3 consisting of 78 refugee status and 18 subsidiary protection) Compared to six months ago (August 2014) the overall recognition rate has slightly increased (from 93 in August 2014) while the use of refugee status has become more frequent (compared to 47 of all decisions issued in August 2014) Eritreans applicants considered stateless and Iraqis followed as the countries of origin receiving the highest recognition rate in first instance in EU+ countries In contrast the recognition rates of applicants from Serbia Kosovo FYROM and Bosnia and Herzegovina were below 10 at the EU+ level in January 2015

3 Recognition rate refers to the proportion of positive decisions granting EU-regulated international protection in overall first instance decisions including only refugee status and subsidiary protection status but excluding authorisations to stay for humanitarian reasons under national law concerning international protection

Additional data and reportsQuarterly reports are available here easoeuropaeuasylum-trends-analysisquarterly-reportOther EASO documentation is available here easoeuropaeuasylum-documentationeaso-publication-and-documentation

17th Management Board meeting

During the 17th EASO Management Board meeting the representatives discussed amongst other things the latest trends and analysis on the situation of asylum in the EU with a particular focus on the situation in the

Mediterranean Syria Western Balkans Ukraine Nigeria Eritrea and Iraq Other subjects discussed were EASOrsquos asylum support teams (and the Asylum Intervention Pool) EASOrsquos Early warning and Preparedness System (EPS) best practices on the obligation contained in the Eurodac Regulation EASOrsquos role in the development of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS) and the European Court of Human Rights judgement in the case of Tarakhel vs Switzerland

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to more civilian casualties mainly inflicted by crossfire mortar and artillery shelling in contrast to previous years when Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs for example roadside car and suicide bombs) represented the greatest threat to civilians

Another important finding of the report is that there are still significant geographical differences in the security situation Sources indicate Helmand Kandahar and Nangarhar as the provinces with most violent incidents between January and October 2014 When comparing the number of violent incidents with the population in a province Kunar is the most volatile province Sources also indicate Faryab as increasingly violent with a high number of civilian casualties The most tranquil areas are situated in central and northern Afghanistan

Researchers from Austria Belgium France Greece Hungary Slovak Republic and EASO participated in the joint drafting process of this COI report The report was written in accordance with the EASO COI Report Methodology It was reviewed by other experts (from Sweden the Netherlands and UNHCR) in order to ensure the highest quality

It is EASOrsquos intention to continue to produce such reports on important countries of origin in order to raise and harmonise COI standards in the EU and to further support the practical implementation of the Common European Asylum System

EASOrsquos latest Country of Origin Information (COI) report on the security situation in Afghanistan

reveals that armed insurgent groups such as the Taliban and Hezb-e Islami Afghanistan have increasingly conducted large scale attacks on the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) The insurgents have been increasingly succesful in conquering and holding territory but the ANSF generally still manage to control large city centres and towns in most of the country Moreover the report looks into the significant geographical differences in the security situation EASO aims to update the security report every six months

In 2014 Afghanistan ranked 9th in the top countries of origin in the EU+ countries with a total number of almost 42000 applicants 26 out of 30 EU+ countries have an Afghan case load This report is the third COI report on Afghanistan published by EASO In 2012 EASO published the following reports ldquoCOI Report Afghanistan Taliban Strategies Recruitmentrdquo and ldquoCOI Report Afghanistan Insurgent Strategies Intimidation and targeted violence against Afghansrdquo

The EASO COI lsquoAfghanistan security situationrsquo report provides a general description of the security situation in Afghanistan covering the following topics a brief historic overview actors in the conflict security trends and armed confrontations description of tactics and arms used ability of the state to secure law and order impact of the violence on security forces civilian population and the political process and the geographical overview of the security situation In addition the report provides a description of the security situation for each of the 34 provinces and Kabul In these chapters a general overview of the province is given followed by a view on the impact of violence in the province and data on violent incidents Qualitative information on the type of violence is also provided Finally a short overview on violence-induced displacements is given followed by a description of the armed actors in the province The reference period for the security report runs from 1 January 2014 until 31 October 2014

Information provided in the report shows a new trend in the security situation In the light of the withdrawal of foreign troops the closure of international military bases and the transition of the security tasks to the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) armed insurgent groups such as the Taliban and Hezb-e Islami Afghanistan have increasingly conducted large scale attacks on the ANSF The insurgents have been increasingly succesful in conquering and holding territory but the ANSF generally still manage to control large city centres and towns in most of the country As from 2013 this increase in attacks has led

This publication and other EASO COI reports are available via easoeuropaeuasylum-documentationeaso-

wwweasoeuropaeu

EASO Quality Matrix

In its third year the Quality Matrix process will continue to provide EU+ countries (EU Member

States plus Norway and Switzerland) with reliable and comprehensive thematic information on national practices quality tools and mechanisms and quality initiatives After having covered the topics of Personal Interview Evidence Assessment Eligibility and Exclusion in 2013 and procedural subjects including Access to Procedure Identification of Persons with Special Needs and Special Procedures in 2014 in 2015 the Quality Matrix focuses on the topics

bull Dublin procedure

bull appeals and

bull end of protection

In the upcoming Quality Matrix thematic meetings EASO will continue to cooperate closely with the European Commission with the ultimate goal of providing EU+ countries with a holistic overview of the current practices and planned changes in the implementation of the EU asylum acquis along with the legal background of the most important changes introduced with the recast package

In addition to providing a forum for EU+ countries to exchange information and discuss challenges and good practices the Quality Matrix maintains its focus on providing practical support to case officers and other actors across EU+ countries In 2015 the EASO Quality Tools on the Personal Interview Evidence Assessment Identification of Persons with Special Needs and Access to Procedure will become publicly available In the development of these tools EASO relies greatly on expertise from the EU+ countries as well as on input from the European Commission UNHCR the European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE) and other members of its Consultative Forum

Currently EASO has engaged interested civil society organisations in a consultation process on the tool on Identification of Persons with Special Needs envisaged as a fully interactive online tool to support different actors in the early identification of persons who may have special procedural or reception needs The next Quality Tool which EASO will be developing in cooperation with Frontex and the EU Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) is the tool on Access to Procedure which will aim to support first contact officials in identifying potential applicants for international protection EASO would like to express its high appreciation for the continuous support received by EU+ countries for the Quality Matrix activities as well as to the European Commission and European Justice and Home Affairs Agencies UNHCR and members of civil society for sharing their valuable expertise This allows EASO to continue to provide practical support in the harmonised implementation of the Common European Asylum System

Kick-off meeting of the COI Specialist Network on Eritrea

On 11 February 2015 EASO organised the kick-off meeting for the Country of Origin

Information (COI) Specialist Network on Eritrea This is already the 8th COI Specialist Network established over the last 2 years Other networks cover Syria Somalia Pakistan Iraq Iran the Russian Federation and Afghanistan

The session started with a presentation and description of the framework and goals of the network by EASO together with the provision of updated information on the Common COI Portal which will play a central role in disseminating knowledge produced by the networks to the end users

Similar to activities of other specialist networks a mapping exercise was done on sources COI activities and gaps Discussions were also held on communication tools to be used by the network and about potential network activities Finally three EU+ countries (EU Member States plus Norway and Switzerland) gave a briefing on recent country visits to Eritrea followed by a discussion on validating sources and information

Development of the new EASO Training Module on Reception

The content group responsible for the drafting of the new EASO training module on Reception

held its fourth meeting from 20 to 23 January 2015 The first draft of the module has already been shared with the Reference Group and the module is expected to be completed in summer 2015

The Netherlands Belgium Malta Austria Slovakia Sweden Cyprus and Finland have nominated experts for the development of this module

Some of the areas covered in the Reception module are the legal and organisational framework for the reception of applicants for international protection the reception pathway persons with special reception needs mental health communication skills conflict management confidentiality working with interpreters etc

Update on EASO activities on joint processing

Based on the findings of the preliminary pilots on joint processing conducted in 2014 and

following the discussions held in Council (SCIFA) and the EASO Management Board in September 2014 EASO started in early 2015 preparations on the second phase of the joint processing pilot projects The first Asylum Application Pilot project took place in Poland (19 January ndash 11 February 2015) with the deployment of six Processing Support Teams (PST) Twelve experts from eight countries were deployed by EASO at three locations in Poland in two groups

PST 12 and 22 in Medyka with the Polish Border Guards

Four PSTs performed registration and identification of applicants for international protection two teams in BCP Terespol (near the Ukranian border) and two teams in BCP Medyka (close to the Belorussian border) Their mandate included joint registration and identification of applicants together with the Polish Border Guards Personal interviews for registering applications for international protection were conducted by PSTs in Russian or English language

PST 11 and 21 in Terespol with the Polish Border Guards

The PSTs were able to perform full range of registration and identification duties of the Border Guards including registering bio-data filling the application form and inserting data

in the national database The language barrier was overcome either by PSTs speaking the language of the applicants (Russian) or by using an interpreter (English-Russian) Following the on-the-job training the experts were able to perform their tasks independently but under the supervision of the Polish Border Guards

Two PSTs were deployed in Warsaw with the Polish Dublin Unit of the Office for Foreigners in order to jointly process Dublin cases

PST 13 and 23 in Warsaw with the Polish Dublin Unit

Due to the existing high level of harmonization (common templates DubliNet English as working language) they were operational within two days and performed their tasks independently They were able to register and archive their own cases in the Polish national database

Closing event participants in Warsaw 11 February 2015

The closing event of the pilot took place in Warsaw on 11 February 2015 Due to the open attitude of the hosting authorities and the dedication of the deployed experts the mandate of the EASO Asylum Application Pilot Project was achieved and the results are well beyond expectations

Recommendations were made for joint processing activities to not be limited to emergency situations and for the exchange of

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experts between Member States to be part of the Member States contingency planning

The biggest overall effect of the Asylum Application Pilot confirmed by many of the participants was the continuous trust-building among Member States and their experts

Taking into consideration the fragile security situation at the Eastern border of the EU hosting this pilot was also a symbolic sign that Poland is ready to step in to enhance solidarity and increase preparedness for a mass influx situation

Rafal Rogala Director General of the Office for Foreigners delivers his closing remarks at the Closing event

EASO will continue to carry out several other joint processing pilot activities and publish a final report on the findings of the second generation of joint processing pilot projects in the second half of 2015

EASO carries out two activities under the ENPI Project with Jordan

During the month of February 2015 two activities have been carried out within the ENPI project

involving Jordanian authorities

During the week 9-13 February 2015 an EASO delegation conducted a field visit to Jordan with the purpose of collecting relevant information for the definition of the Terms of Reference (ToRs) of the future EASO technical support to Jordanian authorities (as foreseen by the ENPI project)

The Jordanian Ministry of Interior organised the EASO visit including meetings with key national authorities such as the Refugees Affairs Coordination Office (RACO) the Syrian Refugees Affairs Department (SRAD) and the National Centre for Crisis Management EASO also held meetings with the EU Delegation ECHO UNHCR IOM and international NGOs such as the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) and the International Rescue Committee (IRC)

The visit provided an excellent opportunity to investigate in detail the areas in which EASOrsquos support would be needed It constituted a real added value to the excellent work that the Jordanian authorities have done so far to manage the big influx of refugees The terms of reference (ToRs) of EASOrsquos future support to Jordan are currently being drafted and will be discussed with the Jordan authorities in the near future

Field visit for the definition of terms of reference of EASOrsquos future technical support to Jordan ndash Syrian Refugees Affairs Department MOI

As to the second activity during the week 22-26 February 2015 a delegation of Jordanian authorities accompanied by EASO staff participated in a study visit to the Spanish asylum authorities in Madrid

The Jordanian delegation was composed of five high level officials from the Ministry of Interior including the Head of the RACO the Head of the SRAD and the Head of the Nationalities Department The visit to Spain was specifically requested by the Jordanian authorities to exchange information and best practices in the field of refugeesrsquo reception For this reason the visit included one day dedicated to introducing the Spanish reception system with a visit to the Reception Centre of VallecasndashMadrid

The study visit gave Jordanian authorities the opportunity to see a third example of a European asylum system (Jordanian authorities previously visited Austria and the Czech Republic in November 2014 within the framework of the ENPI project) and was positively evaluated as a key source of information and inspiration for the improvement of the Jordanian system especially on the reception management side

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Orientationrdquo will allow the case officers to identify gender gender identity and sexual orientation factors when assessing a claim for international protection and to apply an appropriate approach to gender gender identity and sexual orientation

The e-learning sessions of this module will take place from 4th May to 4th June (around 25-30 hours of e-learning) and the first face to face session is foreseen to be held in Malta from 9th to 12th June The deadline for registering is 27th April In case you are interested in following this training module please contact the EASO Training National Contact Point in your country

Call for nominations to the EASO Certification and Accreditation Working Group The EASO Training Curriculum makes a key contribution to the coherent and harmonised implementation of the CEAS by supporting the establishment of a common quality level across the EU To this end and as established in the EASO Work Programme for 2015 EASO is actively exploring appropriate methods to certify and accredit the EASO Training Curriculum in a manner that provides the greatest benefit to Member States and to the EU as a whole The objective is to support Member States in ensuring that personnel responsible for asylum matters are trained as required by the provisions of the recast Asylum Procedures Directive (APD) reflecting provisions in other EU instruments to make sure that they have the adequate and appropriate knowledge skills and competences Certification of the EASO Training Curriculum will be developed without prejudice to national systems The EASO Certification and Accreditation Working Group will play a key role in the development and future implementation of the certification and accreditation project providing liaison between the Member State and EASO Member States are invited to nominate participants to the group in order to inform and strategically direct developments in this area

In order to successfully carry out the certification and accreditation of the EASO Training Curriculum it is of utmost importance that Member States are fully involved from the beginning of the process and commit to active participation in the activities of the Certification and Accreditation Working Group on an on-going basis The national member to the Certification and Accreditation Working Group should

EASO Training Curriculum

More information on EASOrsquos training is available on easoeuropaeuabout-ustasks-of-easotraining-quality

The first face-to-face sessions of this training year took place in the premises of EASO

between 17 -20 February The training session on Dublin III module hosted 16 participants from 10 different Member States while the training on Inclusion module hosted 18 participants from 7 different Member States

Additionally the online part of the Interview Techniques module and the Common European Asylum System (CEAS) module started in February and will be followed by the face-to-face session to be held on 14-17 March in Malta

On 16 March the online part of the Evidence Assessment module and Exclusion module will commence with the face-to-face session to be organised on 17-18 April in the EASO premises If you wish to register for any of these training sessions you are encouraged to do so by sending an e-mail to trainingeasoeuropaeu by 9 March

Training module on ldquoGender Gender Identity and Sexual Orientationrdquo

Gender equality is one of the common values on which the EU is founded Paying

attention to gender-based persecution or persecution related to sexual orientation or gender identity is a prerequisite for ensuring a proper implementation of the EU asylum acquis Therefore ldquogender gender identity and sexual orientationrdquo is one of the issues of focus at EASO within its work on persons with special needs

EASO has decided that the thematic approach to the gender issue must include two actions On one hand the mainstreaming of gender related issues throughout the whole EASO Training Curriculum and on the other hand the development of a new training module on ldquoGender Gender Identity and Sexual Orientationrdquo

Regarding the mainstreaming of gender related issues in the Curriculum the new developments and the update (or upgrade) of existing training modules are incorporating a more clear gender perspective It can be seen for example in the updated version of the module on Inclusion and the one on Interviewing Vulnerable Persons more specifically

On the other hand the new specific training module on ldquoGender Gender Identity and Sexual

therefore be familiar with the EASO Training Curriculum and also represent Member State interests on certification and accreditation of the EASO Training Curriculum Members of the group should keep the Training National Contact Points (NCPs) and other appropriate authorities in the Member State abreast of the state of play in the Certification and Accreditation Working Group and where appropriate solicit and communicate the views and concerns of the Member State

The nominees should wish to serve as one of up to thirty members on the Certification and Accreditation Working Group Membership is on a two year term subject to renewal and meetings are held quarterly the first year and twice a year in the second year In order to keep the time requirements to a minimum EASO has engaged an external expert to prepare the group adequately The total working time between meetings will amount to no more than 40 hours over the course of the first year and substantially less during the following year Member Statersquos Training NCPs are requested to nominate candidates for the Certification and Accreditation Working Group through their Training NCP by no later than Friday 13 March 2015

EASO Regional Training Session

As foreseen in the EASO Work Programme 2015 and as discussed at the EASO Training NCPs

meeting in October 2014 EASO will organise a regional training session in Vienna The regional training session will take place between 2 ndash 5 June in the premises of the Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) in the modules on Inclusion and Evidence Assessment

The training sessions will be organised as train-the-trainer sessions The content part of the module on Inclusion will be held in German language while the module on Evidence Assessment will be held in English language The didactic part of the train-the-trainer session as well as session dedicated to the EASO Training platform will be delivered in the English language for both modules The online part of the train-the-trainer sessions will start on 4 May

Should you wish to register for these trainings kindly send an e-mail to trainingeasoeuropaeu by 24 April

Call for input to the outline of the EASO Work Programme 2016

EASO has recently launched the public consultation process on the outline of the EASO Work Programme 2016 The Outline defines the general plans for EASOrsquos activities and provides the overall basis for the yearly activity-based budgetary planning According to the EASO Regulation the Management Board is responsible for adopting the work programme each year by 30 September after having received the opinion of the European Commission The process for its adoption foresees inter alia that by 31 March EASO shall send the draft work programme to the European Commission together with the final draft estimates of revenue and expenditure and the draft establishment plan

Your comments and inputs will be a valuable resource to develop the EASO detailed draft work programme 2016 All inputs received will be taken into account in the drafting process to the extent possible Contributors will be acknowledged

Please send your comments and input by 10 March 2015 to consultative-forumeasoeuropaeu

Your opinion is important to us Visit the EASO consultation calendar to keep updated on EASO consultations

easoeuropaeueaso-consultative-forumopen-consultations

Subscribe to the EASO Newsletter viaeasoeuropaeunewsnewsletter

EASO is on Facebook Follow us and receive updates on EASO activities by liking our page facebookcomeasoeu

EASO Website Visit EASOrsquos website on easoeuropaeu for the latest updates

copy European Asylum Support Office 2015Neither EASO nor any person acting on its behalf may be held responsible for the use which may be made of the information contained therein

Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged

BZ-AA-14-006-EN-N

EASO notices (including vacancies)

EASO Quality Matrix

Call for nominations to the EASO Certification and Accreditation Working Group

EASO has recently launched the consultation process on the outline of the EASO Work Programme 2016 The Outline defines the general plans for EASOrsquos activities and provides the overall basis for the yearly activity-based budgetary planning According to