The European Asylum Support Office, the first EU agency to be located in Malta, will be inaugurated tomorrow during a ceremony that will be attended by European Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmström.

The agency was established with the aim of enhancing practical cooperation on asylum matters and helping member states fulfil European and international obligations to give protection to those in need.

Malta had managed to secure the support of member states to host this agency in Valletta after fending off stiff competition from Cyprus and Bulgaria, which also wanted to host the agency’s headquarters.

For its first three years of operations, EASO has been allocated a budget of almost €50 million and is expected to recruit about 100 officials, which could include Maltese nationals.

The agency launched some of its activities last November but, according to the Commission, it should now be fully operational.

Ms Malmström said the agency would provide support to member states facing unexpected flows of asylum seekers and to those that simply needed to make their asylum system more fair and efficient.

“It is an indispensable instrument to help achieve a more comprehensive and protective common European asylum system.

“Practices for receiving asylum seekers still vary considerably from one EU country to the other and much more has to be done to achieve a greater convergence of approaches. The support office will have an important role in that,” she said.

Following the official opening, the EASO management board will meet next week when executive director Rob Visser will present the implementation of the agency’s work programme for 2011 and propose an outline for the 2012 work programme.

The agency will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi at the Upper Barrakka Gardens, Valletta.

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