A landmark in the EU’s asylum road map

The official inauguration of the European Asylum Support Office in Malta, an operational agency aimed at stepping up cooperation on asylum between EU member states and help harmonise different national practices, is a historic occasion not only for the island but also for the EU as a whole.

This initiative reflects the EU’s acknowledgment that asylum authorities in member states have a crucial need of material support for their day-to-day operational requirements. It also acknowledges the need to have support teams deployed by the EASO to help find solutions to emergency situations, such as a mass influx of asylum seekers.

Moreover, considering that the practice within the EU on the implementation of the right of asylum shows there are major differences in the way member states deal with applications for international protection, Brussels considers it essential that member states align not only their laws but also the methods they apply. The mandate of the EASO is, in fact, to strengthen the member states’ practical cooperation on asylum, to support those whose asylum systems are under particular pressure and to enhance the implementation of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS).

Following the unanimous agreement in November 2009 to site the EASO premises in Malta, a seat agreement signed last May set the ball rolling to see the agency providing its services from a building in the Grand Harbour. It will initially have about 40 officers but the staff complement is planned to reach 100 by 2013.

The EASO has the responsibility to facilitate exchanges of information and also identifying and pooling good practice on asylum matters in general. More specifically, it is responsible for activities relating to the gathering of information on the countries of origin of asylum seekers.

Another role of the EASO is to assist member states that find themselves under particular pressure, especially due to their geographical or demographic situations or as a result of the arrival of large numbers of third country nationals that need international protection.

Upon request, the EASO will support countries by coordinating asylum support teams from an asylum intervention pool made up of about 350 experts who hail from nearly all member states and will be available in emergency situations. More important, though, especially from the point of view of small countries such as Malta, is the fact that the EASO also has the task of providing support for the intra-EU transfer and relocation of persons under international protection.

The EASO also has the brief to contribute to the implementation of the CEAS, in particular by coordinating information exchange between relevant stakeholders on the implementation of the instruments of the EU’s asylum acquis. For this purpose, the EASO can also build databases covering asylum instruments at national, European and even international levels.

In addition, it will compile information on the processing of asylum applications and on legislative developments concerning asylum in member states. The office will also draw up an annual report on the European asylum situation and may draft technical documents, such as guidelines and operating manuals, on the implementation of the EU’s asylum instruments.

The EASO means a new significant page in the asylum strategy and road map adopted by Brussels. Getting the EASO to Malta was an achievement in itself. The country surely stands to benefit from its projected services. It is therefore in Malta’s interest to continue supporting the new agency and make the best of its presence here.