Evaluation of the Malmö Policy Forum published

An evaluation report of the Policy Forum in Malmö has now been published. According to the report, the Policy Forum, described as a truly European event, was a success when it comes to policy transfer. Policy makers with responsibilities over asylum issues, especially from the new Member States, did not only become more familiar with how other countries address issues of concern to them, but were also able to capitalise on this knowledge at various phases of the policy process in their country. The evaluation has been made by the ICAS institute in the UK.

Read more about the Policy Forums success and failure in the evaluation report 

Green Paper responses published at commission website

All responses to the Green Paper on the future of CEAS can now be found on the website of the European Commission. In total, the commission received over 80 contributions from national governments, parliaments and authorities, civil society, NGO:a and others. All contributions will soon be compiled and summarized.

Green Paper respons submitted with 104 signatories

The Equal response to the Green Paper on the Future Common European Asylum System has now been submitted to the European commission. A total of 104 actors and stakeholders from all over Europe, representing a mix of public authorities, NGOs and other bodies have signed up to the response.

Postponed deadline for Green Paper response!

Over 30 Development Partnerships and 90 individuals have already signed up for the Equal response to the Green Paper on the future of the CEAS. The European Commission has decided to postpone the date of the public hearing based on the Green Paper. As a consequence the deadline for written responses to the consultation has been postponed as well, until 30th September 2007. It is hence still possible to sign up for the Equal response to the Green Paper.

Read more about the new timetable at the website of the European Commission

 List of signatures to the Equal response (as of 31 August 2007)

Sign up for the Equal response to the Green Paper on the Future Common European Asylum System!

It´s now possible for all members of the Development partnerships and TCAs in the Equal programme, as well as stakeholders and other actors to sign up for the Equal response to the Green Paper on the Common European Asylum System.
 
In order to sign up to the response, please visit our website before 30 August: http://temaasyl2.episerverhotell.net/Templates/FormPage.aspx?id=1845 where you will be asked to provide your name, the title of your Development Partnership or Transnational Partnership (if relevant), and/or the name of your organisation and your email address.

The response is based on the six key recommendations which were formulated and agreed by the participants in the workshops during the European Policy Forum Minimum Standards and Beyond in Malmö in May 22 - 24, 2007. The response also reflects the general discussions and views expressed.

While we of course strongly encourage you to submit your individual responses (or those from the organisation you represent), we hope that you will also sign up to this joint EQUAL response.

We thank you in advance for your cooperation and support.

/On behalf of the EQUAL Asylum Seekers Theme (ETG5) and the Swedish ESF Council

If you have any questions, please contact:

Christian Råbergh, chair ETG V and coordinator EQUAL National Thematic Network on Asylum, Sweden

E-mail: christian.rabergh@temaasyl.se

Phone +46 70 226 92 29

Red Cross opinion on the Green Paper

The National Red Cross Societies of the Member States of the European Union
and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has now published it's opinion on the Green Paper on the future Common European Asylum System. The Red Cross shares to a great extent Equal's opinion on e.g. access to the labour market, skills auditing, vocational training and other issues related to the reception conditions of asylum seekers.

Download the Red Cross Position Paper here 

New report on the Policy Forum available at the EQUAL website

You can now read more about the Policy Forum and its outcome on the EQUAL website. On this site you can among other things find a report on the conference prepared by the consultancy company GHK.

Share your thoughts on the Green Paper!

The aim of the Commission's Green Paper on the future of CEAS is to launch a broad discussion among all relevant stakeholders. All stakeholders involved in the asylum process, academia, social partners, civil society organisations and individuals are invited to contribute. In order to prepare for a public hearing on 18 October 2007, the Commission invites all interested parties to send their responses to the consultation in writing no later than 31 August 2007 to:

Immigration and Asylum Unit – "Green Paper on Asylum"
Directorate General Justice, Freedom and Security
European Commission
B-1049 Brussels
e-mail : JLS-asile-livre-vert@ec.europa.eu

All relevant contributions will be published on the web portal 'Your Voice in Europe'

Commission presented Green Paper on the future of CEAS

The European Commission has now presented it's Green Paper on the future of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS). The Green Paper presents comprehensively a broad range of issues that will have to be addressed in the second phase of CEAS. In particular, it identifies four main areas where further action is necessary and these areas form its four main chapters, i.e Legislative instruments; Implementation- Accompanying measures; Solidarity and burden-sharing and the External dimension of asylum.

Recommendations from the workshops

During the Closing Plenary Session conclusions from the workshops were presented. The Swedish ESF-council is currently working on possible ways to use the recommendations, more information about how this will be done will follow. Here you can find the workshop conclusions.   

Extended version of the Conference Newsletter

Download the final version of the Conference Newsletter, in colour, here.

List of transnational mainstreaming activities throughout Europe

• Symposium, Emmen, the Netherlands, 28 June 2007, contact: ave28june@drenthecollege.nl
  
  
• Events regarding asylum seekers, Kiel and Neumünster, 14 June and 10 October 2007. More information you will find here.
  
  
• Shaping migration strategies, European Parliament, Brussels 19-20 September 2007. A conference organised by parliamentarians and various development partnerships working within the EQUAL programme who want to share their results. Read more here
  
  
• Job fair for asylum seekers in Hamburg, end of September 2007, Read more here.
  
  
• Theater performances by Asylum seekers, Paris, 8-10 november 2007, contact: veronique.laurens@cimade.org
  

More transnational Equal events can be found here