Background
An increase in immigrant arrivals, the implementation of a new EU asylum package, and the need to maintain a high standard in asylum and reception processes motivated Italy to ask the Agency for assistance.
In June 2013, EUAA (then EASO) and Italy signed the first Special Support Plan with a duration until the end of 2014. This Plan covered a number of prioritised areas, such as data collection and analysis, Country of Origin Information (COI), Dublin system, reception system, emergency capacity and training of independent judiciary, as well as further professional development of the National Asylum Commission.
In March 2015, a new Special Support Plan was signed to continue support activities, whereas in December 2015 - after the launch of the relocation programme as part of the “hotspot” approach - EUAA and Italy signed the EASO Hotspot-Relocation Operating Plan to Italy. The Plan laid down the conditions and objectives of EASO’s technical and operational support to Italy. In particular, EUAA provided support by joint-processing asylum cases through deployment of asylum support teams (ASTs), composed of national experts. Activities included support with information provision, registration of applications for international protection in view of relocation and handling Dublin 'take charge' requests.
In 2017 and 2018, the Agency extended its activities in Italy on the basis of an Operating Plan for 2017 with its first amendment and an Operating Plan for 2018. EASO provided support to the Italian authorities with provision of relevant information to potential applicants for international protection; handling registration of applicants for international protection; handling Dublin 'take charge' and 'take back' requests through a dedicated support to the Dublin Unit in Rome; strengthening the reception capacity, in particular with regards to unaccompanied minors; professional development activities and study visits for the Department of Civil Liberties and Immigration (MOI), activities in the field of COI; and strengthening the Ombudsperson for Children and Adolescents in implementing protection measures for unaccompanied children.
In December 2018, EUAA, the Italian Ministry of the Interior and the Ombudsperson for Children and Adolescents signed a new Operating Plan for 20191. Through this framework, the Agency provided support to the Italian authorities in the following areas: designing an information provision system and developing SOPs, referral pathways and monitoring system for Dublin cases; lodging of applications for international protection; processing of first instance decisions and follow-up with regards to appeals at Territorial Commissions; processing of the Dublin procedures at the Dublin Unit; strengthening the Italian COI Unit in standardising high quality COI used in the asylum decision process; implementing a system to monitor and manage the reception system; supporting the Italian Ombudsperson for Children and Adolescents with capacity building activities for volunteer guardians; organising training activities aimed at boosting the technical capacity of immigration police in registering asylum requests.
With regard to the 2020 Operating Plan, EUAA’s deployments to Italy were reduced as the country had made significant progress in addressing its backlog in first instance and pressure on reception facilities was eased due to decrease in arrivals. As such, EASO shifted its focus to supporting the reduction of backlog of appeals to first instance decisions. The Agency also continued to provide capacity strengthening (although not operational) support on quality reception and asylum.
In 2020, EUAA continued to be heavily involved in ad hoc disembarkations stemming from SAR (Search and Rescue) events and voluntary relocations based on the Standard Operating Procedures which were agreed to in Malta in the autumn of 2019. Furthermore, EUAA continued to support the quality and standardisation of asylum procedures and the monitoring of the Italian reception system, also supporting the standardisation of procedures and data collection.
Due to the Covid-19 emergency, an amendment to the 2020 Operating Plan to Italy has been agreed and signed by all beneficiaries.
The migratory situation in Italy and the national policy environment in the field of asylum and migration have experienced substantial changes over the past years, with a new wave of changes brought by the COVID-19 outbreak in early 2020.
The health emergency and the increase of sea arrivals put the Italian reception system under pressure, with significant impact on the management of the system.
The Agency support in 2021 builds on the results achieved in 2020, and continued addressing the consequences of the disproportionate pressure on the Italian asylum and reception system, also in view of the Covid-19 health emergency. Specifically, in the 2021 Operating Plan, the following areas were be prioritized:
- Quality and standardisation of access to asylum procedures, including in emergency situations and ad hoc disembarkation events;
- Support the quality and standardization of Dublin procedure and asylum determination procedures;
- Support the management of judicial backlog;
- Support the quality management and monitoring of the Italian reception system;
- Support the coordination mechanisms amongst Italian asylum authorities and the efficiency and standardisation of procedures through the development and management of information systems.
See Press Release (1), Press Release (2), Press Release (3), Press Release (4), Press Release (5)
To ensure a higher impact on its operations, the EUAA agreed with Italian authorities a 3 year Operational Plan in Italy. From 2022 to 2024 – in accordance with the operational situation and needs assessment carried out with the main Italian stakeholders – the following operational objectives and results will be pursued:
- Enhanced capacity of the Italian authorities to ensure timely and harmonised access to the asylum procedure in compliance with the Common European Asylum System (CEAS).
- Enhanced quality and standardisation of Dublin and asylum determination procedure in Italy.
- Enhanced capacity of the Italian authorities to manage the judicial backlog regarding asylum cases.
- Enhanced quality and sustainability of the Italian reception system.
- Improved coordination of the cooperation and solidarity mechanism among EU MSs and of post SAR disembarkation activities for timely implementation of the Voluntary Relocation process as per Standard Operating Procedures (under the 2019 Malta Declaration).
The Operational Plan was signed by the Head of Department of Public Security and the Vice Head of Department of Civil Liberties and Immigration within the Ministry of Interior, by the Head of Department of Judicial Organization, Personnel and Services of the Ministry of Justice, and by the EUAA Executive Director.
[1] See corrigendum
Stakeholders
| Main National Partners | |
|---|---|
| The Department for Civil Liberties and Immigration |
The Department for Civil Liberties and Immigration, within the Ministry of Interior, is responsible for the organisation of the assistance and reception of irregular migrants, of applicants for international protection and beneficiaries of international protection. |
| The Department for Public Security | The Department for Public Security, within the Ministry of Interior, is responsible for the coordination of all activities related to the management of order and public security, technical and operational coordination of the police forces, the directorate and administration of State Police and the management of technical support. |
| The National Asylum Commission (NAC) | The National Asylum Commission (NAC) is responsible for the coordination of the Territorial Commissions (TCs) in which applications for international protection are dealt with in first instance, for the Country of Origin Information (COI) Unit, provision of guidelines and training of TCs’ staff and for the management of database on applicants for international protection. |
| The Specialized Sections on Immigration and International Protection of Tribunals | The Specialized Sections on Immigration and International Protection of Tribunals are responsible for immigration, international protection and free movement of EU citizens in 26 Tribunals, managing asylum seekers’ appeals against decisions issued by the Territorial Commissions. |
| The Court of Cassation | The Court of Cassation is in charge of ensuring the observance and harmonised interpretation of the law, as well as compliance with the limits of the various jurisdictions. |
| Main International Partners | |
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The European Commission is the executive branch of the European Union, it develops and translates into policies and initiatives the EU strategy. The European Commission is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the EU treaties and managing the day-to-day business of the EU. It was established in 1958 and its headquarters are in Brussels, Belgium. |
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UNHCR the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is the UN Refugee Agency, dedicated to aid and protect the rights of refugees, forcibly displaced communities and stateless people and to assist in their voluntary repatriation, local integration or resettlement to a third country. It was founded in 1950 in response to the refugee crisis following World War II, and currently operates in 135 countries. Its headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland. In recognition of its work, UNHCR has won two Nobel Peace prizes, in 1954 and 1981. |
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IOM the International Organization for Migration is the principal intergovernmental organization dealing with migration issues. IOM's stated mission is to promote humane and orderly migration by providing services and advice to governments and migrants, including internally displaced persons, refugees, and migrant workers. It was initially established in 1951 as the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration (ICEM) to help resettle people displaced by World War II. It is based in Geneva, Switzerland and received its current name in 1989. In September 2016, IOM became a related organization of the United Nations. As of March 2019, the International Organization for Migration has 173 member states and eight observer states. It is the only global migration agency dealing with all aspects of migration. |
Statistic of deployments
2019
About 300 Personnel
About 20 Locations
2023
About 355 Personnel
About 95Locations
2020
About 200 Personnel
About 45 Locations
2021
About 265 Personnel
About 50 Locations
2022
About 300 Personnel
About 80 Locations
Number of deployed personnel: Consists of the total number of different persons deployed by EUAA over the reporting period, regardless of the duration of their deployment. All deployment figures do not include deployed interpreters by EUAA in support of asylum, reception or temporary protection activities.
Number of locations: Consists of the total number of locations where EUAA personnel has been present over the reporting period, regardless of the duration of the support.