More than half of Syrian asylum requests in the EU were lodged in Sweden and Germany. While there is general consensus among MS that Syrian refugees should not be returned to Syria, there are divergences in practice, the UNHCR indicates.
In general, most MS fear an influx of Syrian refugees, reports AFP; Belgium, France, Germany, Sweden and the UK have insisted that there can be no easing of asylum rules. Many MS continue to grant only subsidiary protection (a person who does not qualify as a refugee but who would face a real risk if they return to their country) to Syrian refugees, while others grant purely humanitarian status (authorisation to stay for humanitarian reasons).
Up to now, Sweden is the only MS to grant permanent residence permits to people from Syria. Germany has agreed to accept 5 000 Syrian refugees who will be allowed to stay for at least two years. Facing an increase of refugees since the summer, Italy published a decree on 17 September expressing its intention to enhance reception capacity from the current 3 000 to 16 000 places by 2016. UNHCR estimates that 4 600 Syrians arrived illegally in Italy by sea between January and early September 2013. Bulgaria’s Interior Minister announced that Bulgaria intends to provide an additional 1 000 places in accommodation centres for Syrian refugees and asked the EU for help.
Be the first to write a comment.