The refugee crisis of 2015 has led to increased efforts to secure the EU’s external border, which required a parallel expansion on the provision of legal pathways to Europe. In this respect, the EU’s resettlement efforts take an important position, allowing individuals in need of international protection to be transferred from a third country to an EU member state. Now that the timeline of the first EU scheme, which was adopted in July 2015, is coming to an end, the Commission recently put forward a new scheme, with a target of 50,000 resettlements. In addition, trilogue negotiations will soon start on the establishment of a more structural EU resettlement framework. This Policy Dialogue assessed past and current EU policy efforts on resettlement, and reflected on ways forward. The panel evaluated member states’ efforts, discussed the state of play of the negotiations on an EU resettlement framework and the added value of organising resettlement at EU level.

Speakers included: Aleksandar Romanovic, Policy Officer, DG Home, Asylum Unit, European Commission, Peter O’Sullivan, Resettlement Officer, UNHCR, Jo De Backer, Regional Thematic Specialist for Resettlement, International Organization for Migration (IOM), Catherine Woollard, Secretary General, European Council on Refugees and Exiles