Daily Report
Arrivals and Departures
A group of 101 Syrian refugees from Lebanon arrived Tuesday morning in Rome, under the “Comunità di Sant’Egidio” Humanitarian Corridor Project. This is the third group of Syrian refugees who have reached Italy, following the arrival of 93 people in February. The initiative is privately funded and supported by the Italian Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It envisages the arrival, over two years, of 1,000 refugees and other people in need from Lebanon, Morocco and Ethiopia. This is the first private sponsorship program in Europe of its kind.
Condition of People
Between 25-29 April, media sources reported that 312 individuals were apprehended or intercepted at Turkey’s land and sea borders.
Speaking to Kathimerini on the asylum program in Greece, EASO spokesperson Jean-Pierre Schembri stated that there are many challenges ahead. The European Commission aims at having approximately 200 asylum applications examined every day by mid-May. At the same time, EASO has asked EU Member States to send 472 asylum experts and 400 interpreters to Greece; up to now, 200 from both fields have already been sent. The media also reported that Alternate Defence Minister, Dimitris Vitsas, stressed the need for all EU Member States to support Greece in addressing the asylum backlog. In an interview on 28 April he shared concerns that the Asylum Service is only currently examining 50-60 applications per day and authorities continue to wait for more legal experts from the EU.
Critical Developments
The European Commission reported today, 4 May, that it will propose to the European Parliament and Council to lift the visa requirements for Turkish citizens, under the understanding that the Turkish authorities will fulfil as they committed to do so on 18 March, the outstanding benchmarks of its Visa Liberalisation Roadmap. The proposal is presented together with a Report on progress by Turkey in fulfilling the requirements of the Roadmap. The visa liberalization is a key component of the EU-Turkey agreement. The Commission also presented a proposal to reform the Dublin Regulation.