Joint training is important for the harmonization of the quality in the asylum process

Details

Created on Friday, 02 December 2011 07:59

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Joint training plays an important role in both quality and harmonization of the asylum process. This was pointed out by the partner countries in the Söderköping Process as well as by the participating EU countries and the international organizations when they recently discussed the quality of the asylum process during a workshop held in Bucharest on 8-9 November 2011. The ambition is that it will spread beyond Europe.

The six partner countries of the Söderköping Process; Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine, expressed a clear wish to take part in the EAC training. Now, the Swedish Migration Board, together with other EU countries and UNHCR will explore the possibilities of financing translation of a pilot EAC module to Russian as well as a first training mission in those countries.

Joint training for asylum officers

The ten-year cooperation project on asylum and migration between the EU and the six eastern neighbours within the Söderköping Process will be transferred to the EU at the end of the year. The activities of the Process will then be incorporated into the EU's Eastern Partnership, which is a part of the EU's neighbourhood policy for the six eastern neighbours, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine.

The threshold of something new

- We stand on the threshold of something new and the workshop provided a good stepping stone for how we can work in the future, says Claudia Morner, Head of the International Strategy Unit at the Division for European and International Cooperation, which is responsible the Söderköping Process Project Secretariat. The Secretariat is established at the Swedish Migration Board during the Swedish Chair of the Söderköping Process in 2011.

But even if the EAC was in focus during the workshop there were also discussions about the broader concept of quality in the asylum process. Among others, presentations of the UNHCR project FDQ (Further Developing the EU Asylum Quality) and the Swedish Migration Board’s project “Shorter waiting time for the asylum seekers” served as a base for the discussions held in the breakout sessions. 

Great interest in cooperation

There are many challenges when it comes to finding forms for cooperation in quality work with various organizational structures and different national legislations. But there is a considerable interest both within and outside the EU to cooperate and benefit from each other’s experience and knowledge.
- During the workshop we could see an interest for continued cooperation in this area and that we, with relatively modest means can reach very far and learn from each other, says Sofia Stridh, project manager for the Söderköping Process during the Swedish Chair of the Söderköping Process in 2011.

This also reflects the conclusions of the workshop which included ambitions on translations of various EAC training modules to Russian and cooperation in projects relating to quality in the asylum process.

The workshop was organized by the Söderkoping Process Project Secretariat together with the GDISC’s Secretariat, both Secretariats located within the Swedish Migration Board. 17 countries were represented, as well as EASO, UNHCR (UN Refugee Agency), IOM (International Organization for Migration) and the European Commission.

• < Prev
• Next >