The European Union Asylum Agency (EUAA) is set to begin assisting Dutch authorities with the asylum process from February 1. This move is part of the EUAA Operational Plan, which was signed in December 2023 by the Director-General of the IND, Rhodia Mass. EUAA is already present in 12 other European countries, including Belgium, Lithuania, Italy, Greece, and Cyprus.
The assistance provided by EUAA will involve about 20 staff members coming from different member states, with the initial focus being on processing asylum applications filed by Syrian asylum seekers. With Syrians being the largest nationality group to file asylum applications in the past month, the assistance from EUAA comes at a crucial time.
According to the Director-General of the IND, Rhodia Mass, the cooperation with EUAA aims to reduce waiting times and provide applicants with clarity more quickly. This collaboration is also expected to contribute to the reciprocal development of knowledge and innovation at both IND and EUAA.
This isn’t the first time that EUAA has assisted authorities in the Netherlands, as experts have been working on asylum reception and counseling in Ter Apel since the end of 2022. Additionally, the EUAA has delivered a significant number of temporary residential units for the accommodation of approximately 500 asylum seekers.
The number of asylum applications in the Netherlands has been on the rise, reaching 20,122 in the first half of 2023. The increase in applications can be linked to a rise in asylum applications from third-country nationals with a Ukrainian temporary residence permit seeking protection and asylum in the Netherlands.
It’s worth noting that the Dutch government recently announced that as of March 5, third-country nationals from Ukraine will no longer be permitted to stay in the country. This decision will affect around 2,780 people who held a residence permit from Ukraine but are of other nationalities.
Overall, the collaboration between the EUAA and Dutch authorities is expected to streamline the asylum process and provide much-needed support to asylum seekers in the Netherlands. With the increasing number of asylum applications, this partnership is crucial in ensuring that the process is executed efficiently and effectively.
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