With a record 100 million people displaced globally, Caritas Europa, together with six NGOs, calls on the EU and its Member States to revive and scale up their refugee resettlement efforts.

Resettlement is one of the few safe and regular pathways for vulnerable refugees to reach the EU. It can be a lifeline for people seeking protection and is an important expression of solidarity that can alleviate pressure on major refugee-hosting countries such as Lebanon, Libya and Uganda.

The gap between global needs and the EU’s resettlement efforts is growing fast. Globally, more than 1.5 million people are in need of resettlement, but as of the end of April 2022, just 4,075 resettled refugees had arrived in EU countries since the start of this year. 

As global resettlement needs continue to mount, the EU must significantly ramp up its commitment to resettlement – building on the unprecedented solidarity shown in response to refugees fleeing Ukraine, and investments already made into the emergency response.

The huge wave of solidarity displayed in Europe in support of Ukraine’s refugees shows that with strong political will, more welcoming policies are possible. This solidarity must also be displayed for all people in need of protection, regardless of where they come from. States should not walk away from their resettlement commitments and should increase safe pathways at a time when more than 100 million people are forcibly displaced in the world

Maria Nyman, Secretary General of Caritas Europa. 

We’re jointly calling on the EU and its Member States to:

  1. Swiftly meet their current commitment to resettle over 20,000 refugees in 2022 and admit nearly 40,000 Afghans at risk between 2021 and 2022.
  2. Commit to resettling at least 40,000 refugees in 2023 and fulfilling existing pledges.
  3. Adopt the Union Resettlement Framework (URF) to establish a more structured, predictable and longstanding EU policy on resettlement.