UN plans to resettle Syrian refugees in northern Europe

11 marzo 2015

1 min di lettura

(AGI) London, March 11 - The UN has drawn up plans to relocatethousands of Syrian refugees from Italy and Greece to northernEurope, the Guardian reported. The UN refugee agency, theUNHCR, has asked backing for its pilot programme, outlined in aletter to the EU Foreign Policy Chief, Federica Mogherini, andthe Commissioner for Home Affairs, Dimitris Avramopoulos. "Morethan two-thirds of those disembarked in Italy moved on withoutfingerprinting or proper identification," said the director ofthe UNHCR's Europe bureau, Vincent Cochetel. "At a time ofincreased security concerns over movements from Libya, thissituation is abnormal. Not all those saying that they areSyrians or Palestinians are Syrians or Palestinians. And notall of them are refugees." According to Cochetel, the onlyway to limit illegal immigration in Europe is to allow refugeesto move north, where there is more work and where many want togo anyway to join their relatives. "When I see a Syrianarrive in Italy who has relatives in the Netherlands who arenot close enough to be eligible for reunion under the familydirective, the choice for policymakers is that he either movesillegally or legally. The person is going to move," Cochetelcontinued. The pilot programme would initially focus onlyon Syrians who have been recognised as refugees in Italy andGreece and would depend on an initial voluntary commitment frommember states, the Guardian specified.. .