Minister Risikko attends meeting of Justice and Home Affairs Council in Luxembourg

The EU home affairs ministers will meet at the Justice and Home Affairs Council in Luxembourg on 13 October. Finland is represented by Minister of the Interior Paula Risikko. The matters on the agenda are border management and migration.

The ministers will discuss, for example the European Border and Coast Guard, information systems related to border management and the reform of the Common European Asylum System. Other issues on the agenda will be relocation of asylum seekers within the EU and resettlement, i.e. reception of quota refugees.

Last year, EU countries agreed to the relocation of 160,000 asylum seekers within the EU: 39,600 will be relocated from Italy and 66,400 from Greece to other Member States. Negotiations on the rest of the relocations are still underway. In addition, the Schengen countries agreed on resettlement of about 22,000 refugees.

- Finland has done its share in the agreed resettlement. Relocation of asylum seekers is also going very well. Other Member States also need to sharpen their focus and do their part. It is unbearable if the agreed measures are not implemented, Ms Risikko stresses.

EU and seven Member States sign mobility partnership with Belarus

In connection with the meeting, Finland will sign a mobility partnership with Belarus together with the EU and six other Member States. This partnership aims to support Belarus to develop its migration administration and to step up the fight against illegal immigration and human trafficking.

Finland has actively supported the EU's comprehensive migration and asylum policy targeted at third countries. The mobility partnership to be signed continues this work. The EU has concluded similar partnerships previously with many countries, such as Tunisia, Armenia and Cape Verde. This is the first time Finland is a signatory.

Inquiries:

Laura Yli-Vakkuri, Director General, tel. +358 40 720 2216, [email protected]