#EUTurkey: Commission makes immediate proposal to implement EU-Turkey agreement: 54,000 places allocated for resettlement of Syrians from Turkey

Following Friday's agreement between the European Council and Turkey, the Commission is adopting a proposal to amend a Council Decision to relocate people in need for international protection from Italy and Greece. With this amendment, 54,000 places which were foreseen for relocations will now be available for the purpose of resettling Syrians from Turkey to the EU.

The proposal responds to the need to commit further places for resettlement from Turkey, following Friday's agreement to resettle one Syrian from Turkey for every Syrian readmitted by Turkey after arriving irregularly in the Greek islands. This 1:1 scheme aims to quickly replace irregular flows of migrants travelling in dangerous conditions across the Aegean by an orderly and legal resettlement process.

Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship, Dimitris Avramopoulos said: "With the agreement reached with Turkey on Friday, we are offering asylum seekers a credible alternative to putting their lives at risk on dangerous sea routes. Member states now need to honour their commitments and ensure an orderly, well managed and safe arrival and admission to Europe for persons in need of international protection in Turkey."

In order for the scheme to function, member states must make a sufficient number of resettlement places available, within the framework of their existing commitments. Today's proposal would amend the relocation decision to make it possible for member states to meet their humanitarian commitments by admitting Syrians to their territories directly from Turkey. The number of resettled Syrians would be deducted from member states' relocation quotas.

This proposal complements the existing EU resettlement scheme for 22,504 people which was agreed in July 2015, of which 18,000 places remain available. Using the existing relocation commitment for the purpose of resettlement is fully in line with the Commission's existing policy, since these efforts are concrete expressions of solidarity among member states and to third countries that are experiencing a mass influx of migrants. The 54,000 places foreseen for reattribution from the relocation to the resettlement scheme constitute the currently non-allocated reserve of commitments under the existing Council Decision.