In recent years, the EU has seen unprecedented levels of migration and a subsequent swell in asylum applications. The migration crisis peaked in 2015, when over 1 million people embarked upon the treacherous journey to Europe by sea. Although numbers have returned to pre-crisis levels, tens of thousands are still migrating to the EU.
This surge in migration has revealed flaws in the EU’s asylum and migration policies and in its external border management. Established arrangements have come under heavy strain, even prompting their temporary suspension in some cases. Located on the frontline, Greece and Italy are disproportionately burdened.
To get a handle on the crisis, the EU devised several measures, including the setting-up of “hotspots” and the introduction of temporary relocation schemes. Furthermore, it has launched a procedure to overhaul the Common European Asylum System, including the Dublin mechanism obliging asylum seekers to file an application in their country of first entry into the Union. Ensuring the right measures and legal framework for handling irregular immigration is vital.
In view of this, the European Court of Auditors is currently conducting an audit on migration management. In particular, we will assess whether support for Greece and Italy has achieved its objectives, and whether the asylum, relocation and return procedures have been effective and swift. To this end, we are examining supported projects to determine their relevance, evaluate their design and see if they are achieving the intended results, as well as looking at data on follow-up procedures to establish whether performance has improved.
If you wish to contact the audit team, you may do so at the following email address: ECA-hotspot-audit@eca.europa.eu