The EU-FRANK project is co-financed by the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF)
The EU-FRANK project is designed around five components, each of which is built up by a group of experts. Each component will work towards the overarching goal of increasing the success and quality of resettlement, by targe-ting different aspects of resettlement opera-tions. The Migration Policy Institute (MPI) runs component 1, aiming to bring new knowledge to the table by conducting a series of studies throughout the project period. You can read more about the launch of the first study; a ‘State of knowledge paper’ in a separate artic-le/ > Read more.
Component 2 focuses on the development of tools and materials that can be used by Sta-tes, possibly jointly, for resettlement purposes. Examples of such materials can be check-lists for planning of resettlement missions, papers
explaining the exit procedure processes from different host countries, or templates and re-ports that can be used to monitor, plan or fol-low up on specific activities. Together, a group of experts will analyze current documentation and tools to find scope for potential harmoni-zation and further developments.
Closely connected to component 2 is the third component which will develop training in the field of resettlement. Building on previous ex-periences from projects such as the European Resettlement Network, the SHARE project and others, this group will launch specific training sessions and seminars, alongside the development of a resettlement module to be incorporated into the EASO Training Curricu-lum (ETC). > Read more
A shift from planning to execution for EU-FRANKAfter more than a year of planning and project set up, in 2017 EU-FRANK turns into execution mode, embarking on pilot activities and setting up expert working groups that will bring more muscles and brain to the project. With this said, analysis and assessment of current practices will continue to form a central part of the project.
The EU-FRANK project is short for European Union Action on Facilitating Resettlement and Refugee Admission through New Knowledge. It is a project aiming to provide operational support to EU MS in the field of resettlement. The project is led by Sweden in partnership with other MS and international organi za tions. Project period is 2016-2020.
Additionally, in component 4 there is room to test new approaches to resettlement, and to perform pilots of innovative practice. As a part of this, and alongside other approaches, the project will investi-gate the possibilities for increased coordination and support to resettlement missions. Pilots will be determined, planned and executed by a group of experts together with reference partners which they identify. Each activity will be monitored, evaluated and reported back to the project.
Alongside these four working groups, each targeting resettlement from its own specific angle, EU-FRANK will facilitate ongoing multilateral exchange in the forms of peer-review of systems, study visits or ex-pert meetings between more and less experienced colleagues in different countries. All with the aim of having made resettlement a little easier to manage, a little more successful to implement, when the pro-ject closes in the summer of 2020.
The EU-FRANK project is short for European Union Action on Facilitating Resettlement and Refugee Admission through New Knowledge. It is a project aiming to provide operational support to EU MS in the field of resettlement. The project is led by Sweden in partnership with other MS and international organi za tions. Project period is 2016-2020.
The expert exchange on resettlement was the first activity under the EU-FRANK project in 2017, and a crucial one. It gathered 35 participants from 17 EU Member States as well as international organizations such as UNHCR, IOM, and ICMC together with EASO and the project management. The meeting came timely at a point when several states face either an increase or even a launch of a resettlement program. It was the first meeting devoted to the main recipients and participants of the activities in the project, aiming to lead the way forward throughout the coming year.
The Czech Republic, Italy, Finland and Portugal injected inspiration to the discussions by describing their pro-cesses and valuable lessons in the field. Participants engaged in lively discussions on the nuts and bolts of the resettlement process, deconstructing it to its core elements, looking at both details and an overview of the
different steps that different actors need to take in order to implement a resettlement program.
Before going home, participants were also able to give their input to the EU-FRANK project, on what would be useful support in the time to come.
‘It was inspiring to be around all these colleagues, with varying levels of experiences in resettlement but with an equal interest in learning and developing systems that may bring protection to refugees’, said Conny Larsson, project leader for EU-FRANK. ‘We have received valua-ble input that will be reflected in the plans for upcoming project activities.’
Meeting report and materials may be shared upon re-quest by the project secretariat ([email protected]).
Exchange of experiences between resettlement expertsDuring two intensive days in February, resettlement experts and potential ‘experts to be’ came together in EASO’s offices in Malta to engage in discussions on how resettlement can be successfully managed and implemented, by learning from each other’s experiences.
A continuous part of the EU-FRANK project is the multilateral exchange mechanism that shall enable experts from different Member States to meet and learn from each other in different contexts. Similar to the exchange in Malta, it can take the shape of a larger workshop, but it can also be small scaled meetings between just two, or a few, colleagues wishing to explore shared experiences or gain input from each other. The multilateral exchange will also provide opportunities to look and learn from resett-lement activities in practice, by participating in study visits to Member States or during their field opera-tions. A first field visit was conducted in November
2016 when Bulgaria and Lithuania joined Belgium on their combined selection and cultural orientation mission to Ankara. The project is planning to fol-low this up with similar occasions, and is currently gathering proposals from several states into a study visit calendar to be launched soon. In parallel, increased emphasis is being placed on the analysis behind the matching process and the set-up of the exchange mechanism in a way that entails success-ful learning and implementation of the new experien-ces into national systems.
The EU-FRANK project is short for European Union Action on Facilitating Resettlement and Refugee Admission through New Knowledge. It is a project aiming to provide operational support to EU MS in the field of resettlement. The project is led by Sweden in partnership with other MS and international organi za tions. Project period is 2016-2020.
EU-FRANK
Newsletter 1/ 2017
MPI observes the current state of knowledge on resettlement in its first project study
EU-FRANK Newsletter ● Number 1 ● 2017
The Research Pillar of the EU FRANK project has been kickstarted with a study into the current evidence basis for developing resettlement programmes.
In response to record levels of displacement, national governments around the world have increased their commitment to refugee resettlement. By introducing new resettlement initiati-ves or scaling up existing efforts, European governments have sought to show solidarity with countries of first asylum, such as Turkey or Jordan, as well as to bring some order to chaotic migration flows. Most notably, in July 2015 the European Union agreed to launch a two-year effort that committed Member States to participating in a joint resettlement scheme, with the aim of increasing the number of refugees brought to Europe through a managed, safe chan-nel. Achieving this goal will require countries that had previously never resettled refugees to develop programmes, and those with established initiatives to increase their commitments.
Whether launching a new resettlement effort or expanding an existing initiative, govern-ments face four particular and interlocking challenges:
• Setting coherent goals for resettlement efforts.
• Balancing resource constraints with creating a strategic impact.
• Ensuring efficient resettlement procedures by revisiting processes and pooling
resources.
• Facilitating integration after resettlement.
Addressing each of these tradeoffs effectively requires governments to have sufficient information on the relative value and costs of the many different resettlement approaches and practices applied to date – a level of detailed analysis and evaluation that is scarce in many countries. Much of the information available is primarily descriptive and presented in the form of handbooks or overviews of prior practice. Few countries have undertaken truly comprehensive evaluations of their programmes. The evaluations that do exist have focused to a large extent on outputs rather than outcomes, and even when outcomes are considered, little consideration is usually given to the role policy and programme design play in shaping them.
The upcoming report takes a first step toward addressing this paucity of information by map-ping the primary questions governments face regarding the goals, design, and implemen-tation of resettlement policies and programmes, as well as by considering the quality of the evidence currently available to guide them in these decisions. It hereby draws on examples and evidence from both EU Member States and other established resettlement countries.
It is not an understatement that the component leader for new approaches, Ms. Kirsi Lepistö, had a flying start in her assignment. On Sunday 2 April, actually the day before her first day in the project, she headed to Kastrup airport in Copenhagen to catch a flight to Amman and meet up with the project leader Conny Larsson. Having landed in Amman early Monday morning, just in time for the sunrise and the sound of morning prayers from the mosques, there were just a few hours of sleep before the assessment of possible new approaches to resettlement continued; an exercise which was initiated by the project secretariat during autumn.
In Amman a visit was paid to the EU-FRANK project part-ner Switzerland who were conducting a selection mission headed by the strategizing committee representative Mr. Meinrad Lindt. Mr. Lindh and his colleagues provided an overview of the Swiss resettlement process, and invited the observers to sit in on interviews. Since the selection mission was held at the IOM premises, a meeting was
also held with the operational manager Mr. Phil Eneas. He presented the work of IOM in general and the work in Amman specifically. The standard operational procedures that are developed for each country assisted by IOM’s re-settlement services showcase the wide range of variation in what different states need assistance with.
After the visit in Amman the journey continued to Beirut to pay a visit to Sweden’s selection mission. As in Am-man, the modus operandi was explained and visualized by sit in sessions. In addition to the selection procedure, the Swedish mission also had a very comprised cultural orientation session.
The project representatives were very well received by both missions and were able to make useful observations on similarities and differences between two resettlement states and contexts, to build on when developing the project further. It gave a lot of food for thought and input to component 4 - and to its newly appointed leader, who summoned the experienced with the words “This was a very good journey”.
The Swedish Migration Agency, the competent authority for resettlement in Sweden, launched the project EU-FRANK in the beginning of 2016. In October, the project hosted a kick-off event to mark the proper start of project activities after a period of initial planning. With the aim to provide operational support to (primarily) EU Member States in the field of resettlement, the kick-off meeting invited participants from 17 European countri-es.
Hosted side by side with another project meeting, partners States Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands and Switzerland were some of those who took part (Hungary being an additional part-ner who unfortunately could not make it to this specific occa-sion). Also, organizations such as the UNHCR, EASO and MPI
who play important roles in the project participated, alongside implementing partners in resettlement such as IOM and ICMC.
The meeting was opened by the Swedish State Secretary Lars Westbratt from the Ministry for Justice. Mr. Westbratt who put the project in a wider international perspective, by noting that ‘Resettlement allows not only for a safer way for refugees to enter Europe, but also makes it easier for the receiving country to plan for the reception in advance.’ And that ‘EU-FRANK has the potential to become an important vehicle when it comes to spreading knowledge and new approaches to less experienced EU countries’.
EU-FRANK kick-off meeting on 12 October 2016
Project secretariat
Conny Larsson/ Project leader
Leila Nielsen/ Coordinator
Denise Thomsson/Coordinator
Hedyah Faghir/Financial officer
Päivi Kauppi/ Controler
Sandra Rubinova/ Administrator
Newsletter1/2017EU-FRANK
For more information about EU-FRANK project activities,
