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The European Refugee Fund

Some 250 000 people apply for asylum in the EU each year. However, the number of applicants is not equally distributed among EU States. Some States face larger strains on their reception capacities and asylum systems due to the disproportionally large influxes of refugees into their territories. European solidarity with these EU states is ensured through practical cooperation, harmonisation of legislation and the European Refugee Fund (ERF).

Supporting EU States' efforts in receiving refugees

The ERF (EUR 630 million over the period 2008-13) supports EU States’ efforts in receiving refugees and displaced persons and in guaranteeing access to consistent, fair and effective asylum procedures. The Fund also supports resettlement programmes and actions related to the integration of persons whose stay is of a lasting and stable nature. Moreover, it provides for emergency measures to address sudden arrivals of large numbers of persons who may be in need of international protection, which place significant and urgent demands on EU States' reception facilities or asylum systems.

Concrete actions

The ERF, in which all EU States except for Denmark participate, co-finances actions, such as:

improvements of reception accommodation infrastructures or services
structures and training to ensure access to asylum procedures
legal and social assistance
measures to support the empowerment of and acquisition of skills by refugees, including language training
assessments of potential resettlement or relocation (i.e. intra-EU transfer of refugees) cases, etc.

The ERF Community actions (EUR 62 million over 2008-13) focus on transnational actions in the field of asylum policy, with a particular emphasis on supporting practical cooperation between EU States' administrations.

2011