EU-AFRICA-UKRAINE: In an interview with eupolitix.com, justice and home affairs Commissioner Frattini has announced that the Commission will launch two regional protection programmes for refugees (RPPs) in July: “The Great Lakes region is probably the
EU-AFRICA-UKRAINE: In an interview with eupolitix.com, justice and home affairs Commissioner Frattini has announced that the Commission will launch two regional protection programmes for refugees (RPPs) in July: “The Great Lakes region is probably the biggest origin area of illegal immigrants and the eastern dimension of Europe for example, Ukraine or Georgia or Belarus. We will try to start with two pilot programmes, the first one for Africa and the second one probably for Ukraine”, he said. The RRPs will focus on “relief, rehabilitation and regional development in a bid to build capacity in countries which can host large numbers of Europe bound refugees” and are described as an “alternative” to the controversial UK plans to build camps outside Europe to hold refugees bound for Europe. To many observers, however, the Commission’s plans look very similar indeed. See eupolitix.com (link) and Statewatch analysis: Dismantling refugee protection in Europe (July 2004, pdf)