1. State of play: Refugee situation in and beyond Europe Senior Specialist Tuomas Koljonen Finnish Immigration Service

2. Contents of the presentation
Situation at global level
Situation in the EU Southern external borders and within the Schengen-area
Situation in Finland
Preparedness: Main measures/Finland 2

3. Global refugee situation 3

4. Situation in the EU southern external borders and within the Schengen area
Overall trends
Irregular migration pressure continues despite some regional shifts in main "pressure points" in 2017
lrregular entries in the Central Mediterranean have decreased when comparing to last years numbers
- However, recently arrivals from Tunisia have increased
Increase of pressure in the Western route (from Morocco and Algeria to Spain)
Eastern Mediterranean route has benefitted from the EU-Turkey –agreement
Other new routes emerging: Black sea 4

5. Situation in the EU southern external borders and within the Schengen area
Factors affecting the volumes of flows, routes used and distribution of flows
Measures and policies by the individual EU Member States
- Internal border controls
- Degree of individual MS willingness to manage migration in line with EU law: Registration, asylum procedures
- Implementation of returns/credibility of the return policy
Developments in and measures by the countries of origin and transit
- Libya
- Turkey
- Niger
Weather conditions in the Mediterranean 5

6. Asylum situation in Europe / 2017
Applications at pre-crisis level
According to a preliminary estimate, some applications for international protection were lodged in the EU+ in This preliminary figure is 43 % lower than in 2016 when over 1,2 million applications were lodged.
The bulk of applications concentrated in just a few receiving EU+ countries. The five main receivers – Germany, Italy, France, Greece and the United Kingdom – accounted for not less than three-quarters of all applications. In 2016 this was 80 %. 6

7. Asylum applications in EU+ -countries (August 2017)
Source: EASO 7

8. Asylum situation in Europe / 2017
In 2017, EU+ countries issued some first-instance decisions. This is a 16 % decrease compared to 2016, but a much higher level than in previous years. In 2017, the number of first-instance decisions exceeded the number of applications lodged.
Despite the high number of decisions issued, the annual recognition rate of EU-regulated types of protection (refugee status and subsidiary protection) was the lowest in recent years. In 2017, 40 % of the decisions were positive, in contrast to the higher rate of 57 % in 2016 (and 49 % and 43 % in 2015 and 2014, respectively). 8

9. Asylum situation in Europe / 2017
Over the course of 2017, the number of applications pending at first instance in the EU+ has gradually been decreasing. While at the end of 2016, close to applicants were awaiting a first-instance decision, at the end of November 2017, this number fell to just under – a decline by 46 % 9

10. Situation in the EU southern external borders and within the Schengen area
Internal flows within the Schengen-area towards Nordic countries have remained at relatively low levels as some central transit countries have continued internal border controls.
However, negative decisions combined with challenges to enforce returns are estimated to contribute to increased secondary movements within Schengen-area. 10

11. Asylum situation in Finland / 2017
The number of asylum applications has come down to "normal", pre-crisis level in 2017
applications
- Top 5 nationalities: Iraq, Syria, Eritrea, Afghanistan, Russia
- Majority of applications were however renewed applications or relocated applicants from Greece and Italy
Internal border controls by Denmark, Sweden – no particular pressure via Western land border, and situation in the green border remained calm
Current issues: Number of appeals, implementation of return of persons who have received/will receive a final negative decision 11

12. Asylum situation in Finland / 2017
The Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) made decision
to 9418 asylum applications in 2017
Positive: 40,2% (3189 of which Convention status 2528, subsidiary protection 704, other residence permits 552)
Negative: 42,4 % (3996 of which 3554 rejected, manifestly unfounded 442)
Not examined in substance: 11,3 % (Dublin 400, received protection in an EU state 57, other grounds 607)
Annulment: 6,1 % (574) (compared with : 7041)

13. Asylum situation in Finland/ 2018
Asylum applications: 669
Pending cases in administrative courts: 7083
persons in the reception system
Reception units: 56
Topical: Adjustment of reception capacity 13

14. Preparedness Maintaining up to date situational picture
- Exchange of information multilaterally & bilaterally
- Sharing and combining data at national level between authorities
- Information from EASO (and Frontex) operations
Developing prognosis cabability to ensure adequate resources and facilitate planning of processes:
- FIS estimates on the development of numbers of applications
- Improved use and analysis of existing data 14

15. Preparedness Reception activities - Contingency planning & exercises
Streamlining the Agency's processes, including through digitalization 
- Smart Digital Agency –project
Ensuring multiskilled personnel
- Training and internal rotation arrangements
Ensuring effective implementation of negative decisions
- Cooperation with third countries to ensure the effective implementation of returns (i.a. Iraq, Somalia)
- Promoting voluntary return 15