The Portuguese Presidency has achieved the approval by the Council of the European Union for the extension of the negotiating mandate with the European Parliament on the proposal for a Regulation on the European Union Agency for Asylum.
Minister Eduardo Cabrita considers that this "is an important step towards our common goal of building a fairer and more efficient asylum system. A fully fledged EU asylum agency will be able to provide swift operational support wherever it is most needed and contribute to increase mutual trust among member states."
The proposal aims to transform the current European Asylum Support Office (EASO) into an agency responsible for providing enhanced assistance to member states and for contributing to greater convergence in the assessment of applications for international protection.
With this mandate, the Portuguese Presidency will continue technical work in liaison with the European Parliament.