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An exchange of views[/B] on the situation regarding the migration issue in Cyprus, given the continued increase in the number of people seeking international protection in the country, MEPs from the European Parliament's Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) will have a meeting on Thursday afternoon in Brussels.
During the debate, which will be attended by a representative of the Ministry of Interior, MEPs will examine the latest developments in relation to illegal trafficking, reception conditions, the issue of unaccompanied minors and asylum procedures in Cyprus.
The debate will include Beate Gminder, Deputy Director General of the Commission's Directorate-General for Home Affairs (DG HOME), who heads the Migration Management Task Force, Kostas Constantinou, Director General of the Cypriot Ministry of Interior, and Sarah Prestiani, thematic programme manager of the human rights organisation EuroMed Rights.
As noted in a statement, the European Parliament defines migratory pressure on the basis of the EU Asylum criteria, namely the number of applications for international protection in relation to the country's territory, population size and national GDP.
Based on these criteria, it adds, Cyprus' asylum and reception system has faced particular pressures in recent years, as it also receives the largest number of asylum seekers in proportion to population in the EU.
It is recalled that in February the Cypriot authorities signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the EU and an action plan to support migration management in Cyprus.
It is also recalled that in December 2021 the Commission presented a proposal for a regulation to address cases of instrumentalisation of migration and asylum in general.
Source: CNA
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