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- Ελληνικά
With specific and targeted actions, the Republic of Cyprus has managed to increase the number of irregular migrant returns by 66% in 2023 compared to 2022, Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou stressed today. Ioannou was speaking before his European Ministerial counterparts at the Ministerial Meeting on Asylum and Migration organised by the Belgian EU Presidency in Ghent, where Cyprus was invited by the organisers to present the effective measures it is taking in relation to returns.
In his intervention, Ioannou outlined the government's policy for the enhancement of returns. The Interior Minister said that several measures had been implemented, focusing on cooperation with Frontex, informing migrants about the voluntary return programme, using the EU Solidarity Mechanism to relocate migrants to other Member States and strengthening the voluntary return programme. As the Minister explained, the Republic of Cyprus focused on promoting the voluntary return programme by introducing financial incentives to make it more attractive. Equally positive results in relation to the increased number of returns were recorded in the first quarter of 2024. Over 1,000 returns were carried out between January and April 2024, which translates into a 42% increase compared to 2023. This data ranks Cyprus first in the number of returns, in terms of population, among EU Member States.
Discussion on the implementation of the Pact on Immigration and Asylum
During the Summit, the European Commission further analysed and defined the steps for the implementation of the Pact on Immigration and Asylum, which should be ready for implementation in June 2026. In particular, reference was made to the preparation by the Commission of the Common Implementation Plan (CIP) of the Pact, on which Member States will build in the context of the preparation of their National Plans, which will set out the needs assessment and the timetables for the implementation of the different policies. These National Plans will be used for the purpose of applying for funding from the European Funds and will be the instruments for allocating the available resources. In addition, the meeting included presentations by the relevant European agencies on migration and asylum issues, as well as on how to provide support to Member States through the new procedures and pillars of the Pact.
Strengthening cooperation with Frontex
In the margins of the meeting, the Minister of Interior had a meeting with the Executive Director of Frontex, Mr Hans Leijtens, with whom they discussed ways for further cooperation, in particular with regard to returns. Also, Mr Ioannou and Mr Leijtens exchanged views on issues related to strengthening the Agency's support in Cyprus.
(Mky)
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