Parliamentary question - E-005767/2017Parliamentary question
E-005767/2017
European Parliament

Application of Relocation Decisions 2015/1523 and 2015/1601 ahead of their expiration date (26 September 2017)

15.9.2017

Answer in writing

Question for written answer E-005767-17
to the Commission
Rule 130
Barbara Spinelli (GUE/NGL) , Marisa Matias (GUE/NGL) , Sofia Sakorafa (GUE/NGL) , Josef Weidenholzer (S&D) , Bart Staes (Verts/ALE) , Bronis Ropė (Verts/ALE) , Alfred Sant (S&D) , Laura Ferrara (EFDD) , Josep-Maria Terricabras (Verts/ALE) , Stelios Kouloglou (GUE/NGL) , Kostas Chrysogonos (GUE/NGL) , Elly Schlein (S&D) , Marie-Christine Vergiat (GUE/NGL) , Eleonora Evi (EFDD) , Stefan Eck (GUE/NGL) , Sylvie Guillaume (S&D) , Benedek Jávor (Verts/ALE) , Eva Joly (Verts/ALE) , Sergio Gaetano Cofferati (S&D) , Norica Nicolai (ALDE) , Elena Valenciano (S&D) , Claude Rolin (PPE) , Josu Juaristi Abaunz (GUE/NGL) , Dimitrios Papadimoulis (GUE/NGL) , Fabio Massimo Castaldo (EFDD) , Andrejs Mamikins (S&D) , Tanja Fajon (S&D) , Hilde Vautmans (ALDE) , Juan Fernando López Aguilar (S&D) , Nessa Childers (S&D) , Miguel Urbán Crespo (GUE/NGL) , Neoklis Sylikiotis (GUE/NGL) , Gabriele Zimmer (GUE/NGL) , Ana Gomes (S&D) , Ernest Urtasun (Verts/ALE) , Takis Hadjigeorgiou (GUE/NGL) , Nicola Caputo (S&D) , Tania González Peñas (GUE/NGL) , Julie Ward (S&D) , Javier Nart (ALDE) , Ramon Tremosa i Balcells (ALDE) , Mady Delvaux (S&D) , Nathalie Griesbeck (ALDE) , Sabine Lösing (GUE/NGL) , Jordi Solé (Verts/ALE) , Soraya Post (S&D) , Dietmar Köster (S&D) , Molly Scott Cato (Verts/ALE) , Ivan Jakovčić (ALDE) , Kostadinka Kuneva (GUE/NGL) , Barbara Lochbihler (Verts/ALE) , Nikolaos Chountis (GUE/NGL) , Helmut Scholz (GUE/NGL) , José Inácio Faria (PPE)

In a judgment of 6 September 2017, the European Court of Justice dismissed the actions brought by Slovakia and Hungary to challenge relocation, noting that ‘the lack of cooperation on the part of certain Member States’ is the leading cause of the small number of relocations of international protection seekers.

A paper published by the European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE) entitled ‘Relocation not Procrastination’ concludes that political and legal resistance to the relocation of international protection seekers has manifestations ‘ranging from prohibitive preferences expressed by some Member States to severe delays in pledging relocation places as well as in processing and providing offers by Italy and Greece’[1].

The expiration date (26 September 2017) for the application of Relocation Decisions 2015/1523 and 2015/1601 is now close.

1. Does the Commission plan to launch other infringement proceedings against non-complying Member States?

2. Does the Commission intend to revise the Dublin returns to Italy and Greece, prioritising the solidarity elements of the relocations?

3. Given that in September 2015 President Juncker announced a permanent relocation mechanism under the Dublin system and that in May 2017 Parliament asked the Commission to present a new relocation proposal pending the reform of the Dublin system, why has Commissioner Avramopoulos stated that the Commission will not present new proposals for relocation?

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