EU Justice and Home Affairs Council: centralised EU-wide IT solution for refugee registration needed

EU ministers of Justice and Home Affairs have called on the European Commission to act as quickly as possible to seek an IT solution that would allow for a centralised Europe-wide approach to the registration of Ukrainian refugees. Such consolidation at EU level of registration in national databases will make it easier to protect refugees, and in particular unaccompanied minors, and their travel within the EU.

Ministers met on 28 March to discuss further coordination of reception of refugees from Ukraine, whose numbers have risen to 3.8 million since the war began on 24 February. Ministers took stock of the means of material and financial support deployed with regard to both their level and their flexibility and discussed possible additional financial needs as well as potential gaps in the support provided by EU agencies. Discussions on medium and long-term needs for assistance will now continue at expert level.

Ministers also supported the mobilisation of the EU network to fight organised and serious crime (EMPACT) in order to avoid the exploitation of the situation by criminals, including via human trafficking, online fraud and embezzlement of funds destined to support refugees or arms trafficking.

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