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The Refugee Situation : Spain

Join Fundación Senara's training activity in Madrid to learn about the overview of the refugee situation in Europe, Spain's asylum policy, and European perspectives on immigration. Gain valuable insights and knowledge to address the challenges of refugee integration.

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The Refugee Situation : Spain

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  1. TheRefugeeSituation: Spain Training activity Madrid April 17th-20th 2017 A program of Fundación Senara

  2. Overview of the Situation in Europe • In 2015 an estimated 1,800,000 refugees crossed into Europe • Most of these have come from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq, followed by Kosovo, Albania, Pakistan, and Eritrea. • Most refugees arrive in Italy, Greece, and Hungary before traveling to Central and Western Europe • In 2015, Germany received the most refugees at nearly 1.1 millionwith 476,000 asylum applications • Hungary had the most asylum applications in relation to it´s population at 1,800 per 100,000

  3. Continued… • In 2016, the number of refugees arriving to Europe dropped to 370,000 • This has been partly caused by an EU deal with Ankara to stem the flow of migrants coming into Greece through Turkey. • The majority of refugees arrived in Greece, 173,000, and Italy, 167,000

  4. Continued… • Refugee policies across Europe differ • Germany and Sweden have the most open and accepting refugee policies, offering permanent residence to almost all • Many eastern European states such as Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic have stressed a strong preference for non-Muslim migrants and have been reluctant to accept large amounts of refugees • Hungary, Slovenia and Bulgaria have erected border fences to stem the flow of migrations and several countries such as Germany and The Netherlands have created temporary border checks • France and the UK have been largely reluctant in the refugee crisis, only agreeing to accept comparatively small numbers of refugees.

  5. What do Europeansthink? • According to EuroBarometer studies, a majority of Europeans have a negative view on immigration from outside the EU, 59%. This feeling has increased since the beginning of 2015. • The most negative feelings about foreign immigration come from Slovakia (86%), Latvia (86%), Hungary (82%), the Czech Republic (81%), and Estonia (81%) • The most positive views on foreign immigration can be found in Sweden (70%), Spain (53%), and Ireland (49%).

  6. Continued… • About 89% of Europeans say that additional measures should be taken to fight the illegal immigration of people from outside the EU • 68% of Europeans say that they are in favor of “a common European policy on migration”. • In all EU countries but one there is a majority who are in favor of a common European migration policy, with the highest levels of support from the Netherlands (83%), Germany (82%), and Spain (81%). • The only country where a majority oppose a common policy is the Czech Republic (55% opposed).

  7. Continued… • An average of 59% of Europeans are concerned that the influx of refugees will increase the likelihood of terrorism with the highest levels in Hungary (76%), Poland (71%), and Germany (61%). • A majority in a few countries believe that refugees from Syria and Iraq as a major threat, the highest being Poland (73%), Greece (69%), Hungary (69%), and Italy (65%) • Europeans overwhelmingly believe that the EU is doing a poor job of handling the refugee crisis, 94% in Greece, 88% in Sweden, and 77% in Italy.

  8. The Refugee Situation in Spain • 2014: Of the 625,000 people who applied for asylum in Europe, only 5,947 applied in Spain. • Syria (1,679) and Ukraine (946). • Spain gave some form of protection to 1,585 asylum-seekers and rejected 2,029 applications. 1,162 of the accepted applications were for Syrians • 2015: The Popular Party government of Spain said they would only take in 2,739 refugees • After popular support for refugee acceptance however, the government decided to accept the 14,931 migrants suggested under the new EU quota plan.

  9. Continued… • 2016: By April of 2016, Spain had only brought 18 refugees to the country. • Many NGOs as well Spanish politicians wereangered by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy´s passivity on the issue. • 2017: According to data published in February, Spain has only taken in 1,100 refugees, a number much smaller than its pledged amount of 15,000 which it agreed to in 2015.

  10. SpanishAsylumPolicy Spanish Asylum Policy • Spain’s Regulatory Act 12/2009 on the Right to Asylum and Subsidiary Protection in Spain provides protection to all persons who can prove that they face persecution in their home country • Asylum seekers can apply at any border checkpoint in Spanish territory, at ports and airports, at any asylum refuge office (OAR) and at immigration detention centers (CIE). It is also possible to apply from abroad at Spanish Embassies. • The process could take anywhere from one to three years, though according to Spanish law it should only take six months • Claiming asylum entitles you to remain in Spain during the application process, recieve legal aid and healthcare, and recieve specific social benefits such as accomodation for six months for those without financial means • Asylum seekers are entitled to family reunification with their spouse, their dependent children, and their parents.

  11. Howmanyhavewehosted in Spain? • According to the most recent figures from the UNHCR (ACNUR) there are 5,798 refugees and 7,535 asylum seekers living in Spain but only 1,100 of these come from the relocation program • This number represents 1.2 refugees per 10,000 Spanish Residents • Based on the European Program to relocate 160,000 refugees from Italy, Greece, and Hungary, Spain should receive between 15,000 and 19,000 people over the next two years

  12. What are the principal organizations of your country doing? • Amnesty International has been monitoring the situation closely and has been publishing its findings • Proactive Open Arms relocated their headquarters to Lesbos, Greece, to aid the thousands of refugees arriving on the coast by boat every day. They help around 20 refugee boats every day • Red Cross Spain has been providing humanitarian assitance to the few refugees that have arrived in Spain such as food, shelter, medical care, guidance, and assistance with the asylum application process • ACCEM, an NGO dedicated to helping refugees, has established a system consiting of other NGO´s as well as government agencies to assist the arrival of refugees. ACCEM has also been rasining money to stop refugees from dying during the dangerous transit through the Mediterranean Sea • UNHCR (ACNUR) has been working very hard to provide recent arrivals with general assitance and the distribution of essential items. It has also been assisting families with application processes and with the reunification of families as well as with the refugees assimilation into Spain.

  13. Additional information about the refugee crisis • 62% of all refugees in Europe come from Syria, Eritrea, and Afghanistan, fleeing war, not economic hardship. • The country that hosts the highest number of Syrian refugees is actually Lebanon with 1.2 million • The presence of maritime rescue operations do not significantly influence the number of migrants who choose to cross the Mediterranean to get to Europe. • The number of migrants arriving in Europe has declined since 2015, but the death toll has risen.

  14. Sources • http://www.accem.es/es • http://www.acnur.es/ • http://www.redcross.org/migrationcrisis • http://elpais.com/elpais/2016/05/26/inenglish/1464282755_306975.html • https://www.proactivaopenarms.org/en • https://www.thelocal.es/20160407/refugees-welcome-in-spain-but-where-are-they • https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/08/eu-met-only-5-of-target-for-relocating-refugees-from-greece-and-italy • http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2016/0526/While-refugee-crisis-roils-EU-Spain-and-Portugal-eagerly-await-their-Syrians • https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/12/europes-refugee-and-migrant-crisis-in-2016-in-numbers • http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2013/11/sweden-refugee-policy-sets-high-standard-2013112485613526863.html

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