Czechia: EUAA launches its 11th operational support mission

The European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) and the Czech Ministry of Interior signed an operating plan that will help Czechia register and provide protection to Ukrainians seeking safety. The Agency is supporting an unprecedented 11 EU Member States and Moldova with their asylum, reception and temporary protection needs.

The Operating Plan was signed by the Executive Director of the EUAA, Ms. Nina GREGORI, and the Czech Minister for Interior, Mr. Vít RAKUŠAN, on the margins of the Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg.

As part of the plan, the EUAA will support additional registration capacity in the Alien Police Service, as well as reception capacity at the Refugee Facilities Administration by training 150 new recruits and providing technological support to the national administrations, as they assist people displaced by the war in Ukraine.

The EUAA’s support to Czechia will have three main objectives:

Assist in training 150 new national recruits responsible for registering asylum and temporary protection applicants. The Agency will also provide training on reception, so that officials can identify vulnerable persons, such as women and children at risk of trafficking;
Provide up to 200 reception units, and assist in site planning;
Provide technological support with registration so that national authorities can correctly register Ukrainian and other applicants in line with Common European Asylum System and temporary protection rules.

The EUAA will begin deploying personnel to support the Czech authorities within days. It is anticipated that approximately 25 experts will be deployed, including interpreters. As with all EUAA operations, deployment numbers and support measures can change depending on shifting needs.

Background

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has displaced nearly 7 million people towards EU+ countries, with the EUAA recently reporting that almost half have requested temporary protection. Over 90% of those requests are from Ukrainian nationals, and a majority from women and children that have fled the country.

The EUAA is supporting 11 EU Member States with different aspects of their asylum and reception systems. In an unprecedented step, it has also begun to provide support in a third country, Moldova.

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