Tweet
BETTER MOBILITY BETWEEN THE EU AND ARMENIA
Noyan Tapan
28.10.2011
On 27 October Cecilia Malmstrom, Commissioner for Home Affairs, Jerzy
Miller, Poland's Minister of the Interior and Administration, and
Edward Nalbandian, Armenia's Minister of Foreign Affairs, officially
launched a new Mobility Partnership. Together with ten Member States
(Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy,
the Netherlands, Poland, Romania and Sweden) they signed a Joint
Declaration on carrying out a series of initiatives in the field of
migration. These will strengthen relations between Armenia and the
EU by promoting mobility and cooperation on migration issues.
"The launch of this Partnership with Armenia is a very important step
towards bringing European and Armenian citizens closer. The Mobility
Partnership, together with other instruments such as future Visa
Facilitation and Readmission agreements, will be key in increasing the
mobility of European and Armenian citizens in a well-managed and secure
environment", said Commissioner for Home Affairs Cecilia Malmstrom.
"This Mobility Partnership is a clear sign of the readiness of the
European Union and the countries of the Eastern Partnership to move
towards a closer integration. Fostering mobility and people-to-people
contacts is fundamental for the promotion of social and economic
development and mutual understanding between the people in Armenia
and in the EU ", stated Stefan Fule, Commissioner for Enlargement
and the European Neighbourhood Policy.
With this Mobility Partnership, the EU and Armenia will step up their
dialogue and cooperation in key areas. Practical initiatives will be
launched to enhance Armenia's ability to manage migration and inform,
integrate and protect migrants and returnees.
The partnership will also support Armenia's efforts to improve the
way it deals with issues relating to asylum and the protection of
refugees, and to the prevention and reduction of irregular migration
and human trafficking. Ten EU Member States as well as the European
Training Foundation (ETF) are involved in this partnership, which
remains open to other Member States wishing to take part.
Background
The Mobility Partnership with Armenia is the fourth of its kind,
following those launched with the Republic of Moldova and Cape Verde
in 2008 and with Georgia in 2009.
Mobility partnerships are flexible and non-legally binding frameworks
for well-managed movements of people between the EU and a third
country. Their goal is to ensure, through dialogue and practical
cooperation, that there is a responsible and joint management of
migratory flows that protect the interests of the Union, of its
partners and of the migrants themselves. They are part of the process
of implementing the global approach to migration developed by the EU
over the last few years.
The launch of a Mobility Partnership with Armenia confirms the EU's
commitment to continue actively cooperating with its Eastern Partners
on the issue of well-managed and secure mobility.
On 16 September the Commission adopted recommendations for negotiating
directives for concluding readmission and visa facilitation agreements
with Armenia (IP/11/1053) and Azerbaijan (IP/11/1052), as well as
first assessment reports in the context of the visa dialogues with
Moldova and Ukraine.
The JHA Eastern Partnership package was complemented by a
Communication, adopted on 26 September, on cooperation in the Area of
Justice and Home Affairs within the Eastern Partnership (IP/11/1075).
For more information
Homepage of Cecilia Malmstrom, Commissioner for Home Affairs
http://ec.europa.eu/commission_2010-2014/malmstrom/welcome/default_en.htm
Homepage DG Home Affairs:
http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/home-affairs/index_en.htm
Noyan Tapan
28.10.2011
On 27 October Cecilia Malmstrom, Commissioner for Home Affairs, Jerzy
Miller, Poland's Minister of the Interior and Administration, and
Edward Nalbandian, Armenia's Minister of Foreign Affairs, officially
launched a new Mobility Partnership. Together with ten Member States
(Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy,
the Netherlands, Poland, Romania and Sweden) they signed a Joint
Declaration on carrying out a series of initiatives in the field of
migration. These will strengthen relations between Armenia and the
EU by promoting mobility and cooperation on migration issues.
"The launch of this Partnership with Armenia is a very important step
towards bringing European and Armenian citizens closer. The Mobility
Partnership, together with other instruments such as future Visa
Facilitation and Readmission agreements, will be key in increasing the
mobility of European and Armenian citizens in a well-managed and secure
environment", said Commissioner for Home Affairs Cecilia Malmstrom.
"This Mobility Partnership is a clear sign of the readiness of the
European Union and the countries of the Eastern Partnership to move
towards a closer integration. Fostering mobility and people-to-people
contacts is fundamental for the promotion of social and economic
development and mutual understanding between the people in Armenia
and in the EU ", stated Stefan Fule, Commissioner for Enlargement
and the European Neighbourhood Policy.
With this Mobility Partnership, the EU and Armenia will step up their
dialogue and cooperation in key areas. Practical initiatives will be
launched to enhance Armenia's ability to manage migration and inform,
integrate and protect migrants and returnees.
The partnership will also support Armenia's efforts to improve the
way it deals with issues relating to asylum and the protection of
refugees, and to the prevention and reduction of irregular migration
and human trafficking. Ten EU Member States as well as the European
Training Foundation (ETF) are involved in this partnership, which
remains open to other Member States wishing to take part.
Background
The Mobility Partnership with Armenia is the fourth of its kind,
following those launched with the Republic of Moldova and Cape Verde
in 2008 and with Georgia in 2009.
Mobility partnerships are flexible and non-legally binding frameworks
for well-managed movements of people between the EU and a third
country. Their goal is to ensure, through dialogue and practical
cooperation, that there is a responsible and joint management of
migratory flows that protect the interests of the Union, of its
partners and of the migrants themselves. They are part of the process
of implementing the global approach to migration developed by the EU
over the last few years.
The launch of a Mobility Partnership with Armenia confirms the EU's
commitment to continue actively cooperating with its Eastern Partners
on the issue of well-managed and secure mobility.
On 16 September the Commission adopted recommendations for negotiating
directives for concluding readmission and visa facilitation agreements
with Armenia (IP/11/1053) and Azerbaijan (IP/11/1052), as well as
first assessment reports in the context of the visa dialogues with
Moldova and Ukraine.
The JHA Eastern Partnership package was complemented by a
Communication, adopted on 26 September, on cooperation in the Area of
Justice and Home Affairs within the Eastern Partnership (IP/11/1075).
For more information
Homepage of Cecilia Malmstrom, Commissioner for Home Affairs
http://ec.europa.eu/commission_2010-2014/malmstrom/welcome/default_en.htm
Homepage DG Home Affairs:
http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/home-affairs/index_en.htm