EUROPEAN ASYLUM SUPPORT OFFICE (EASO)

Based in Malta, EASO is an agency of the European Union set up by Regulation (EU) 439/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council. The agency:

• acts as a centre of expertise on asylum;
• contributes to the development of the Common European Asylum System by facilitating, coordinating and strengthening practical cooperation among Member States on the many aspects of asylum;
• helps Member States fulfill their European and international obligations to give protection to people in need;
• provides practical and technical support to Member States and the European Commission;
• provides operational support to Member States with specific needs and to Member States whose asylum and reception systems are under particular pressure;
• provides evidence-based input for EU policymaking and legislation in all areas having a direct or indirect impact on asylum.

The European Union is working towards a Common European Asylum System. EASO supports its implementation by applying a bottom-up approach. The aim is to ensure that individual asylum cases are dealt with in a coherent way by all Member States.

EASO provides different kinds of support, namely:

• permanent support: supporting and stimulating the common quality of the asylum process through common training, common asylum training material, common quality and common Country of Origin Information (COI);
• special support: tailor-made assistance, capacity building, relocation, specific support and special quality control tools;
• emergency support: organising solidarity for Member States subject to particular pressures by providing temporary support and assistance to repair or rebuild asylum and reception systems;
• information and analysis support: sharing and merging information and data, analyses and assessments at EU level, including EU-wide trend analyses and assessments;
• third-country (i.e. non-member country) support: supporting the external dimension of the Common European Asylum System, supporting partnerships with third countries to reach common solutions, including by capacity building and regional protection programmes, and coordinating Member States’ actions on resettlement.

EASO’s principles to fulfil its tasks are:

• organising support and assistance for the general or specific needs of the Member States’ asylum systems;
• coordinating and stimulating operational cooperation between Member States and enhancing quality;
• acting as an independent centre of expertise on asylum;
• organising EU-wide analyses and assessments of asylum data;
• facilitating and stimulating joint action and ensuring consistency within the asylum field;
• engaging with the full commitment of Member States;
• respecting the responsibility of Member States and their asylum decisions;
• cooperating with the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union, as well as other EU institutions, agencies and bodies;
• involving international organisations and civil society; and
• performing its duties as a service-oriented, impartial and transparent organisation within the EU legal, policy and institutional framework.