This year, the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) is marking ten years of becoming operational. The anniversary also coincides with the Agency receiving a new expanded mandate which will re-establish it as the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA), expected by the end of the year.
 
Over the past decade, EASO has grown from a handful of staff providing advice and bringing together national asylum practitioners, to one of the EU’s larger agencies, with over 500 staff and over 1,500 further personnel deployed in operations in seven Member States. EASO now plays an essential role in ensuring the implementation of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS) and continuing efforts to harmonise national asylum and reception practices in line with EU standards. 
 
The Agency is the EU’s centre for expertise on asylum, providing training, guidance, analysis, recommendations, and by setting the benchmark as to how the EU’s asylum and reception standards should be implemented. EASO now also deploys an unprecedented level of operational support to Member States, while engaging actively with third countries in order to support the EU’s external approach to asylum and migration management. 
 
On 14-15 October 2021, EASO will be bringing together distinguished EU and international policy makers, politicians and stakeholders, in order to look back at the past decade, take stock of where the CEAS stands and the challenges it faces, as well as to look forward at how the new EUAA mandate will allow for the Agency to meet the increasing demands for its support. 
 
Keynote speakers will include Nina Gregori, EASO’s Executive Director; H.E. George Vella, President of Malta; Margaritis Schinas, Vice-President of the European Commission; Ylva Johansson, European Commissioner for Home Affairs; and Gillian Triggs, Assistant High Commissioner for Protection at the UNHCR.
 
The Conference will include four Panels which will address different elements of the CEAS, its current state-of-play and its future. Together with a list of high-level officials from national asylum authorities, EU officials and academics, panellists also include (confirmed so far):
 

• Nicos Nouris, Minister of Interior of Cyprus;
• Notis Mitarachi, Minister of Migration and Asylum of Greece;
• Aleš Hojs, Minister of Interior of Slovenia; 
• Elena Yoncheva, Member of the European Parliament;
• Fabienne Keller, Member of the European Parliament;
• Robert K Visser, First EASO Executive Director.

 
For more details, please consult the draft programme here. 
 
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, physical attendance in Valletta is unfortunately limited to invited guests. As is now a common practice, EASO is organising the Conference so as to be primarily virtual in format and the Agency warmly invites all those with an interest in the EU’s asylum and reception efforts to register here by 4 October 2021.