Civil society organisations play an important role in the debate on and implementation of asylum policy. Their specific expertise and knowledge is synergetic and has often proved to be of added-value to the Agency’s work. The EUAA is therefore committed to maintaining a close dialogue with relevant civil society organisations active in the field of asylum.
With a view of streamlining cooperation with civil society, the Agency has set up a Consultative Forum as a mechanism for the exchange of information and pooling of knowledge.
The Consultative Forum is open to relevant civil society organisations and relevant competent bodies operating in the field of asylum policy at local, regional, national, European or International level. Interested organisations can register for membership to the Forum and will be included in the Consultative Forum Registry.
The Consultative Forum organises different activities throughout the year, mainly:
- Consultative Forum Meetings (an annual Plenary meeting as well as regional and/or thematic meetings)
- Consultations on key Agency documents
In addition, cooperation with civil society is further mainstreamed throughout all of the EUAA’s activities, including the EUAA’s work on training and practical tools, its work on vulnerability, Country of Origin Information, information and analysis, as well as operational activities including the external dimension. For all of these different work streams, selected civil society organisations may be invited to participate in meetings, conferences, workshops or can be asked to provide their expert contribution to a report/tool/other EUAA product.
More information on the workings of the Consultative Forum can be found in the Consultative Forum Operational Plan (adopted in September 2012) which sets out the parameters and framework for the Forum.
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Registration
To become a member of the EUAA Consultative Forum, please download the registration form and submit it to Consultative-Forum@euaa.europa.eu.
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Contact
For any further information, please contact the EUAA Consultative Forum Contact Point at
Consultative-Forum@euaa.europa.eu.
An important method for communicating with civil society takes place on the basis of electronic consultations. The Consultative Forum members are consulted on many of the EUAA's key documents. Electronic consultations are open to all members of the Consultative Forum and are used as much as possible as they ensure the broadest possible outreach, facilitating organisations to contribute in a cost-effective manner. Additionally, some consultations may also, for various reasons, be restricted to selected CF members. In those cases, selection is carried out on the basis of the following set of selection criteria:
- Relevance – of the organisation’s participation vis-à-vis the theme(s) discussed by the Consultative Forum.
- Knowledge and Expertise – degree of knowledge and expertise in the area(s) being dealt with by the Consultative Forum.
- Availability – of the organisation to get involved in the work of the Consultative Forum.
- Involvement at national and EU level – degree of involvement of the organisation in the relevant area(s) at national and EU level (European orientation).
- Affiliation – of the organisation in relevant networks/groups.
- Relationship – of the organisation with EUAA and/or involvement in EU Practical cooperation measures/training/academic activities in the field of asylum.
Overview of planned consultations with civil society in 2022:
| Consultation Description |
Deadline | Target Audience | Status | Form/Releted documents |
| Call for input to the Asylum Report 2022 | 21 February 2022 | Members of the CF |
Closed |
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| Call for feedback on the General Report 2021 | ||||
| Call for feedback on the EUAA 2023 Work Programme | 31 January 2022 | Members of the CF | Closed |
Please provide your contributions on the planned activities as outlined for 2023 directly to Corporate Planning, Monitoring and Reporting Sector by 31 January 2022. |
Input from Civil Society to the Asylum Report 2022
- Abogacía Española
- AsyLex
- Asylum Research Centre (ARC) Foundation
- Border Violence Monitoring Network (BVMN)
- Centre for Migration Law, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Child Circle asbl
- Conseil National des Barreaux
- Convive - Fundación Cepaim
- Danish Refugee Council
- DRC Greece
- Dutch Advisory Committee on Migration Affairs_Dutch Advisory Council Migration
- European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE)
- European Network of National Human Rights Institutions (ENNHRIs)
- European Network on Statelessness
- Forum réfugiés-Cosi
- Friedrich Ebert Foundation/ Global Public Policy Institute
- Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights
- Human Rights League
- HumanRights360
- Hungarian Helsinki Committee
- International Organization for Migration (IOM)
- INTERSOS
- Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) Europe
- Lithuanian Bar Association
- METAdrasi
- Migrant Integration Center, Brasov
- Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS)
- Migration Policy Institute Europe
- Mobile Info Team
- NANSEN, the Belgian Refugee Council
- Network for Children's Rights
- Organization for Aid to Refugees
- Protestant Church in Germany (EKD), Brussels Office
- Spanish Commission for Refugees -CEAR
- Swiss Refugee Council
- University of Nicosia – miHUB
- VIS inputs in joint submission with Comitato per la promozione e protezione dei diritti umani, Don Bosco 2000, Salesiani per il Sociale
EUAA Consultative Forum activities in 2022
2022 will mostly be a transitional year for the Consultative Forum. The EUAA Regulation foresees changes to the CF; the Forum will become independent from the Agency and its role will be reinforced to advise the Executive Director and the Management Board on asylum-related matters. The main priority this year will therefore be the establishment and operationalisation of the revised CF under the EUAA.
Until the new Forum with revised governance structure is in place, the Agency will continue to organise and implement various CF meetings and activities, including workshops, information webinars and consultations.
The visual below provides a tentative overview of the planned CF meetings and activities for 2022 in each quarter:
In addition, CF members will of course continue to be consulted on other key Agency documents when relevant.
We invite you to watch this space for more information on upcoming Consultative Forum events.