Civil society organisations play an important role in the debate on and implementation of asylum policy. Their specific expertise and knowledge is synergetic and is often of added-value to the Agency’s work. The EUAA is committed to maintaining a close dialogue with relevant civil society organisations and competent bodies active in the field of asylum and reception.
The Consultative Forum
The Consultative Forum is the Agency’s main channel for cooperation with civil society. Cooperation between the Agency and civil society is defined in Article 50 of the EUAA Regulation, which calls upon the Agency to maintain a close dialogue with relevant civil society organisations and competent bodies and to set up a Consultative Forum to that purpose as mechanism for the exchange of information and the sharing of knowledge.
The Consultative Forum was initially established in 2011 as part of the European Asylum Support Office and has subsequently been re-constituted under the EUAA in a revised format and with a reinforced mandate.
Management Board Decision No 111 establishes the Consultative Forum under the EUAA and sets out the rules regarding its composition and conditions for transmitting information thereto. The Management Board Decision will, in due time, be complemented by the working methods, which are to be established by the Consultative Forum itself.
Who can become a member of the EUAA Consultative Forum?
In accordance with the EUAA Regulation and the MB Decision, the Consultative Forum is open for participation by relevant civil society organisations and competent bodies operating in the field of asylum policy at local, regional, national, Union or international level – provided they meet the conditions as set out in Annex 1 of MB Decision No 111.
Following an open call for expressions of interest, the below organisations are currently members of the EUAA Consultative Forum. The Fundamental Rights Agency, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, and UNHCR are also members of the Consultative Forum, having accepted the invitation, in accordance with the EUAA Regulation and the MB Decision.
How to become a member of the EUAA Consultative Forum?
The call for expressions of interest from relevant civil society organisations and bodies to become members of the EUAA Consultative Forum remains open indefinitely. Should you be interested to join the Consultative Forum, here is what you should do:
- Complete the online expression of interest form
- Sign and submit via e-mail the:
- confidentiality agreement;
- declaration of interest (organisations and bodies)
- declaration of interest (personal capacity)
To be noted that the expression of interest to become member to the EUAA Consultative Forum is not complete until you have submitted your online application and e-mailed all three signed forms to consultative-forum@euaa.europa.eu
Contact
For any queries, please contact: consultative-forum@euaa.europa.eu
Previous CF activities in 2022
Tabs with consultations and CF activities (the ones which are already there)
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 |
|
| Call for feedback on the preliminary 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.