![SAR support and Relocation](/sites/default/files/styles/full_width_column/public/2021-12/211019IT-SicilyAugustaP1044178-72ppi.jpg?itok=U7TkpKa1)
The international law of the sea stipulates a clear duty to render assistance in case of vessels or persons in distress at sea and proceed with all possible speed to the rescue of persons in distress.
EU Regulation 656/2014, which establishes rules on Search and Rescue (SAR) operations and disembarkation provides a common EU concept of ‘place of safety’ which is protection-driven.
Since the summer of 2018, a number of cases of disembarkations following SAR operations at sea have been addressed through ad hoc disembarkation and voluntary relocation arrangements.
The number of SAR events in the Mediterranean in 2019 underlined the need for a more systematic and coordinated EU approach on first reception, registration and relocation of migrants and refugees rescued at sea.
During the Ministerial Meeting on Migration held in Malta in September 2019, a Joint Declaration of Intent was concluded by France, Germany, Italy and Malta for a structured, temporary emergency procedure to manage ad hoc disembarkations and relocation arrangements.
Since January 2019, the Agency provides support for voluntary relocation programmes to the concerned national authorities as well participating Member States, following disembarkations from SAR events in Malta and Italy, under the coordination of the European Commission and in pursuance of Standard Operating Procedures agreed by participating Member States.
![Relocation](/sites/default/files/styles/full_width_column/public/2021-12/relocation.jpg?itok=j4vrdds_)
![activities with children](/sites/default/files/styles/full_width_column/public/2021-12/relocation_activities.jpg?itok=4nqiaGg7)
The Agency has been mobilised to provide support to Member States authorities in the implementation of voluntary relocation arrangements, in the areas of first reception, provision of information on international protection procedure, asylum registrations for international protection and pre-relocation matching procedures as per agreed criteria with the national authorities and the European Commission.
The Agency has also been assisting Greek authorities and participating Member States in the relocation of UAM (Unaccompanied Minors) of UAM and other eligible relocation beneficiaries from Greece, under a dedicated project funded by the European Commission.
Following the Solidarity Declaration (First step in the gradual implementation of the European Pact on Migration and Asylum: modus operandi of a voluntary solidarity mechanism) on 22 June 2022 the Voluntary Solidarity Mechanism (VSM) was established to address disproportionate pressure faced by Mediterranean Member States, with regards to migratory flows.
The Voluntary Solidarity Mechanism foresees several instruments for the participating States (21 Member or Associated States) to express solidarity, including the relocation of asylum seekers or alternatively the provision of financial contribution to benefiting Member States.
The Declaration refers to Member States confronted with disembarkations after SAR operations in the Med and Western Atlantic route and to Cyprus situation and possible evolutions on Greek islands (MED5 countries: Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Malta, and Spain), involving persons in need of international protection with priority for vulnerable persons.
In the framework of the relocation, EUAA support includes the identification of candidates, information provision and relocation interviews, matching eligible candidates with the most appropriate State, as well as sharing lists of proposed candidates with the States pledging to receive the applicants. The Agency is also helping to implement harmonised procedures and tools at the various stages of the workflow. In this context, the EUAA launched a data sharing platform to facilitate the exchange of information, including lists of candidates and personal data, between all stakeholders