ANNEX

This Annex spells out the principles, the main actors of the Migration Preparedness and Crisis Blueprint and describes in detail its functioning in the two stages.

1. PRINCIPLES AND ACTORS FOR THE TWO STAGES

Principles

In identifying the necessary measures and assigning responsibilities to the respective actors, the Migration Preparedness and Crisis Blueprint should operate on the basis of the following principles:

(i) Anticipation: the migratory situation should be regularly monitored and decisions should be taken on the basis of a full and coordinated situational picture primarily with a view to prevention.

(ii) Coordination: the response to the crisis should make use of measures from all relevant internal and external policy areas and by all involved actors under a coordinated and comprehensive approach.

(iii) Timely reaction: measures should be undertaken as soon as they are needed, in order to prevent the situation from escalating.

(iv) Flexible resources allocation: resources should be mobilised quickly by making full use of the flexibility by the relevant actors as allowed under different funding instruments.

(v) Solidarity and fair sharing of responsibility as stipulated in Article 5 of the proposal for a Regulation on Asylum and Migration Management.

Actors

The actors involved in the implementation of the two stages of the Migration Preparedness and Crisis Blueprint are the following:

— Member States including their liaison officers,

— Council,

— European Commission, including the staff posted in the field and in the EU Delegations as well as the European Migration Liaison Officers (EMLOs),

— European External Action Service including the EU Delegations, relevant Common Security and Defence Policy missions and operations,

— EU Agencies (EASO, Frontex, Europol, eu-LISA and FRA) including their liaison officers.

2. MONITORING AND PREPARDNESS STAGE (STAGE 1)

(a) Objective

The objective of the Migration Preparedness and Crisis Blueprint in its monitoring and preparedness stage is to support a more coordinated use of the existing legislation by reinforcing and sharing common situational awareness between all actors involved, developing an early warning/forecasting system at EU level and supporting the development of the necessary resilience in Member States to efficiently deal with any type of migration crisis.

The first stage of the mechanism aims to achieve the following core objectives:

— Sharing situational awareness and early warning/forecasting. A timely and sufficiently comprehensive understanding of events and new trends by all relevant stakeholders should allow to monitor the situation and to be well prepared for a coordinated response when needed. New emerging problematic and critical situations should be anticipated in a timely manner. All actors should feed information and evidence into an early warning/forecasting system to be developed at EU level. Efforts towards the development of such a system should be coordinated by the Commission while building on the currently available and possible future instruments.

— Supporting the development of resilience. A joint understanding of the situation, its drivers and the forecast should support Member States to focus their efforts for building up their capacities in case a new migration crisis arises.

(b) Governance

The Commission, where necessary in cooperation with EEAS, should play a leading role in the monitoring and preparedness stage using all its assets including European Migration Liaison Officers, the Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) and available funds in accordance with their respective mandates, objectives and procedures. The Commission should chair the Network and provide the secretariat thereof, collect the information and provide the necessary reports and monitor the implementation of the measures to be undertaken by any actor.

The Member States, EU Agencies and other actors should support the Commission in the above role, in particular by providing timely and accurate information, analysis and forecasts as well as assessment of their preparedness and contingency planning.

The necessary discussions at technical, strategic and if necessary political level requiring measures in Member States should be undertaken in the relevant Council preparatory bodies on the basis of the findings of the Commission reports issued under this stage of the Migration Preparedness and Crisis Blueprint.

In situations where the Council decides to issue operational conclusions and recommendations, the Network should support their implementation by exchanging the relevant information.

(c) Workflow

Sharing situational awareness and early warning/forecasting

The Commission should convene regular, at least quarterly, meetings or videoconferences of the Network. The frequency of such contacts should depend on the severity of the migratory situation as well as the issues identified through migration and contingency monitoring.

Where relevant and feasible, representatives of the main third countries of origin, transit and/or destination as well as representatives of key international partners and stakeholders should be invited on an ad hoc basis to discussions of the Network focused on a particular migratory route with the aim of timely and regular information exchange on the migratory flows, smuggling activities and any other factors (including geopolitical, health, environmental, climatic, demographic or any other socio-economic factors) impacting asylum, migration or border management of the EU. The modalities of this contribution should be developed in consultation with the countries in question through the respective EU Delegations, in close coordination with the EEAS.

Preparedness should be a key component of the migration dialogues with third countries, in particular in the EU’s neighbourhood, and should aim at establishing communication channels and identifying local actors, to be used and contacted in case of a crisis.

Where possible, the Commission in cooperation with the EEAS should set up on an ad hoc basis dedicated videoconferences per migratory route with the main third countries of origin, transit and/or destination, and reinforce the similar videoconferences currently held. Those videoconferences should involve all other stakeholders, which are affected or have a clear interest in the migratory movements across a given migratory route. The structure of the videoconference should encourage substantial discussions in close cooperation with the EU Delegations for the benefit of all participants.

All Points of Contact of the Network should provide information in order to help establish the necessary situational picture. The sharing of situational awareness includes data on migratory flows, information on reception, asylum and border management systems, relevant national developments in the field of migration in Member States and third countries, early warning/forecasting notifications, as well as cooperation actions with third countries. All Points of Contact should share challenges, shortcomings and response actions on the ground in the interest of a common situational picture at EU level. The exact functioning of the network should be detailed in Standard Operating Procedures.

The Network should make full use of the available communication channels and platforms including, where possible, the IPCR platform with its dedicated functionalities. If the available tools are not sufficient, the Commission will consider improving its existing platforms or setting up a dedicated secured web-based platform ensuring the swift exchange of information within the Network.

Based on these contributions, the Commission should issue situational reports – a Migration Situational Awareness and Analysis (MISAA) report with a frequency that should be decided by the Network during the monitoring and preparedness stage. The MISAA report should build upon the template and methodology of the Integrated Situational Awareness and Analysis (ISAA) report currently issued and developed during the IPCR activation for the 2015 refugee crisis and it will replace the ISAA report if the said IPCR is deactivated by the Presidency. Where possible, the actors should also share the information received from non-EU sources including third countries and international partners. The MISAA report should identify trends and possibly contain early warning/forecasts of flows allowing for the alerting of all actors and for their corrective measures. The MISAA report should be shared exclusively with the actors via the IPCR platform in full compliance with the rules for the access to this platform, with the respective involvement of the Emergency Response Coordination Centre.

Member States should discuss the necessary measures to be taken and conclusions as identified in the MISAA report. Member States should carry out discussions at technical, strategical and if necessary political level in the respective Council preparatory bodies or Council meetings. The Council may issue operational conclusions and recommendations, which should be followed up by the relevant actors with the support of the Network.

Supporting the development of resilience

Building on the migration management reports and national strategies as foreseen by Article 6(4) and (6) of the proposal for a Regulation on Asylum and Migration Management and in order to enhance the resilience of the overall EU migration management, a migration contingency cycle should be set up.

In line with Article 6(3) of the proposal for a Regulation on Asylum and Migration Management, Member States shall have national strategies in place to ensure sufficient capacity in place for the effective asylum and migration management which shall include information on how Member States are implementing the principles set out in the said Regulation and legal obligations stemming therefrom at national level. Those strategies shall include contingency planning at national level, while taking into account the contingency planning pursuant to relevant legislation including Articles 8(6) and 9(3), (5) and (6) of Regulation (EU) 2019/1896 (European Border and Coast Guard Agency) and the implementation of the European integrated border management as laid down by that Regulation.

EU Agencies should report to the Commission on their capacities and contingency plans, as well as with any other reports that may be used by the Commission in this context.

The EEAS should contribute on the external aspects of migration and its cooperation actions with third countries of origin, transit and/or destination.

Third countries should be given the possibility to share their own migration strategies and contingency plans with the Commission or with the Network on a voluntary basis.

On the basis of the above information and in accordance with Article 6(4) of the proposal for a Regulation on Asylum and Migration Management, the Commission will annually present a Migration Management Report setting out the likely evolution of the migratory situation and the preparedness of the Union and the Member States.

Member States should discuss the findings of the annual migration management reports produced by the Commission in the appropriate fora.

The Commission with the support of the other actors in the Network should provide a framework for monitoring the follow up to the findings of the annual migration management reports and should report on the progress achieved and the state of play in the following yearly cycle reporting.

3. MIGRATION CRISIS MANAGEMENT STAGE (STAGE 2)

(a) Objective

The objective of the Migration Preparedness and Crisis Blueprint in its crisis management stage is to support a rapid, efficient and coordinated EU response to a migration crisis by providing timely and up-to-date information to the EU decision-makers on the unfolding operational situation as well as by supporting monitoring, coordination on the ground, and communication at technical level between all actors.

(b) Governance

In the Crisis Management stage of the Migration Preparedness and Crisis Blueprint, and as long as the general EU crisis mechanisms (the Union Civil Protection Mechanism, Integrated Political Crisis Response, ARGUS and Crisis Response Mechanism) are not activated, the Migration Preparedness and Crisis Blueprint uses its framework including the Network and reporting mechanism in order to pursue its objective.

Once the general EU crisis mechanisms are activated in line with their respective procedures and objectives, the role of overall crisis management including the necessary coordination among them should be ensured.

During the activation of Stage 2, the activities of Stage 1 continue and are intensified.

The Network, as activated and chaired by the Commission, should support the work of the general EU crisis mechanisms. The support should in particular focus on providing the situational awareness necessary for discussions and decisions within those mechanisms and by following up their implementation by the relevant actors. To this aim, the Network should meet regularly via videoconference and discuss all operational aspects of decisions taken within the general EU crisis mechanisms and report back to them.

Member States crisis management centres if activated should ensure the adequate connection to the general EU crisis mechanisms, including the UCPM and its ERCC, as well as support the activity of their respective Point of Contact in the Network in line with the guidelines referred to in Recommendation 5.

Where necessary and in complementarity to the meetings held in the Council under IPCR rules, further discussions could be undertaken in the relevant Council preparatory bodies or in the Council on the basis of the findings of the Commission’s situation reports.

Each actor should take the necessary measures including those listed in the toolbox under letter (d) below.

(c) Workflow

1. The crisis management stage of the Migration Preparedness and Crisis Blueprint can be triggered by the Commission in agreement with a Member State confronted with a migration crisis situation, as referred to in Recommendation 4.

2. The Point of Contact of the Commission should inform the other Points of Contact in the Network (EU Presidency, Member States, Council, EEAS, EU agencies) of the decision to activate the Migration Preparedness and Crisis Blueprint in its crisis management stage.

3. The Commission will immediately fully activate the Network in 24/7 mode and will convene an urgent meeting/videoconference of the Network in order to address at technical level the below points: (a) Exchange information on the situation; (b) Analyse options for a rapid, efficient and effective response; (c) Coordinate messages for public communication in coherence with the existing structures. (d) Coordinate the support on the ground.

4. The affected Member State should activate its own contingency measures and make an initial assessment of needs that should be shared immediately with the Commission and the other members of the Network. This initial assessment should contain the following information: (a) The situation on the ground, the main driving factors and the forecast including possible consequences; (b) The current material, operational and financial capacities; (c) Implementation of the contingency measures; (d) The material, operational and financial needs to be provided by the relevant actors including other Member States or EU agencies.

5. On the basis of the information gathered via the Network, the Commission should inform the Network providing in particular: (a) Situation overview including forecast and possible consequences; where possible, information from and on relevant third countries should be included. (b) Current capacities of the Member States and the third countries of origin, transit and/or destination affected by the crisis and current capacities of the EU and of other Member States to address the crisis; (c) Current level of EU and Member States’ assistance; (d) Assessment of the gaps and needs; (e) Possible action at EU institutions’, EU bodies’, EU agencies’ and Member States’ level out of the toolbox provided below. When a Member State submitted a motivated request under Articles 2(1) or 6(1) of the proposal for a Regulation addressing situations of crisis and force majeure in the field of migration and asylum, the information gathered via the Network may support the Commission’s analysis and actions as foreseen by Articles 2 and 6 of that proposal. When the Commission undertakes the assessment of a migratory situation in a Member State under Article 47 of the proposal for a Regulation on Asylum and Migration Management, the information gathered via the Network may support the Commission’s report on migratory pressure as foreseen by Article 48 of that proposal. As regards civil protection assistance, the coordination between Member States should be ensured through the Emergency Response Coordination Centre.

6. The Presidency of the Council could consider the necessity of convening an extraordinary Council meeting .

7. The Network will plug into the work of the general EU crisis management systems after their activation by providing situational awareness and by exchanging the information necessary to monitor at a technical level the implementation of the necessary actions as agreed in the framework of those systems.

8. Coordination in the Member States should be ensured in the relevant national crisis management mechanisms dealing with migration, with the involvement of all relevant national actors, in full consistency and coherence with the implementation of the Migration Preparedness and Crisis Blueprint, under the overall coordinating role of IPCR.

9. In case the Union Civil Protection Mechanism is activated, the Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) of the Commission should ensure support to the rapid deployment of emergency support to requesting Member States and act as a coordination hub for civil protection assistance between all EU Member States and participating States. A 24/7 connection should be established between relevant Commission Services.

10. Where relevant and possible, an enhanced monitoring mechanism in third countries should be set up with the deployment or activation of liaison officers from all actors in the main third countries of transit, origin and/or destination.

11. Other sectoral crisis mechanisms and tools should be activated depending on the needs as listed in the toolbox below.

12. The Network should be fully activated 24/7 throughout the crisis.

13. If the IPCR is activated, the regular migration monitoring will be ensured by ISAA reports , which will replace the MISAA reports for the length of the activation period. If IPCR is not activated, the MISAA reports issued by the Commission under the first stage of the Migration Preparedness and Crisis Blueprint will be continued on the basis of the relevant actors’ inputs gathered via the Network.

14. The MISAA/ISAA reports issued by the Commission under this stage of the Migration Preparedness and Crisis Blueprint should be discussed in the relevant Council preparatory bodies or Council.

15. The crisis management stage of the Migration Preparedness and Crisis Blueprint may be deactivated by the Commission at the request of [a] Member State[s] or on its own initiative once the situation that triggered the crisis is no longer present or once it is considered under control.

16. The Commission, together with the Council, EEAS and the EU agencies should organise tailored training on procedures and tools used in migration crisis situations in order to enhance the knowledge and readiness of all relevant staff.

17. All actors should regularly exercise their response to migration crises at national and European level and, when necessary, revise the current Migration Preparedness and Crisis Blueprint on the basis of lessons learnt.

(d) Toolbox

The following measures constitute the toolbox to respond to a migration crisis in accordance with the relevant legislation.

Measures in countries of origin, transit and/or destination

— In addition to the on-going cooperation with third partners, the Commission coordinates, in cooperation with the EEAS, EU Delegations and Member States, with the main third countries of origin, transit and/or destination with a special attention to EU neighbouring countries, to support them to further improve their reception capacities and better manage migration flows, in particular protecting the borders and fighting against migrant smuggling, and enhance return cooperation,

— The Commission, in cooperation with Member States and EEAS, provides for additional safe corridors and resettlement schemes in relevant third countries of origin, transit and/or destination.

— The Commission cooperates with, and ensures synergies between, the main international organisations (notably the UNHCR and IOM) and key NGOs for appropriate complementary deployment of measures in the relevant country of origin, transit and/or destination.

— The Commission reviews and activates, on the basis of the identified needs, the available funding under all relevant (internal and external) funding instruments including their emergency components where applicable in line with their legal frameworks and objectives. Joined-up thinking between instruments is essential to deal with protracted migration pressure.

— In exceptional circumstances, the Commission explores the availability of additional resources to be mobilised on the basis of MFF provisions if the above funding is not sufficient.

— The Commission considers in cooperation with Member States, joint use of funding from the EU and national budgets, pending a decision on their continuation in the future MFF period.

— Where relevant and possible, the Commission, in conjunction with existing Member States’ arrangements, sets up an enhanced monitoring mechanism in third countries while using also the dedicated videoconferences per migratory route if established under the Migration Preparedness and Crisis Blueprint and with the deployment or activation of liaison officers in the main third countries of transit, origin and/or destination.

— Where a status agreement has been concluded between the EU and a third country, Frontex deploys border management teams to support the relevant authorities of that third country in controlling its borders.

— The EEAS activates its Crisis Response Mechanism, upon the occurrence of a serious situation or emergency concerning or involving the external dimension of migration, using the individual elements of the Crisis Response Mechanism, as appropriate: the Crisis Meeting, the Crisis Cell; the Crisis Platform; and the Task Force.

— The EEAS Delegations, in close cooperation with the Commission, fulfil their respective roles before, during and after a crisis, including by providing situational awareness but also in carrying out the diplomatic, political, and operational response of the EU.

— The EEAS mobilises functions of Integrated Approach for Security and Peace Directorate, Civilian Planning and Conduct Capability, Military Planning and Conduct Capability and the Common Security and Defence Policy missions with a view to updating whichever coordinating platform is appropriate as part of the situational awareness and preparedness (resilience) functions.

Measures in Member States at the EU external borders

— National contingency planning/measures on border management, reception and asylum are activated in Member States at the EU external borders.

— Information on the operational situation, gaps and needs at the EU external borders are provided by Member States.

— Upon request of a Member State at the EU external border, the Union Civil Protection Mechanism may be activated to provide the necessary assistance.

— Border surveillance is stepped up so as to extend the coverage to the most affected areas, in cooperation with the Commission and the EU Agencies.

— Frontex support is provided, at the request of Member States, to reinforce existing joint operations or to deploy Frontex rapid border intervention.

— EASO deploys, in coordination with Member States, relevant staff and equipment to assist on reception and asylum.

— Europol deploys, in coordination with Member States, its staff/equipment/liaison officers to perform security checks of arriving migrants.

— Frontex supports return activities in coordination with Member States, by deploying return specialists and by organising and coordinating return operations by charter and scheduled flights including with return escorts and return monitors.

— European Regional Task Forces (EURTF) are established by the Commission in Member States at the EU external borders as a framework to facilitate the exchange of information and to improve coordination among all stakeholders.

— Hotspots and reception centres are established at the points of high pressure staffed by relevant national authorities and supported by the EU Agencies with the necessary migration and security information systems.

— The Commission deploys staff to Member States at the EU external borders to assist in the coordination of the response actions.

— The Commission, in coordination with Member States, agrees on key public crisis communication messages and makes use of the most effective communication tools, including the IPCR platform, to disseminate these messages and fight disinformation.

— The Commission, in cooperation with the Member States, cooperates on a case by case basis with the main international organisations (notably the UNHCR and IOM) and key NGOs for proper complementary deployment of measures in Member States at the EU external borders.

— The Commission makes available the projects on Assisted Voluntary Returns and Reintegration to be used by Member States.

— The Commission reviews and activates, on the basis of Member States’ needs assessment, the available funding under all relevant (internal and external) funding instruments including their emergency components where applicable.

— In exceptional circumstances, the Commission explores the availability of additional resources to be mobilised on the basis of the MFF provisions if the above funding is not sufficient.

— The Commission considers joint use of funding from the EU and national budgets, in cooperation with Member States, pending a decision on their continuation in the future MFF period.

— Assistance to Member States at the EU external borders via equipment, material, staff, deployment of specialised staff and voluntary relocation of migrants as well as contribution of staff to the EU agencies operations may be offered by Member States that are not under pressure.

— Member States not under pressure may contribute financially to any additional financial solutions necessary to implement the emergency measures.

Measures in other Member States under pressure

— National contingency planning/measures on reception and asylum are activated in other Member States under pressure.

— Information on the operational situation, gaps and needs are provided by other Member States under pressure.

— Upon request of a Member State under pressure, the Union Civil Protection Mechanism is activated to provide the necessary assistance.

— European Regional Task Forces (EURTF) are established by the Commission in other Member States under pressure as a framework to facilitate the exchange of information and to improve coordination among all stakeholders.

— Frontex supports return activities in coordination with Member States, by deploying return specialists and by organising and coordinating return operations by charter and scheduled flights including with return escorts and return monitors.

— EASO deploys, in coordination with Member States, relevant staff and equipment to assist on reception and asylum.

— Europol deploys its staff/equipment/liaison officers to perform security checks of arriving migrants.

— The Commission deploys staff to Member States under pressure to assist in the coordination of the response actions.

— The Commission, in coordination with Member States, agrees on key public crisis communication messages and makes use of the most effective communication tools, including the IPCR platform, to disseminate these messages and fight disinformation.

— The Commission, in cooperation with the Member States, cooperates with the main international organisations (notably the UNHCR and IOM) and key NGOs for proper complementary deployment of measures in other Member States under pressure.

— The Commission makes available the projects on Assisted Voluntary Returns and Reintegration to be used by other Member States under pressure.

— The Commission reviews and activates, on the basis of Member States’ needs assessment, the available funding under all relevant (internal and external) funding instruments including their emergency components where applicable.

— In exceptional circumstances, the Commission explores the availability of additional resources to be mobilised on the basis of the MFF provisions if the above funding is not sufficient.

— The Commission considers joint use of funding from the EU and national budgets, in cooperation with Member States, pending a decision on their continuation in the future MFF period.

— Assistance to other Member States under pressure via equipment, material, staff, deployment of specialised staff and voluntary relocation of migrants as well as contribution of staff to the EU agencies operations may be offered by Member States that are not under pressure.

— Member States not under pressure may contribute financially to any additional financial solutions necessary to implement the emergency measures.

FIGURE 1

This diagram presents in visualised way the multilevel construction of the Migration Preparedness and Crisis Blueprint.