COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT Best practices on the implementation of the hotspot approach Accompanying the document REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE EUROPEAN COUNCIL AND THE COUNCIL Progress report on the European Agenda on Migration
Date: 2017-11-15
Institutions: European Commission, Secretariat-General
Subjects: aid to refugees, external border of the EU, migrant, migration policy, refugee, return migration, right of asylum, third country, trafficking in human beings, transfer of population

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 15.11.2017 SWD(2017) 372 final  COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT Best practices on the implementation of the hotspot approach Accompanying the document REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE EUROPEAN COUNCIL AND THE COUNCIL Progress report on the European Agenda on Migration {COM(2017) 669 final}  
 
 
BEST PRACTICES ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE HOTSPOT APPROACH 

The hotspot approach is a cornerstone of the broad range of measures set out by the Commission 
more than two years ago in the European Agenda on Migration of 13 May 20151 in response to the 
unprecedented  migration  challenges  in  the  Mediterranean.  The  Commission's  Communication  on 
the  Delivery  of  the  European  Agenda  on  Migration2  of  27  September  2017,  underlined  that  the 
hotspot approach is a tangible operational achievement and a concrete example of the principles of 
solidarity and responsibility in responding to the pressure faced by Greece and Italy. Moreover, the 
hotspot  approach  has  been  constantly  adapted  to  the  evolving  migration  situation  and  policy 
contexts  in  Greece  and Italy  and  also  incorporated  in  the  new  European  Border  and  Coast  Guard 
Regulation3. 

In  its  Communication  of  27  September  2017,  the  Commission  announced  that  it  will  develop 
technical guidance, including a template for standard operating procedures, on the implementation 
of the hotspot approach in case of disproportionate migratory pressure at the external border of any 
Member  State.  Based  on  the  lessons  learned  and  best  practices  gained  in  the  implementation  of 
hotspots  in  Greece  and  Italy  as  well  as  various  reports,  most  notably  the  European  Court  of 
Auditor's  Special  Report  of  28  April  2017  which  contains  a  number  of  recommendations  how  to 
improve the functioning of hotspots, the Commission has identified the best practices set out below. 
These aim at facilitating, in future cases of Member States facing extraordinary migratory pressure, 
the  effective  and  sustainable  preparation  and  operation  of  hotspots  and  the  distribution  of 
responsibilities among stakeholders. 

The purpose of these best practices is to set out the key principles for ensuring that, in future cases, 
hotspots are functioning effectively and that Member States hosting hotspots have clear guidance on 
what they should do, once the hotspot approach has been activated in accordance with Article 18 of 
the  EBCG  Regulation4  which  contains  provisions  on  the  EU  operational  cooperation  in  hotspot 
areas.  

These  best  practices  should  be  applied  to  the  extent  possible  also  to  locations  at  the  land  or  sea 
border  where  temporary  so-called  mobile  hotspots  (established  on  an  exceptional  basis  due  to  a 
specific need/geographical location) or sites functioning like hotspots are being established. 

1. Swift adoption of a Roadmap and Hotspot Standard Operating Procedures  

Without prejudice to the procedure set out in Article 18 of the EBCG Regulation5, once the setting 
up  of  hotspots  has  been  agreed,  the  following  preparatory  actions  should  be  undertaken  without 
delay to enable a swift launch of operations:  

  The  host  Member  State  should  submit  to  the  Commission  a  roadmap  including  the  sites 
identified  to  accommodate  hotspots  as  well  as  clear  information  on  the  resources  that  this 
host Member State will allocate.  

  Based on the template elaborated by the Commission6, the host Member State should draft, 
together  and  in  agreement  with  the  Commission,  relevant  EU  Agencies  and  International 

1 COM(2015) 240 final.   
2 COM(2017) 558 final. 
3 Regulation (EU) 2016/1624 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 September 2016 on the European Border and Coast Guard and 
amending Regulation (EU) 2016/399 of the European Parliament and of the Council and repealing Regulation (EC) No 863/2007 of  the European 
Parliament and of the Council, Council Regulation (EC) No 2007/2004 and Council Decision 2005/267/EC (OJ L 251, 16.9.2016, p. 1). 
4 OJ L 251/1 of 16.9.2016. 
5 OJ L 251/1 of 16.9.2016. 
6 See Annex 1. 

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Organisations  (to  the  extent  of  the  requested  involvement),  Hotspot  Standard  Operating 
Procedures (H-SOPs) specifying the workflows to be applied in the hotspots. They should 
be  adopted  by  the  host  Member  State  as  early  as  possible  prior  to  the  start  of  hotspot 
operations and take the form of a legal act, governmental or ministerial decision or circular, 
depending on the host Member State's constitutional requirements. 

2. A clear attribution of tasks among all stakeholders 

Due  to  its  integrated  character,  the  efficiency  of  the  hotspot  approach  depends  on  a  clear 
distribution  of  tasks  and  responsibilities  among  stakeholders.  At  central  level,  the  host  Member 
State should appoint one single body with the powers to overlook all aspects of hotspots operations. 
At local level, a person responsible for overlooking the concrete hotspot area and of the operations 
therein  should  be  appointed  at  the  latest  when  the  roadmap  is  submitted.  The  Commission,  EU 
agencies, and relevant International Organisations should equally appoint each a contact person.  

The host Member State should grant the Commission and the relevant EU agencies staff permanent 
access  to  the  hotspots,  including  to  planned  sites  during  the  establishment  phase.  Moreover,  as 
security and safety of staff and migrants in the hotspot areas fall under the sole responsibility of the 
host  Member  State,  the  latter  should  take  the  necessary  preventive  measures  to  guarantee  safety, 
security  and  public  order  in  the  hotspots,  including  the  control  of  entries/exits,  evacuation  and 
security plans. Police forces present in the hotspots should be closely involved in local coordination.  

  Single body overlooking the management and operations of hotspots (central level); 
  Single person responsible for the coordination of operations in each hotspot (local level); 
  Permanent access of Commission and relevant EU agencies' staff to the hotspots; 
  Preventive measures to guarantee safety, security and public order in the hotspots; 
  Security and evacuation plans in all hotspots. 

3. Efficient coordination 

According  to  Article  18(3)  of  the  EBCG  Regulation7,"the  Commission  shall,  in  cooperation  with 
the host Member State and the relevant agencies, establish the terms of cooperation at the hotspot 
area and be responsible for the coordination of the activities of the migration management support 
teams". 

To  ensure  the  necessary  operational  coordination  between  the  different  stakeholders  and  relevant 
EU Agencies at central/regional level, a coordination structure, similar to the existing EU Regional 
Task Forces (EURTF) in Greece (Piraeus) and Italy (Catania), should be established in any Member 
State where hotspot areas are to be established. Based on its mandate, such coordination structure 
should adopt its own rules of procedure.  

Regular and systematic coordination is also essential at local hotspot level. The host Member State 
should,  together  with  the  Commission,  draw  up  a  multiannual  financial  contingency  planning  if 
needed.  

  Coordination task force with a clear mandate;  
  Multiannual financial and contingency planning. 

4. Up to standards hotspot infrastructures 

7 Regulation (EU) 2016/16247 of 14 September 2016. 

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The EU legal framework provides for specific reception standards based on the legal status of the 
migrant, especially as regards asylum seekers (Reception Conditions Directive). Equally important 
is the full respect of fundamental rights, principles and standards with regard to the operations and 
performance of tasks in the hotspots. Infrastructures should also be adapted to the specific needs of 
vulnerable  persons  by  containing  safe  and  separated  areas,  in  particular  for  families  and 
(unaccompanied) minors. 

  Sufficient and up to EU standards reception capacity, in particular for families and minors; 
  Reception facilities adapted to the specific need of vulnerable migrants; 
  Clear set of rules on access of migrants to the hotspot. 

5. Sufficient deployment of experts from other Member States 

Member States' experts should be deployed in sufficient numbers, with the adequate profiles and for 
sufficiently  long  periods  to  ensure  their  efficient  use  in  hotspot  operations.  A  minimum  gender 
balance,  among  the  deployed  experts  should  also  be  foreseen,  in  particular  to  deal  with  certain 
vulnerable  groups,  such  as  victims  of  gender-based  violence.  Prior  to  their  deployment,  experts 
should be trained to the specificities of the work in hotspots, including the inter-agencies dimension.  

Cultural mediators and interpreters are instrumental for Member States' experts to perform their 
migration  management  and  law  enforcement  tasks.  To  limit  the  negative  impact  of  possible 
shortages, their pooling and cross-use by the different stakeholders operating in the hotspots should 
be considered to optimise the ability to meet needs; the pool could be managed by the single hotspot 
coordinator. This is particularly important for the first and second line security checks which may 
be negatively impacted by a strict separation between interpreters used as part of the asylum process 
and the law enforcement interpreters’ pool. 

  Member  States'  experts  to  be  trained,  to  have  the  necessary  profiles  and  to  be  deployed  for 

sufficiently long periods; 

  Common pool of interpreters and cultural mediators for all actors operating in the hotspots, as 

far as possible. 

6. Comprehensive and effective processing of incoming migrants 

The  processing  of  incoming  migrants  should  take  place  at  the  earliest  stage  possible.  The  first 
medical  assessment  and  reception  should  be  possible  on  a  24/7  basis.  Hotspots  should  be  fully 
integrated  into  national  health  systems  to  facilitate  referrals.  An  IT-based  migrant  health  record, 
based on the Personal Health Record (developed by the Commission) should be filled in already in 
the  hotspot.  Initial  physical  security  through  body  and  luggage  checks,  including  personal 
belongings should be one of the first measures taken in the hotspot area, unless already performed 
following rescue operations. Moreover, an effective software and network capacity for large scale 
registration activity and a sufficient number of fingerprinting devices and staff to operate them are 
essential to ensure a swift registration process, at the end of which migrants should be identified and 
registered  as  well  as  provided  with  a  document  specifying  their  presumed  or  confirmed  identity, 
status  and  possible  vulnerabilities.  Screening  activities  as  well  as  age  and  vulnerability 
assessment should be done by trained personnel on the basis of standard procedures and templates. 
Unaccompanied  minors  should  be  appointed  a  guardian  and  adequately  accommodated  without 
delay.  

Considering  the  foreseen  capacity  of  the  hotspots  to  be  created,  the  expected  processing  capacity 
and the national capacity to be deployed, the Host Member State should identify the support needed 
by EU Agencies in terms of human resources and technical equipment. In particular, the sufficient 

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number  of  fingerprinting  devices  should  also  include  the  need  to  have  access  to  relevant  EU 
systems (and Interpol) for searching and identifying and a sufficiently stable IT-backbone in order 
to enable fast and stable checks in the databases. 

Hotspots should have adequate structures for confidential interviews for screening and  debriefing 
activities  which  are  key  to  gather  information  on  migratory  routes,  smuggling  networks  or/and 
security aspects. Europol and EBCGA deployed Member States' experts should be closely involved 
in  the  first-  and  second-line  security  checks  performed  by  national  authorities.  Local  judicial 
authorities should be reinforced to cope with increased cooperation needs from hotspots. 

The channelling of migrants has to take place after migrants have been informed about their rights 
and  duties  in  accordance  with  the  EU  migration  acquis.  Additional  provision  of  information 
techniques, such as repeated audio messages, videos, testimonies, information kiosks or posters in 
strategic locations, small group sessions or social media, should be used.  

  Use of the relevant elements of the Personal Health Record; 
  Comprehensive capacity to fully identify and register the arrived migrants; 
  Standard procedures and templates for the follow up of vulnerable cases; 
 
  Adequate structures for confidential interviews for screening and debriefing activities; 
  Close involvement of Member State experts in first and second-line security checks, including 

Immediate availability of Child protection officers and guardians for unaccompanied minors; 

databases; 

  Targeted and timely provision of information;  
  Systematic transmission of information from hotspots to follow up structures. 

7.  A  closer  nexus  between  the  initial  steps  of  the  hotspots  approach  and  the  asylum/return 
procedures  

In  order  to  increase  the  effectiveness  and  efficiency  of  the  asylum  and  return  procedures,  it  is 
advisable to establish, within the existing national legislative framework, a closer nexus between 
the initial steps of the hotspots approach and the asylum and return procedures which should 
follow these initial steps in order to expedite processes and ensure efficiency gains. In this way, the 
asylum  and  return  procedures  which  should  follow  the  initial  identification,  registration  and 
fingerprinting  of  the  persons  concerned  can  be  carried  out  in  the  most  effective  manner.  The 
experience with the implementation of the hotspots approach in Greece has also showed the added 
value of initiating the asylum and return procedures and, when appropriate, finalising them, in the 
hotspots.  In  this  framework,  the  role  of  EU  Agencies  should  be  scaled  up  in  the  preparation  and 
implementation  of asylum and return decisions. In particular, the support of EASO  experts to the 
asylum procedures should be envisaged at all stages. 

As  concerns  applications  for  international  protection,  the  host  Member  State  should  use  all 
possibilities within the existing national legal framework and the EU acquis to expedite procedures 
and  to  quickly  decide  on  applications,  notably  by  prioritising  e.g.  inadmissible  or  manifestly 
unfounded cases. 

With  regard  to  duly  informed  migrants  who  did  not  apply  for  international  protection  or  whose 
application  was  rejected,  return  procedures  could  be  initiated  directly  from  the  hotspots.  Local 
particularities as well as legal and logistical aspects specific to each Member State should be taken 
into  account.  Wherever  possible,  the  return  decision  should  be  taken  already  in  the  hotspots  and 
enforced with the support of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency. To this end, the overall 
detention  capacity  of  the  host  Member  State  should  be  sufficient  to  adequately  support  removal 
operations. The presence of third-countries Liaison Officers has also proven to be an effective tool 
to help formally identifying migrants and carrying swiftly the necessary consular work in view of 

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issuing the necessary travel documents. Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration opportunities 
(AVRR) should also be part of this procedure. 

  Establish a close nexus between the initial steps of the hotspots approach and the asylum and 
return procedures which should follow these initial steps, in order to expedite processes and 
ensure efficiency gains, within the existing national legislative framework; 

  Scale up the use of EU Agencies and experts at all stages of asylum and return procedures. 

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ANNEX 1:  

TEMPLATE FOR HOTSPOT STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES (H-SOPS) 8 

I. Introduction 

1. Purpose of the Hotspot Standard Operating Procedures (H-SOPs) 
2. Introduction to the Hotspot Approach 
3. Actors 

- National Authorities 
- EU Institutions/Agencies 
- International Stakeholders 
- Other Actors 

II. Structure of Hotspot SOPs910 

1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

` 

Border control/Search and rescue / interception of migrants *11 

AT DISEMBARKATION SITE (note: might be extremely close to hotspot premises, having 
the effect that some actions listed under 4 are carried out here (i.e. 4.2., 4.8.)* 

TRANSFER TO HOTSPOTS* 

ENTERING THE HOTSPOT PREMISES AND INITIAL PROCESSING 

Initial reception of arriving migrants* 

4.1 
4.2  Personal security checks and checks of personal belongings* 
4.3  First identification/screening* 
4.4  Check against national and European databases, including travel document checks* 
4.5  Photographs and fingerprinting* 
4.6  Debriefing procedures* 
4.7 

Information provision on current legislation on migration and international protection 
procedures as well as on assisted voluntary return and reintegration* 

4.8  Medical assessment / first medical assistance, including psychosocial assistance* 
4.9  Vulnerability identification and assurance of appropriate follow-up via a uniform referral 

system* 
a) identification of UAMs 
b) identification of victims in trafficking of human beings 
c) identification of other categories (shipwreck victims, single women, victims of 
violence etc.) 

4.10  Completion of registration and reception and identification procedures and referrals* 
4.11  Launch of the appropriate follow-up procedure 12 

a) for those migrants not expressing any intention to apply for international protection, 
individuals with a criminal background known to the authorities, persons with entry 
bans, etc: return procedure 
b) for those migrants expressing the intention to apply for international protection: 
formalise asylum request 
c) launch of voluntary relocation procedure (when applicable) 

5. 

STAYING AT THE HOTSPOT  

5.1  Residency status* 
5.2  Assignation to dormitories – matters of residency – accommodation - catering 

8 The H-SOP template is intended for the functioning and organisation of future hotspots in Member States. 
9  Each  of  the  5  sections  and  subsections  under  part  II  should  be  further  broken  down  into  "overview",  "actors  involved"  and  "procedural  steps  to 
follow". 
10 A workflow chart providing a summary overview on the different stages of the processing of incoming migrants under the H-SOPs should be 
annexed. 
11 Due to the existence of different modules in the hotspot approach, phases marked with an * should be considered mandatory.  
12 Only applicable in cases when it is foreseen by the relevant national legislation 

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5.3  Provision of services* 
5.4  Rights of Third-country nationals* 
5.5  Obligations of Third-country nationals* 
5.6  Departure from the Hotspot* 

7