European Refugee Fund 2008-2013: funding

In line with the provisions of the Joint Declaration on practical agreements for the new co-decision procedure, representatives of Council, Parliament and the Commission engaged in contacts with a view to concluding an agreement at the stage of the Council's position at first reading.

The Council's Position at first reading reflects the compromise reached in negotiations between the Council and the European Parliament, facilitated by the Commission. On 20 November 2009, Coreper endorsed this compromise by adopting political agreement on the European Refugee Fund Decision and on the European Asylum Support Office Regulation. The Chair of the European Parliament's LIBE Committee has since in a letter to the Chairman of Coreper indicated that if the compromise texts are transmitted to Parliament as Council's positions at first reading, he will recommend to the members of LIBE, and subsequently to the plenary, that Council's positions be accepted without amendments in Parliament's second reading, subject to verification by the lawyer-linguists of both institutions. Once the ERF Decision and the EASO Regulation are adopted, the way will be paved for the early establishment of the European Asylum Support Office which will be of key importance in further enhancing practical cooperation in the field of asylum.