With a view to the progressive establishment of an area of freedom, security and justice, the Treaty provides both for the adoption of measures aimed at ensuring the free movement of persons, in conjunction with accompanying measures relating to external border controls, asylum and immigration, and for the adoption of measures relating to asylum, immigration and the safeguarding of the rights of third-country nationals.

The European Council, at its meeting in Tampere on 15 and 16 October 1999, reaffirmed its resolve to create an area of freedom, security and justice. For that purpose, a common European policy on asylum and migration should aim both at the fair treatment of third-country nationals and the better management of migration flows. A common policy on asylum, including a Common European Asylum System, should be a constituent part of the European Union's objective of progressively establishing an area of freedom, security and justice open to those who, forced by circumstances, legitimately seek protection in the European Union.

This Decision respects fundamental rights and observes the principles as reflected, in particular, in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and the Geneva Convention of 28 July 1951 relating to the Status of Refugees, as supplemented by the New York Protocol of 31 January 1967 (hereinafter referred to as ‘the Geneva Convention’).

With respect to the treatment of persons falling within the scope of this Decision, Member States are bound by their obligations under instruments of international law to which they are party and which prohibit discrimination.

The best interests of the child should be a primary consideration of Member States when implementing this Decision, in compliance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, where applicable.

Implementation of this policy should be based on solidarity between Member States and requires mechanisms to promote a balance of efforts between Member States in receiving and bearing the consequences of receiving refugees and displaced persons. To that end, a European Refugee Fund was established for the period 2000 to 2004 by Council Decision 2000/596/EC. That decision was replaced by Council Decision 2004/904/EC of 2 December 2004 establishing the European Refugee Fund for the period 2005 to 2010. This ensured continued solidarity between Member States in the light of recently adopted Community legislation in the field of asylum, taking account of the experience acquired when implementing the European Refugee Fund for the period 2000 to 2004.

In the Hague Programme of 4 and 5 November 2004, the European Council set a series of objectives and priorities with a view to further developing the Common European Asylum System in its second phase.

In particular, the European Council underlined the need for the European Union to contribute in a spirit of shared responsibility to a more accessible, equitable and effective international protection system and to provide access to protection and durable solutions at the earliest possible stage, and called for the development of EU-Regional Protection Programmes, including a joint resettlement programme for Member States willing to participate in such a programme.

The European Council also called for the establishment of appropriate structures involving the national asylum services of the Member States with a view to facilitating practical and collaborative cooperation, aimed at achieving an EU-wide single procedure, the joint compilation, assessment and application of country of origin information and addressing particular pressures on asylum systems or reception capacities resulting from factors such as geographic location.

A new European Refugee Fund (hereinafter referred to as ‘the Fund’) should be established in the light of the establishment of the European Fund for the integration of legally-resident third-country nationals, the European Fund for the return of illegally-resident third-country nationals and the External Borders Fund for the period 2007 to 2013, as part of the General programme ‘Solidarity and Management of Migration Flows’, in particular with a view to setting out common management, control and evaluation arrangements.

In the light of the scope and the purpose of the Fund, it should not, in any event, support actions with respect to areas and centres for holding persons in third countries.

It is necessary to adapt the duration of the Fund to the duration of the multiannual financial framework as set out in the Interinstitutional Agreement of 17 May 2006 between the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission on budgetary discipline and sound financial management.

This Decision is designed to form part of a coherent framework, which also includes Decision No 574/2007/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 May 2007 establishing the External Borders Fund for the period 2007-2013 as part of the General programme ‘Solidarity and Management of Migration Flows’, Decision No 575/2007/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 May 2007 establishing the European Return Fund for the period 2008-2013 as part of the General programme ‘Solidarity and Management of Migration Flows’, and Council Decision 2007/.../EC of ... establishing the European Fund for the Integration of Third-country Nationals for the period 2007-2013 as part of the General programme ‘Solidarity and Management of Migration Flows’, which aims to address the issue of fairly sharing responsibilities between Member States as concerns the financial burden arising from the introduction of integrated management of the European Union's external borders and from the implementation of common policies on asylum and immigration, as developed in accordance with Title IV of Part Three of the Treaty.

It is appropriate to support and improve the efforts made by Member States to grant appropriate reception conditions to refugees, displaced persons and beneficiaries of subsidiary protection, in accordance with Council Directive 2004/83/EC of 29 April 2004 on minimum standards for the qualification and status of third-country nationals or stateless persons as refugees or as persons who otherwise need international protection and the content of the protection granted, to apply fair and effective asylum procedures and to promote good practice in the field of asylum so as to protect the rights of persons requiring international protection and enable Member States' asylum systems to work efficiently.

The integration of refugees into the society of the country in which they are established is one of the objectives of the Geneva Convention. Such persons must be enabled to share the values set out in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. To this end, there should be support for action by Member States to promote their social, economic and cultural integration in so far as it contributes to economic and social cohesion, the maintenance and strengthening of which is one of the Community's fundamental tasks provided for in Articles 2 and 3(1)(k) of the Treaty.

In the light of the Hague Programme, it is necessary to ensure that the Fund's resources are used in the most efficient way possible to achieve the aims of European Union asylum policy, taking into account the need to support resettlement and practical cooperation between Member States, inter alia as a means of addressing particular pressures on reception capacities and asylum systems.

The Fund should support Member States' efforts relating to the enhancement of their capacity to develop, monitor and evaluate their asylum policies in light of their obligations under Community legislation, in particular with a view to engaging in practical cooperation between Member States.

The Fund should also support the voluntary efforts made by Member States to provide international protection and a durable solution in their territories to refugees and displaced persons identified as eligible for resettlement by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), such as the actions that the Member States implement to assess the resettlement needs and transfer the persons concerned to their territories, with a view to granting them a secure legal status and to promoting their effective integration.

It is in the nature of the Fund that it should be able to provide support to voluntary burden-sharing operations agreed between Member States and consisting of the transfer of beneficiaries of international protection, and of applicants for international protection, from one Member State to another which grants them equivalent protection.

The Fund should also be able to offer adequate support to joint efforts by Member States to identify, share and promote best practices and establish effective cooperation structures in order to enhance the quality of decision-making within the framework of the Common European Asylum System.

A financial reserve should be established for the implementation of emergency measures to provide temporary protection in the event of a mass influx of displaced persons, pursuant to Council Directive 2001/55/EC of 20 July 2001 on minimum standards for giving temporary protection in the event of a mass influx of displaced persons and on measures promoting a balance of efforts between Member States in receiving such persons and bearing the consequences thereof.

It should also be possible to use that financial reserve to support Member States' efforts to address situations of particular pressure which result from sudden arrivals of large numbers of persons who may be in need of international protection and which place significant and urgent demands on Member States' reception facilities or asylum systems. The conditions and the procedure for granting financial assistance in these situations should be laid down.

The support provided by the Fund would be more efficient and better targeted if co-financing of eligible actions were based on a multiannual programme, subject to a mid-term review, and on an annual programme drawn up by each Member State taking into account its situation and needs.

Whilst it is appropriate to award a fixed amount to each Member State, it remains fair to allocate a large part of the available annual resources in proportion to the burden borne by each Member State through its efforts in receiving refugees and displaced persons, including refugees enjoying international protection within the framework of national programmes.

Persons granted international protection and a durable solution through resettlement should be included in the numbers of beneficiaries of international protection taken into account when allocating the available annual resources between Member States.

Taking into account the importance of the strategic use of resettlement from countries or regions designated for the implementation of regional protection programmes, it is necessary to provide additional financial support for the resettlement of persons from the Western Newly Independent Sates and sub-Saharan Africa, which were so designated in the Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on regional protection programmes of 1 September 2005 and the Council Conclusions of 12 October 2005, and from any other countries or regions that are so designated in the future.

It is equally necessary to provide additional financial support to resettlement actions targeted at certain particularly vulnerable categories of persons, where resettlement is determined to be the most appropriate response to their special needs.

In the context of shared management as referred to in Article 53(1)(b) of Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 of 25 June 2002 on the Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget of the European Communities (hereinafter referred to as ‘the Financial Regulation’), the conditions allowing the Commission to exercise its responsibilities for implementation of the general budget of the European Union should be specified and the obligations for the cooperation of the Member States clarified. Applying those conditions would enable the Commission to satisfy itself that Member States are using the Fund in a lawful and correct manner and in accordance with the principle of sound financial management within the meaning of Articles 27 and 48(2) of the Financial Regulation.

Member States should adopt adequate measures to guarantee the proper functioning of the management and control system and the quality of implementation. To this end, it is necessary to establish general principles and necessary functions which all programmes should fulfil.

In accordance with the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality, Member States should have the primary responsibility for the implementation and control of the interventions of the Fund.

The obligations on the Member States as regards management and control systems, the certification of expenditure, and the prevention, detection and correction of irregularities and infringements of Community law should be specified in order to guarantee efficient and correct implementation of their multiannual and annual programmes. In particular, as far as management and control are concerned, it is necessary to establish the arrangements by which Member States ensure that the relevant systems are in place and function satisfactorily.

Without prejudice to the Commission's powers as regards financial control, cooperation between the Member States and the Commission in this field should be encouraged.

The effectiveness and impact of actions supported by the Fund also depend on their evaluation and the dissemination of their results. The responsibilities of the Member States and the Commission in this regard, and arrangements to ensure the reliability of evaluation and the quality of the related information, should be formalised.

Bearing in mind the importance of visibility of Community funding, the Commission should provide guidance facilitating the proper acknowledgement of the support received by any authority, non-governmental organisation, international organisation or other entity receiving a grant under this Fund, taking into account the practice with respect to other instruments under shared management, such as the Structural Funds.

Actions should be evaluated with a view to a mid-term review and impact assessment, and the evaluation process should be incorporated into project monitoring arrangements.

This Decision establishes a financial envelope for the entire duration of the programme, which constitutes the prime reference for the budgetary authority during the annual budgetary procedure, according to point 37 of the Interinstitutional Agreement on budgetary discipline and sound financial management.

Since the objective of this Decision, namely to promote a balance of effort between Member States in receiving refugees and displaced persons, cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member States and can therefore by reason of the scale and effects of the action be better achieved at Community level, the Community may adopt measures in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity as set out in Article 5 of the Treaty. In accordance with the principle of proportionality, as set out in that Article, this Decision does not go beyond what is necessary to achieve this objective.

The measures necessary for the implementation of this Decision should be adopted in accordance with Council Decision 1999/468/EC of 28 June 1999 laying down the procedures for the exercise of implementing powers conferred on the Commission.

Since the measure of this Decision relating to the adoption of strategic guidelines is of general scope and is designed to amend non-essential elements of this Decision, inter alia by deleting some of those elements or by supplementing this Decision by the addition of new non-essential elements, it should be adopted in accordance with the regulatory procedure with scrutiny provided for in Article 5a of Decision 1999/468/EC. On grounds of efficiency, the normal time-limits for the regulatory procedure with scrutiny should be curtailed for the adoption of the strategic guidelines.

Decision 2004/904/EC should be repealed.

In accordance with Article 3 of the Protocol on the position of the United Kingdom and Ireland, annexed to the Treaty on European Union and to the Treaty establishing the European Community, Ireland has notified, by letter of 6 September 2005, its wish to take part in the adoption and application of this Decision.

In accordance with Article 3 of the Protocol on the position of the United Kingdom and Ireland, annexed to the Treaty on European Union and to the Treaty establishing the European Community, the United Kingdom has notified, by letter of 27 October 2005, its wish to take part in the adoption and application of this Decision.

In accordance with Articles 1 and 2 of the Protocol on the position of Denmark, annexed to the Treaty on European Union and to the Treaty establishing the European Community, Denmark does not take part in the adoption of this Decision and is not bound by it or subject to its application.

In accordance with the second indent of paragraph 2 of Article 67 of the Treaty, Council Decision 2004/927/EC of 22 December 2004 providing for certain areas covered by Title IV of Part Three of the Treaty establishing the European Community to be governed by the procedure laid down in Article 251 of that Treaty rendered the procedure referred to in Article 251 of the Treaty applicable in the areas covered by Articles 62(1), (2)(a) and (3) and 63(2)(b) and (3)(b) of that Treaty,