Reinsalu: Last year's resettlement quota not to roll over to 2019
Minister of Justice Urmas Reinsalu (Pro Patria) said under the second EU migration plan, that Estonia promised to resettle up to 40 quota refugees per year in 2018 and 2019, however last year's unfulfilled quota will not roll over to this year.
Speaking at Thursday's government press conference, Mr Reinsalu said that the government had decided to resettle 40 people from Turkey in 2018 and 2019 each.
"These figures will not be transferred, nor will they accumulate," he explained. "As Estonia did not resettle any quota refugees from Turkey last year, Estonia will accept up to 40 quota refugees this year, and with that consider the migration plan fulfilled."
The minister added that Estonia accepted altogether 206 people under the first EU migration plan, slightly over 100 of whom have remained in Estonia.
As the country did not resettle any quota refugees last year, this means that it will resettle up to 40 people under the second migration plan, bringing the total number of quota refugees to be accepted by Estonia under the two migration plans to 246.
The first quota refugees to be relocated under the second migration plan are set to arrive in Estonia in the near future. The first to be relocated is a Syrian family of seven, including two adults and five children.
It has not yet been decided when the entities conducting proceedings will return to Turkey.
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Editor: Aili Vahtla