Invitation to media

Several countries of South Eastern Europe are directly touched by various aspects of migration and asylum, as countries of origin, transit or final destination. However, a legal framework and migration and asylum procedures consistent with European Standards and obligations under international law are not developed. It is acknowledged that migration and asylum challenges require a truly regional response and need an integrated approach. The adaptation of European Standards and the enhanced regional co-operation are the aims of this Stability Pact Initiative with a co-ordinated approach to migration and asylum policy development in the region.

The working structure of the MAI initiative consists of five country teams, one for each of the five Stabilisation and Association Process countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, FYR Macedonia and Yugoslavia). The Support Unit will provide administrative support to the Country Teams and act as the secretariat of the MAI Steering Committee. The Support Unit will also co-ordinate the activities of the Stability Pact in the fields of migration and asylum. The MAI Support Unit is staffed by Sweden, Germany, Austria, IOM and UNHCR. Head of Unit is Swedish Ambassador Per Almqvist.

Special Co-ordinator Bodo Hombach together with Austrian Foreign Minister Ferrero-Waldner and Swedish and German State Secretaries Andersson and Sonntag-Wollgast will inaugurate the offices.

Media are kindly invited to take part in the inauguration

of the MAI Support Unit in

1040 Vienna, Möllwaldplatz 5/ Mezzanin on 22 October 2001, 15.00h.