EU must not backtrack on resettlement: ICMC Europe joins statement urging stronger commitments
12 January 2026
ICMC Europe and Share Network have joined a broad coalition of civil society organisations calling on EU Member States to strengthen their commitments to refugee resettlement and humanitarian admission under the newly adopted Union Resettlement and Humanitarian Admission Plan (2026–2027).
At a time when global forced displacement remains at record levels and protection needs are growing faster than available solutions, resettlement continues to be one of the few safe, orderly and rights-based pathways available to refugees facing heightened risks. The joint statement, which ICMC Europe has endorsed, raises serious concerns that the current level of EU commitments does not reflect either the scale of global needs or the EU’s long-standing role as a global protection actor.
The broader global context
According to UNHCR, the number of people forcibly displaced worldwide continues to rise, driven by protracted conflicts, political instability, climate-related pressures and persistent human rights violations. For many refugees, voluntary return is not possible in the short or medium term, while local integration in host countries is often constrained by limited resources and legal barriers. In this context, resettlement and complementary pathways are not symbolic gestures, they are life-saving tools that provide durable solutions for the most vulnerable.
UNHCR estimates that around 2.5 million refugees will be in need of resettlement globally in 2026 alone. Against this backdrop, predictable and ambitious commitments from high-income regions such as the European Union are essential to maintain global responsibility-sharing and solidarity.
What the Union Resettlement and Humanitarian Admission Plan provides
The Union Resettlement and Humanitarian Admission Plan for 2026–2027, adopted by the Council at the end of 2025, establishes a common EU framework for resettlement and humanitarian admission over a two-year period. In principle, the Union Plan aims to bring greater predictability, coordination and strategic focus to EU resettlement efforts, while aligning national programmes with shared priorities.
However, the Plan sets a total of 10,430 places for resettlement and humanitarian admission across the EU for the 2026–2027 period. This represents a dramatic reduction compared to the 61,000 places pledged by Member States for 2024–2025. Moreover, only a limited number of Member States have made pledges under the current cycle, further weakening the collective impact of the Plan.
Key concerns highlighted
The coalition of organisations behind the statement identifies several areas of concern:
Insufficient ambition: The overall number of pledged places falls far short of global needs and risks signalling a retreat from the EU’s previous commitments to international protection and responsibility-sharing.
Narrowing of eligibility criteria: The Union Plan places increased emphasis on refugees connected to specific ‘main migratory routes’ or with socio-cultural links to Member States. This approach risks excluding refugees with acute protection needs who do not fit these categories.
Blurring of policy objectives: Resettlement and humanitarian admission are global protection tools and must remain clearly distinct from internal EU solidarity and relocation mechanisms. Conflating these objectives risks undermining both.