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more needs to be done, and faster. Relocating all
those eligible in Italy and Greece is possible but it
takes political will, commitment and perseverance
of all member states to make it happen.” The first
quantitative data leave some room for hope that
the issue will be tackled, and, anyway, small and
cautious steps are preferable to leaps with uncer-
tain outcomes.
The facts
According to the relevant EU report, the member
states continued since December 2016 to
increase their efforts on resettlement, thus far
offering legal and safe pathways to 13,968 peo-
ple. As regards relocation, the overall positive
trend was also maintained, with an additional
3,813 relocations, and December saw the highest
monthly figure to date (1,926). The total number
of relocations currently stands at 11,966.
Reform is necessary
According to Dimitris Avramopoulos, the Treaty of
Rome, the nucleus of European integration, set
the primary mission of the European project, i.e.
to create and sustain peace and stability, to iso-
late xenophobia and, above all, ensure the har-
monious coexistence of different peoples, with
respect to each other’s cultural background. The
European Commissioner presents his opinions
on the matter:
“With the celebration of 60 years of the Rome
Treaty this year in March, we will remember this
institutionalised peace, stability and unity. This is all
the more important at present, when we continue
to have instability and conflict in our neighbour-
hood. Today, more than 65 million people around
the world are displaced from their homes, fleeing
poverty, climate change, war and instability.
“In the last two years, the European Union has
