In the final joint EPC-MEDAM event in this series on future EU-Africa cooperation on migration, panelists discussed the future of European resettlement, on-the-ground challenges in facilitating resettlement from Africa, as well as scaling up community sponsorship in Europe. Laura Corrado, European Commission, laid out the New Pact’s Recommendation on Legal Pathways. The Commission’s priorities include reaching an agreement on the Resettlement Framework in 2021, extending the timeline for member states to fulfill resettlement pledges into the next year, as well as exploring a European community sponsorship model. She also discussed provisions to strengthen monitoring and evaluation of resettlement schemes, as well as accompanying integration programmes.

Annabel Mwangi, UNHCR, highlighted several African states’ efforts in adopting refugee response frameworks to strengthen refugee inclusion at the local level. She warned that the EU's geographic focus in prioritising resettlement from certain countries could lead to significant needs being sidelined elsewhere.

Giulio Di Blasi, Global Refugee Sponsorship Initiative, stressed that the New Pact is a crucial milestone in resettlement policy as it links refugee protection to legislation on legal pathways, broadening the opportunities available for people in need of protection. He further highlighted the benefits of community sponsorship, including accelerated and improved integration outcomes for resettled refugees and the positive impact on host communities. Scaling this up would require efforts in three pillars: by increasing the number of countries that support community sponsorship, increasing the number of sponsors and networks, and by connecting sponsorship to other pathways, such as education and family. New programmes in Italy, the UK and Canada are indicative of how such complementary pathways could evolve.