14 unaccompanied minors relocated to Finland
Fourteen young asylum seekers, all unaccompanied minors, were taken from Cyprus to be relocated in Finland as part of efforts to facilitate their humanitarian situation, it was announced on Monday.
According to an announcement by the interior ministry, 90 per cent of the project is co-financed by the Asylum, Immigration and Integration Fund 2014-2020 of the European Union and 10 per cent by the government of Cyprus.
“The transfer, carried out in collaboration with the asylum service and the European Asylum Support Office (EASO), is the second and final part of the above-mentioned co-financed project for relocating a total of 30 vulnerable international protection applicants to Finland, single women with children and unaccompanied minors,” the announcement said.
The first transfer of vulnerable applicants took place on July 27.
Finland’s offer to relocate the minors was made in the context of solidarity and the fair distribution of vulnerable migrants as Cyprus carries a significant burden regarding the influx of migrants into the country, the statement concluded.
In 2019, about 2,500 asylum seekers arrived in Finland. In recent years, the number has been smaller than before 2015, when more than 32,000 asylum seekers arrived. Before 2015, the number of applicants had been relatively stable, between 3,000 and 4,000 per year.