Danish Refugee Council’s Asylum Chief Criticizes Government for Not Accepting Any Quota Refugees This Year

With less than a month remaining in 2023, the quota for this year has yet to be announced, and last year Denmark received zero quota refugees. This is despite the government’s commitment in its political platform to allocate funds annually to accept up to 500 quota refugees.

This has prompted Eva Singer, the Asylum Chief of the Danish Refugee Council (DRC Dansk Flygtningehjælp), to criticize the government:

-“By accepting quota refugees, we ensure that people fleeing can find safety, and Denmark can take its share of responsibility for the many refugees worldwide. Moreover, the quota system provides a secure and legal alternative for refugees who might otherwise feel compelled to take the dangerous route across the Mediterranean. The reception of quota refugees is a crucial aspect of the government’s asylum policy, and their failure to live up to this responsibility is highly objectionable,” says Asylum Chief Eva Singer.

Every year, the minister must announce the number of quota refugees Denmark will accept, usually in July or August, but this has not yet happened this year. No one from the 2022 quota has arrived either, despite the former Minister for Immigration and Integration, Mathias Tesfaye, announcing that Denmark would accept 200 in 2022. There are several reasons for this.

-“The late announcement, halfway through the year, combined with Denmark’s narrow criteria for whom we wish to accept, complicates the work of the UN. In the political platform, it is stated that Denmark has an obligation to help the world’s refugees, but we are not living up to that obligation at this time,” says Eva Singer and continues:

“In general, it is the poorer countries that host the majority of the world’s refugees, and their protection is a collective responsibility. It requires international cooperation, and there should be a fair distribution of responsibilities among all countries.”