On 28 June 2017, the Maltese Presidency of the Council of the EU secured a broad political agreement with the European Parliament on an EU Regulation in order to establish the EU Agency for Asylum.

The much-anticipated political agreement on all twelve chapters of the proposal means that once final technical work is carried out, the European Asylum and Support Office (EASO) - based in Valletta - will develop in a fully-fledged agency which will be better-able to take actions to support EU member states and facilitate the functioning of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS).

The Agency will build its current (EASO) mandate in ensuring convergence in the assessment of applications for international protection across the Union, and providing operational and technical assistance to the member states.

Commenting on the agreement, the Maltese Minister for Home Affairs and National Security Michael Farrugia said that, "This is part of the EU's efforts to have a fully-fledged EU Agency for Asylum that can respond better to the evolving irregular migration challenge and to reflect its enhanced role in a reformed Common European Asylum System".

Over the past six months, the Maltese Presidency has made the management of migration and asylum at an EU level a top priority of its work. Within this context, the development of the CEAS has been of particular importance, with the establishment of the EU Agency for Asylum a cornerstone of this focus.

Following the broad political agreement reached between the Maltese Presidency and the European Parliament, work will continue during the incoming Estonian Presidency to finalise the text, including on several outstanding technical issues which will be addressed in the context of negotiations on the recitals. The agreement will then be submitted to EU ambassadors for endorsement on behalf of the Council.