On 18 December 2025, EU Member States formally adopted the Council Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/2628, establishing the URP for 2026–2027. The plan sets out the total number of people to be resettled and admitted on humanitarian grounds, specifies the eligibility criteria for resettlement, and outlines the responsibilities of participating Member States. It provides for a total of 10.430 resettlement and humanitarian admission places over the two-year period and identifies countries of origin based on migratory routes, socio-cultural ties, and existing or planned agreements with the EU or Member States.

In its joint statement, the Resettlement Coalition expressed concern that the URP pledges represent a substantial reduction compared with previous commitments. The 10.430 places for 2026–2027 mark an 83 per cent drop from the 61.000 places pledged for 2024–2025, amount to just 0.4 per cent of the 2.5 million refugees estimated by UNHCR to require resettlement in 2026 alone, and involve only nine participating Member States, compared with 14 in 2024–2025 and 17 in 2023. The coalition also noted that it is not guaranteed that these pledges will be fulfilled in practice.

The statement further highlighted concerns regarding the eligibility criteria for resettlement, which focus on countries along major Mediterranean and Atlantic migratory routes, certain countries in the Americas, and countries with which the EU has existing or planned migration agreements. According to UNHCR, this narrow approach does not align with global resettlement needs, as the top five refugee-hosting countries with the highest resettlement requirements in 2026 (Iran, Türkiye, Pakistan, Ethiopia and Uganda) are largely excluded.

The coalition urged EU Member States to fulfil and exceed their current pledges, ensuring that protection needs remain central to the URP and that resettlement is implemented effectively and strategically.

For further details, please read the press release from the International Rescue Committee.