(Brussels) “An estimated 60 million persons are forcibly displaced in the world – as refugees, asylum seekers, migrants or internally displaced persons. Providing support and protection for refugees and effectively managing migration is a challenge, which requires a global response”. This statement was jointly issued by Frans Timmermans, First Vice-President of the European Commission, Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs, and by Commissioners Neven Mimica, Dimitris Avramopoulos, and Christos Stylianides on the occasion of World Refugee Day, which is celebrated today. “The EU has not and will not turn a blind eye to this crisis and we will continue to share in the global efforts to address it”. “Overall, more than €10 billion of the EU budget for the years 2015 and 2016 has been allocated to address the refugee crisis within the EU and in third countries. We tripled our resources for search and rescue operations at sea last year, and contributed to saving more than 240,000 people in the Mediterranean”. Last but not least, “any sustainable solution requires close cooperation with countries of origin and transit and legal avenues for those fleeing conflict and persecution in order to reach Europe safely”. Migration “will become even more central to the European external action through the new Partnership Framework we presented this month”.