Working Together to Protect
and Respect Refugees
History
ECRE started in 1974 when a handful of Directors from European refugee support agencies recognised the need for cooperation between states to ensure that refugees were protected in Europe. It began as the European Consultation on Refugees and Exiles, an informal platform of five refugee-assisting NGOs. At the time, people were fleeing the Soviet Union and were welcomed by Western Europeans as they crossed the Iron Curtain.
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