Policy Plan on Asylum

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Policy Plan on Asylum

• An integrated approach to the
• protection of refugees
• across the European Union
• June 2008

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Background (1)

• In 1999 the EU Heads of State and Government
  meeting in Tampere called for the establishment
  of a Common European Asylum System. Since then,
  asylum has been considered an issue to be tackled
  at EU level.
• Many legislative measures were adopted at EU
  level between 1999 and 2005, regulating some
  aspects of important issues asylum procedures,
  reception conditions for asylum-seekers,
  responsibility for examining an asylum
  application, qualification to become a refugee,
  etc.

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Background (2)

• The European Council requested in the Hague
  Programme further development of the Common
  European Asylum Policy (CEAS).
• In 2007 the Commission presented a Green Paper to
  launch a debate with all relevant actors about
  the form the CEAS should take
• Input received during this debate contributed the
  preparation of the Policy Plan.

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Purpose of the Policy Plan

• To present all the initiatives the Commission
  plans to make in the coming years (2008-2010),
• in order to complete the second phase of the
  Common European Asylum System

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Trends identified in the Policy Plan

• Relatively lower number of asylum applications in
  the EU
• Divergences in the level of protection granted by
  the Member States
• Increasing use of the subsidiary protection
  status instead of the traditional refugee
  (Convention) status

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Asylum applications in EU
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Which are the objectives of the CEAS? (1)

• Ensure access for those in need of protection
• Provide for a single, common procedure
• Establish uniform statuses for asylum and for
  subsidiary protection
• Incorporate gender considerations and take into
  account the special needs of vulnerable groups
• Increase practical cooperation

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Which are the objectives of the CEAS? (2)

• Determine responsibility and support solidarity,
  within the EU and between the EU and third
  countries
• Ensure coherence with other policies that have an
  impact on international protection
• Respect international agreements and in
  particular the 1951 Geneva Convention

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Which strategy to achieve these goals?

• The Policy Plan proposes a three-pronged
  strategy
• Legislative harmonisation, leading to better
  common standards
• Promote practical cooperation between Member
  State asylum administrations
• Enhance solidarity and responsibility

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Legislative harmonisation leading to better
standards

• Three main existing directives will be amended
• The Reception Conditions Directive, to ensure
  higher common standards for receiving
  asylum-seekers
• The Asylum Procedures Directive, in order to set
  out clear common procedural rules needed to
  ensure proper and (harmonised) application of the
  Qualification Directive
• The Qualifications Directive, to strengthen the
  rights attached to protection statuses and
  harmonise such statuses

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Practical cooperation

• To facilitate practical cooperation, a European
  Asylum Support Office will be created.
• It will coordinate activities related to country
  of origin information, common trainings, exchange
  of best practices, etc.
• The office will not have decision-making powers
  in individual cases, which will continue to be a
  national competence.

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Solidarity and responsibility (1)

• Within the EU, the rules about the Member State
  responsible for examining an asylum application
  (Dublin II regulation, EURODAC) will be amended
  in order to increase their efficiency and
  fairness.
• New solidarity mechanisms will be proposed to
  help overburdened Member States that have
  difficulties in coping with large numbers of
  asylum-seekers arriving into their territory.

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Solidarity and responsibility (2)

• From an external point of view, the EU is
  committed to support third countries receiving
  large refugee flows by
• Expanding Regional Protection Programmes to other
  regions
• Establishing an EU-wide voluntary resettlement
  scheme
• Enhancing the accessibility of the EU

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Conclusion guiding principles

• The guiding principles for the EUs action in the
  area of asylum will be
• To uphold the Union's humanitarian protection
  tradition and ensuring respect of fundamental
  rights
• To establish a level playing field
• To enhance the efficiency of the asylum system
• To provide solidarity within and outside the
  Union