FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The
organisations from 30 countries are urging Mr Franco Frattini, European
Commissioner for Justice, Freedom and Security, to address the ‘serious shortcomings’ of the current system
known as the ‘Dublin rules’. The rules were introduced in 2003 and are due to
be reviewed later this year. They require those fleeing persecution to claim
asylum in the first European country they reach, regardless of that country’s
policies.
“Refugees are put at risk of
persecution as European states try to shirk their responsibilities for asylum
seekers. Flaws in the Dublin system need urgent attention, but in the longer
run, the EU must find a fairer, more humane and workable alternative,” said Peer
Baneke, General Secretary of the European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE)
which represents the 73 refugee groups.
The
coalition of groups today sent a public letter to Mr Frattini, warning that the
Dublin Regulation is failing to guarantee asylum seekers a fair hearing,
putting refugees at risk and causing unnecessary suffering to families,
children and survivors of torture.
“Our
concerns for asylum seekers including children, families, and other vulnerable
affected groups cannot wait”, the letter says.
The
letter draws Mr. Frattini’s attention to the findings of ECRE’s report on the
operation of the Dublin system. It shows that some
states are denying access to a full asylum procedure to individuals transferred
under the Dublin system, placing them at risk of being returned to their home
countries to face persecution.
By
requiring that those fleeing persecution must claim asylum in the first EU country they reach, the
Dublin Regulation does not properly take account of the fact that a person’s
chance of being recognised as a refugee varies hugely from one EU country to
another. As well as
being unfair, the Dublin rules are also inefficient, resource-intensive and an
obstacle to genuine sharing of responsibility between European states.
The
rules are due to be reviewed later this year.
Among
ECRE’s recommendations to Commissioner Frattini are proposals to:
·
Guarantee access to a full and fair procedure for all
asylum seekers transferred under the
Dublin II Regulation.
·
Better ensure the reunification of family members under
Dublin II
·
Exempt separated children from transfer under Dublin II
except to allow them to join other family members provided this is in the best
interests of the child.
·
Ensure that all Dublin II applicants receive adequate
reception conditions and are only ever detained as a last resort.
For further
comment/background and interviews: Chris Nash, European Council on Refugees and
Exiles (London) Tel: +44 (0)20
7377 7556 Fax: +44 (0)20 7377 7586 Email: cnash@ecre.org
Notes
to Editors:
1. The European
Council on Refugees & Exiles represents refugee-assisting organisations in
30 European countries.
2. The ECRE
letter to Commissioner Frattini, 27 June 2006, is available at www.ecre.org
3. Summary
Report on the Application of the Dublin II Regulation in Europe, ECRE/ELENA,
March 2006 is available at www.ecre.org
4. The Dublin II
Regulation replaced the Dublin Convention and came into force in September
2003. It is a mechanism for allocating responsibility to a single Member State
for processing an asylum claim. It establishes a hierarchy of criteria for
identifying the responsible Member State and aims at ensuring that every asylum
claim within the EU is examined by a Member State as well as preventing
multiple asylum claims. It works in conjunction with EURODAC, a central
database containing fingerprints of all individuals entering and lodging asylum
applications within the EU.