Ensuring a Generous European Asylum Policy for Those in Need of International Protection. CEPS Policy Brief No. 9, December 2001

Apap, Joanna. (2001) Ensuring a Generous European Asylum Policy for Those in Need of International Protection. CEPS Policy Brief No. 9, December 2001. [Policy Paper]

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Abstract

Since the entry into force of the Treaty of Amsterdam in May 1999, asylum and immigration policies have fallen within the competence of the European Union. When the countries of the European Union signed the Charter of Fundamental Rights, one wonders which values Europe intended to defend concretely and what importance it placed on the protection of refugees. The communitarisation of the right of asylum has caused many concerns because, until now, the process of European harmonisation has focused on erecting a “fortress”, which has led to the erosion of the protection granted to refugees. However, by emancipating the contention on the rights of asylum seekers at national level, particularly close to election dates, communitarisation constitutes a single chance to break with the security-conscious Schengen years and to develop a generous policy based on the humanitarian principles that have formed the basis of European integration.

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