Abstract
In tackling the 2015 refugee influx into the European Union (EU), many problems related to the Common European Asylum System (CEAS) arose in dealing with the situation that is still unresolved. The questions posed include who needs international protection, should the member state of first entry bear the main responsibility for the asylum procedure, what are the legal obligations that the member states have toward asylum seekers and beneficiaries? With these questions in mind, this chapter not only will introduce CEAS but also will examine the impact that the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, the European Convention of Human Rights, and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights have on them. In this context, significant recent rulings by the European Court of Human Rights and the Court of Justice of the European Union will also be analyzed. The chapter concludes with an outline of European integration policy and reflections on possible reforms.
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- 1.
Originally 160,000 refugees from Italy and Greece, but the number was considerably reduced in order to legally admit Syrians from Turkey to the EU (European Commission 2017, p. 2).
- 2.
Estonia, Ireland, the Netherlands, Finland, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Switzerland.
- 3.
Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Croatia, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia.
- 4.
Cyprus, Denmark, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, the United Kingdom.
- 5.
Reaffirmed by the Justice and Home Affairs Council in 2014 (at: http://www.consilium.europa.eu/ueDocs/cms_Data/docs/pressData/en/jha/82745.pdf; accessed 18 May 2017.
- 6.
E.g., CJEU, Salahadin Abdulla and Others v Germany, C-175/08, C-176/08, C-178/08, C-179/08. Ruling dated 2 March 2010, EU:C:2010:105, para 3.
- 7.
Also, the 1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
- 8.
The 1984 UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (UNCAT) should be mentioned in this connection.
- 9.
See details at http://www.coe.int/en/web/cpt/about-the-cpt. Accessed 23 June 2017.
- 10.
For more information, see http://www.coe.int/en/web/cpt/-/cpt-visits-italy-to-examine-the-situation-of-persons-in-immigration-detention. Accessed 23 June 2017.
- 11.
CJEU, Parliament v Council, C-540/03. Ruling dated 27 June 2006, EU:C:2006:429, para 37; the international human rights treaties may inspire the interpretation of unwritten general principles of EU’s law, even when Article 6 (3) TEU does not address them. Compare Rosas (2014), pp. 1685–1686.
- 12.
The CJEU has held (in Intertanko v Secretary State of Transport (UK), C-308/06. Judgment of 3 June 2008, EU:C:2008:312, paras 48, 52, 53) that two requirements must be fulfilled: on the one hand, the agreement expresses customary international law and, on the other hand, it is directly applicable, see also Hailbronner and Thym (2016a), p. 28.
- 13.
CJEU, Kadi and Al Baraak v Council and Commission, C-402/05 P, C-415/05 P. Ruling dated 3 September 2008, EU:C:2008:461, paras 305, 309.
- 14.
Directive 2013/33/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 June 2013 laying down standards for the reception of applicants for international protection (rewritten).
- 15.
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/summits/tam_en.htm. Accessed 24 June 2017.
- 16.
Directive 2011/95/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 December 2011 on standards for the qualification of third-country nationals or stateless persons as beneficiaries of international protection, for a uniform status for refugees or for persons eligible for subsidiary protection, and for the content of the protection granted (rewritten).
- 17.
Directive 2013/32/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 June 2013 on common procedures for granting and withdrawing international protection (rewritten).
- 18.
Directive 2013/33/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 June 2013 laying down standards for the reception of applicants for international protection (rewritten).
- 19.
Regulation (EU) No. 604/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 June 2013 establishing the criteria and mechanisms for determining the member state responsible for examining an application for international protection lodged in one of the member states by a third-country national or a stateless person (rewritten).
- 20.
Exclusion in case of the commission, incitement or participation in specific crimes.
- 21.
Also, serious harm from death penalty or execution (a), torture or inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment in the country of origin (b) or (c).
- 22.
This position is disputed: the UNHCR recognizes the refugee status for people from internal armed conflicts and emphasizes the necessity of international protection due to the failure of the country of origin (UNHCR 2011, p. 20).
- 23.
The EURODAC Regulation (EC) No. 603/20113 regulates the EU asylum fingerprint database: the fingerprints of every asylum seeker in a member state are captured and transmitted to the EURODAC central system.
- 24.
EUROSTAT, Asylum Quarterly Report 15 June 2017 tbl. 8, http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Asylum_quarterly_report. Accessed 27 June 2017.
- 25.
ECtHR, Bosphorus Hava Yollari Turizm v. Ticaret Anonim Şirketi v. Ireland, Appl. no. 45036/98. Ruling dated 30 June 2005, para 72, 156, 165.
- 26.
ECtHR, M.S.S. v. Belgium and Greece, Appl. no. 30696/09. Judgment of 21 January 2011, para 338.
- 27.
Mole and Meredith (2010), p. 23 enumerate more human rights in the ECHR: right to life (Art. 2), prohibition of slavery, servitude, and compulsory labor (Art. 4), right to liberty and security of the person (Art. 5), right to a fair trial (Art. 6), prohibition on retroactive criminal punishment (Art. 7), right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion (Art. 9), freedom of expression (Art. 10), freedom of assembly and association (Art. 11), prohibition of discrimination in the enjoyment of Convention rights (Art. 14).
- 28.
ECtHR, Cruz Varas and Others v. Sweden, Appl. no. 15576/89. Ruling dated 20 March 1991, para 69, 70.
- 29.
ECtHR, Hirsi Jamaa and Others v. Italy, Appl. no. 27765/09. Ruling dated 23 February 2012, para 180, 182.
- 30.
ECtHR, Hirsi Jamaa and Others v. Italy, Appl. no. 27765/09. Ruling dated 23 February 2012, para 84, 138, 158, 207.
- 31.
ECtHR, M.S.S. v. Belgium and Greece, Appl. no. 30696/09. Ruling dated 21 January 2011, para 321.
- 32.
ECtHR, Khlaifia and Others v. Italy, Appl. no. 16483/12. Ruling dated 15 December 2016, para 289.
- 33.
ECtHR, Khlaifia and Others v. Italy, Appl. no. 16483/12. Ruling dated 15 December 2016, para 289.
- 34.
ECtHR, Ilias and Ahmed v. Hungary, Appl. no. 47287/15. Ruling dated 14 March 2017, para 101, 124.
- 35.
E.g., CJEU, European Commission v. Austria, C-102/06, Ruling dated 26 October 2006, EU:C:2006:691, para 13.
- 36.
CJEU, European Parliament v. Council of the European Union, C-133/06, Ruling dated 6 May 2008, para 69.
- 37.
CJEU, Meki Elgafaji and Noor Elgafaji v. Staatssecretaris van Justitie (Netherlands), C-465/07. Ruling dated 17 February 2009, EU:C:2008:479, para 45.
- 38.
CJEU, C-69/10, Brahim Samba Diouf v. Minister for Labour, Employment and Immigration (Luxembourg). Ruling dated 28 July 2011, EC:C:2011:102, para 3.
- 39.
ECtHR, Maaouia v. France, Appl. no. 39652/98. Judgment of 5 October 2000, para 40.
- 40.
CJEU, N.S. and M.E. v United Kingdom and Ireland, C-411/10, C-493/10. Ruling dated 21 December 2011, EU:C:2011:865, paras 88–90.
- 41.
CJEU, N.S. and M.E. v United Kingdom and Ireland, C-411/10, C-493/10. Ruling dated 21 December 2011, EU:C:2011:865, para 87.
- 42.
CJEU, C.K. and Others v. Slovenia, C-578/16 PPU. Ruling dated 16 February 2017, para 98.
- 43.
CJEU, C.K. and Others v. Slovenia, C-578/16 PPU. Ruling dated 16 February 2017, EU:C:2017:127 para 98.
- 44.
CJEU, X and X v. Belgium, C-638/16 PPU. Ruling dated 7 March 2017, EU:C:2017:173, para 52.
- 45.
See also the European Agenda on Migration (COM (2015) 240 final of 13.05.2012) stressing the importance of effective integration for third country nationals.
- 46.
Austria, France, Ireland and Sweden as project countries and Canada, Germany and the United Kingdom as countries with significant progress in integration policy.
- 47.
Austria: 84 refugees, France: 68 refugees, Ireland: 71 refugees, Sweden: 55 refugees.
- 48.
Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on standards for the qualification of third-country nationals or stateless persons as beneficiaries of international protection, for a uniform status for refugees or for persons eligible for subsidiary protection and for the content of the protection granted and amending Council Directive 2003/109/EC of 25 November 2003 concerning the status of third-country nationals who are long-term residents—COM (2016) 466—final.
- 49.
Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a common procedure for international protection in the Union and repealing Directive 2013/32/EU—COM (2016) 467—final.
- 50.
Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down standards for the reception of applicants for international protection (recast)—COM (2016) 465—final.
- 51.
Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the criteria and mechanisms for determining the member states responsible for examining an application for international protection lodged in one of the member states by a third-country national or a stateless person (recast) (COM (2016) 270 final).
- 52.
Thanks to the translation team of the German Association of University Professors and Lecturers (Deutscher Hochschulverband) for proof-reading.
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Haverkamp, R. (2018). Who Is a Refugee in the European Union? International and Supranational Aspects of Legal Reform and Integration. In: Kury, H., Redo, S. (eds) Refugees and Migrants in Law and Policy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-72159-0_29
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