Frattini presents common EU rules on asylum

Commissioner Franco Frattini has presented proposals for a common European asylum system, to be fully in place by 2010.

In a communication adopted on 17 February 2006, the Commission has set out a work programme for the three main objectives for EU-wide cooperation on asylum first contained in the 2004 Hague programme:

• Single procedure: all possible grounds for asylum will be considered in one application.
• Common approach to the information used to make decisions (country of origin information): information will be shared and, in the long term, a common database will be developed;
• Agreed procedure for dealing with asylum pressure points (border areas which may face sudden large influxes of refugees): funds will be made available for emergency measures and expert groups will be set up.

In addition, an asylum cooperation network will be established for the exchange of information and the development of a common set of best practice criteria.

Presenting the proposal, Justice Commissioner Franco Frattini said, “It is vital that asylum authorities of the Member States have at their disposal a ‘common tool box’ to answer their daily and operational needs. With such a tool box Member States can share information, improve the quality of procedures and jointly find solutions to emergency situations such as mass arrivals of asylum seekers.”

Two previous directives in this area, the Qualification Directive of 2004 and the Asylum Procedures Directive of 2005, have already paved the way for the establishment of the common system.

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