| Author (Person) | Cronin, David |
|---|---|
| Series Title | European Voice |
| Series Details | Vol.9, No.37, 6.11.03, p6 |
| Publication Date | 06/11/2003 |
| Content Type | News |
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By David Cronin Date: 06/11/03 JUSTICE ministers from European Union member states will today (6 November) unveil a list of countries which they regard as "safe" when it comes to asylum applications. Human rights campaigners fear it could mean that applications from nationals of those countries would be routinely rejected. Italy, current holder of the EU presidency, hopes to broker a deal by the end of the year on the draft directive on minimum standards for granting and withdrawing refugee status. A key provision in this law covers the drawing up of a list of "safe third countries of origin", which are considered stable and generally free from political oppression. People from those countries could be denied access to the Union's emerging common asylum system. The 15 member states have agreed in principle that Romania, Bulgaria, Japan, Iceland, Switzerland and Norway could be deemed safe. They will consider whether the list can be extended to countries in Asia, Africa and the Americas during their meeting in Brussels. Human rights groups argue that distinguishing between "safe" and "unsafe" countries contravenes the Geneva Convention, the international law which forbids discrimination among asylum-seekers. Campaigners fear that EU member states could seek to include certain countries on the list due to their bilateral ties with their governments, rather than as a result of an objective analysis of the situation on the ground. Spain, for example, has sought Colombia's inclusion, despite a high level of civil unrest in the country. Amnesty International has also queried whether Romania and Bulgaria can be deemed safe as the European Commission's regular reports on these two candidates for EU membership have repeatedly expressed unease about their treatment of Roma gypsies. Furthermore, Amnesty contends that the clauses in the draft directive on border procedures will enable frontier guards to carry out an assessment of whether asylum claims are well founded. Germany has been leading calls for its system of border controls to be replicated across the Union. This allows it to automatically reject asylum bids from neighbouring countries, such as Poland. Daphné Bouteillet-Paquet, Amnesty's spokeswoman on justice and home affairs, argues that officials in the justice or foreign ministries should process asylum claims, rather than immigration officers at frontiers. "This is a case of mixing up immigration procedures and asylum procedures by allowing member states to do a pre-screening of the validity of asylum claims right at the border," she added. "We very much question that because immigration officers are not qualified for it. Asylum should be dealt with by competent officials, not by border guards." |
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| Subject Categories | Justice and Home Affairs |
