Safe Country Principles and Asylum Law

The Institute was commissioned by the European Commission to carry out a study on The Law and Practice on Safe Country Principles against the Background of the Common European Asylum System and the Goal of a Common Asylum Procedure which was completed in 2003. The Institute examined the law and practice on safe country of origin and safe third country principles in several EU member states including Austria, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

In addition, certain aspects of the law and practice in Denmark, France and Ireland were considered. The study includes an assessment of law and practice in the context of ensuring, on the one hand, an efficient but fair examination of the asylum applications and, on the other, an effective repatriation process of rejected applicants. The study also include an analysis of the extent to which present national provisions are compatible with binding international obligations, in particular the Refugees Convention, and the common standards of the proposed Council Directive.