06 January 2012

Danish Presidency of the EU

Denmark took over the EU Presidency at the start of the new year. One of its goals is to "finalise the Common European Asylum System by the end of 2012." (For more, see "Asylum and Migration," pp. 42-44.)

Additional information on existing EU approaches to asylum and migration is available in the Justice and Home Affairs section of the Danish Presidency web site.

Recommendations on specific aspects of the EU's asylum policy have been published by both ECRE and UNHCR.

The latter's recommendations begin by referencing the recent Declaration on the 60th Anniversary of the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, in which the EU "reaffirms its commitment to this unique instrument as the foundation of the international regime for the protection of refugees," "recalls its commitment to the development of a common policy on asylum based on the full and inclusive application of the 1951 Convention, and reaffirms its attachment to the absolute respect of the right to asylum," and "reiterates its commitment to further developing the Common European Asylum System based on high protection standards combined with fair and effective procedures."

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