EU asylum policy: In search of solidarity and access to protection

Abstract

The European asylum system is a relatively advanced regional protection framework, in both legislative and policy terms. However, that same system lacks a mechanism to distribute responsibility fairly among the Member States, as well as legal avenues by which persons in need of protection can access it. To the backdrop of the Syrian crisis and the rising toll of migrant deaths in the Mediterranean Sea, this brief analyses achievements and shortcoming in the area of solidarity and fair-sharing of responsibility between Member States, as well as the external dimension of EU's common asylum system. In view of the adoption by the European Commission of a 'European Agenda on Migration', it offers tangible ideas for EU policy action that could meaningfully develop this policy and help address the humanitarian tragedy on the EU's borders.