Veilige landen van herkomst [Safe countries of origin] : Een internationale vergelijking van de toepassing van het 'veilige landen van herkomst'-concept in asielbeleid [An international comparison of the application of the 'safe countries of origin' concept in asylum policy]

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Eekelschot, Lana

Contributor:

Hochstrasser, Felicitas

Hoorens, Stijn

Nederveen, Fook

Zürcher, Emma

Language:

English

Other Title:

Veilige landen van herkomst [Safe countries of origin]

Place of Publication:

RAND Corporation 2024

Summary:

Note: This report is in Dutch. An English-language summary is available. Asylum procedures can be accelerated in many European countries for asylum seekers from so-called 'safe countries of origin'. Broadly defined, these are countries where it can be demonstrated that there is generally and consistently no persecution, no torture or inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, and no threat by reason of indiscriminate violence in situations of international or internal armed conflict. Asylum seekers from safe countries of origin are assumed to have a low probability of being granted asylum. Most European countries implement safe country of origin policies using a list which contains third countries that have been assessed and subsequently designated as safe. However, these lists differ across Member States, not only in length, but also in terms of the countries included. For instance, some Member States have fewer than 10 safe countries on their list, while others consider nearly 30 countries to be safe. Limited research has thus far been conducted on the reasons for these differences and, therefore, there appears to be a general lack of understanding of European Member States' policies regarding safe countries of origin lists, the procedures for (re)assessments of countries on the list and the justifications for safe country of origin policy choices. Moreover, it is not always clear how such choices affect countries' asylum procedures. The main aim of this study is to provide insight into the application of safe country of origin policies in a selection of EU Member States.