Legal Basis

EU Asylum Legislation and Policy

The European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) plays an integral role in helping EU Member States apply the package of EU laws that comprise the Common European Asylum System (CEAS).

The CEAS establishes the legally binding rules and procedures that Member States must follow to guarantee that the rights of applicants for international protection are fully respected in Europe, in accordance with the 1951 Geneva Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol thereto.

On this page, you can learn more about the legal basis for the Agency’s work as well as consult the different laws that make up the EU’s legislation in the area of international protection. Other key texts, including those governing the EU’s most important migration management processes, as well as the Geneva Convention itself, can also be consulted here.

Legal Basis:

Common European Asylum System

  • Directive 2001/55/EC on minimum standards for giving temporary protection in the event of a mass influx of displaced persons
  • Directive 2011/95/EU on standards for the qualification of third-country nationals or stateless persons as beneficiaries of international protection
  • Directive 2013/32/EU on common procedures for granting and withdrawing international protection
  • Directive 2013/33/EU laying down standards for the reception of applicants for international protection
  • Regulation EU No 603/2013 establishing "Eurodac” for comparison of fingerprints for the effective application of the "Dublin Regulation"
  • Regulation (EU) No 604/2013 establishing the criteria and mechanisms for determining the Member State responsible for examining an application for international protection [the Dublin Regulation]
  • Regulation (EU) No 118/2014 laying down detailed rules for the application of the “Dublin Regulation”

 

The European Commission has proposed updates to these legal texts, with its Pact on Migration and Asylum. Negotiations between lawmakers are ongoing, and this section will be updated as appropriate.

EU Migration Legislation (Other)

 

International Conventions