Reform of the Qualification Directive

Briefing 17-01-2024

The 2015 refugee and migrant crisis in Europe has called into question existing EU legislation on asylum, in particular the criteria according to which applicants for international protection can qualify for refugee or subsidiary protection status, as recognised in the Qualification Directive. Although national asylum rules are more closely aligned than they were, major differences in approach persist across the EU. This can lead asylum-seekers to claim refuge in Member States whose asylum systems appear to be more generous, rather than in the Member State officially responsible for their asylum applications. The Commission's proposal of 13 July 2016 proposes to replace the Qualification Directive with a regulation, setting uniform standards for the recognition of people in need of protection and for the rights granted to beneficiaries of international protection. The Parliament and the Council reached provisional agreement on the text in June 2018. After being blocked since 2018, the two institutions reached a final agreement on the regulation on 15 December 2022. However, the agreed text has not been formally adopted, pending progress on other related proposals in the asylum and migration field. Third edition. The 'EU Legislation in Progress' briefings are updated at key stages throughout the legislative procedure.