Regulation 604/2013 (Dublin Regulation) and asylum procedures in Europe: Implementation Appraisal

Briefing 14-04-2016

The review of the implementation of the Dublin legislation shows that the weaknesses identified since its inception remain, i.e. most of the transfers agreed by MS under the Dublin system do not take place. It is also unclear whether the system has had any effect on secondary movement which has remained at around 15%. As long as differences between MS asylum processes and socio-economic conditions remain, and as long as MS continue to centre their concerns on the national impact of migration, the Dublin system on its own is unlikely to work. In the absence of more detailed information on how the re-distribution mechanism suggested by the European Commission would work in practice, it is difficult to assess whether the proposals would effectively address the shortcomings of the Dublin system.