CALL FOR CONTRIBUTIONS
about
The study carries out for the European Commission
(European Refugees Fund) on the

IDENTIFICATION OF VULNERABLE ASYLUM SEEKERS
WITH SPECIAL NEEDS:

Article 17 of the Council Directive 2003/9/EC of 27 January 2003 Laying Down
Minimum Standards for the Reception of Asylum Seekers

The ODYSSEUS Network has been selected through a call for tender by the European Commission to undertake - in closed partnership with ENARO (The European Network of Asylum Reception Organization), the UNHCR (The UN Refugee Agency) and FEDASIL (Federal Agency for Reception Conditions in Belgium) - a study to be finished end of November 2009, on the issue of the identification of vulnerable asylum seekers with special needs. In 2/3 of the Member States of the EU no procedure of identification does exist. This crucial problem derives from the fact that article 17 of the Directive on Reception Conditions is not so clear regarding the obligation of Member States to put in place a procedure of identification. If no specific procedure of identification of vulnerable asylum seekers takes place, the concerned people might not be identified and therefore their special needs remain unsatisfied.

The project intends to analyze the existing legal and/or practical procedures in six Member States which are more advanced such as: Belgium, Finland, Malta, Netherlands, Poland and Spain (Norway is also part of project). In order to gain a full perspective, a national practitioner appointed by ENARO is collaborating closely with a national legal expert from ODYSSEUS or FEDASIL in each of the concerned Member States. Analytical legal and practical questionnaires will be completed by the appointed practitioners and legal experts and a synthesis report will be drafted. The aim of the synthesis report is to address the key questions as well to formulate recommendations and to contribute to the debate which will take place between the Council and the Parliament on the basis of the proposal {1} that the Commission put forward in 2008 in view of the adoption of the Common European Asylum System in 2012. We hope that the results and recommendations of this study will help the EU legislators to adopt relevant provisions on the issue and help Members States to put in place an efficient procedure of identification of vulnerable asylum seekers.
An open conference will be organized in Brussels on 19 November 2009 to present the findings of the study. We are pleased to announce that the results of this study will be published at a later phase.

In order to be informed about the practice and legal aspects of this study all interested parties - involved in migration and refugees matters - can find :

  • Preliminary note,
  • the legal questionnaire,
  • the practical questionnaire,
  • and other documents.

    All are kindly invited to complete them partially or entirely and send it back to us before 31 August 2009.     You may also send us your constructive input apart of the questionnaires. Relevant contributions will be reflected in the synthesis report. We also thank you in advance for helping us with any relevant updated literature/reports published in your country. In addition, if you would like to get the results of this study, please send your request to the indicated email with your relevant data: name, function, organisation and personal details.

    WE HOPE TO BENEFIT FROM YOUR EXPERIENCE. THIS IS A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO REINFORCE NETWORKING BETWEEN NGOS & OTHER STAKEHOLDERS PROTECTING THE RIGHTS OF ASYLUM SEEKERS IN EU.

    We thank you in advance for sending your positive feedback and constructive contribution to ebokshi@skynet.be by indicating “Study on Asylum Seekers with Special Needs”.

    Please book the date 19th of November 2009 and give your contribution directly.     _________________________________________________________
    {1}Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down minimum standards for the reception of asylum seekers, Com (2008) 815 final.