Presentation and objectives of the Congress  

The Network has decided to convene, at regular intervals, a Congress to contribute to the emergence at European level of a community of researchers specialised in of immigration and asylum law. Rather than multiplying the new initiatives, the objective of the network is to give, in the long term, a European dimension to existing activities (research, conferences, publications) by strengthening the contacts between the relevant persons and institutions in the European Community. To this end, a "Research Forum " will be launched in parallel to the Congress on the Internet site of the Network. 

The first Congress pursues a dual objective: to evaluate in a prospective way the potential offered by the new legal bases of the treaty of Amsterdam (Articles 61 to 63 of the EC treaty) on immigration with respect to ex-article K1 of the Maastricht treaty; to evaluate the standards currently being developed within the European Union in the light of the assessment of the third pillar. The Congress will focus therefore on the material law rather than on institutional affairs. The reports will examine particularly to which extent do the rules which apply to third country nationals differ from those applying to the European citizens in an underlying perspective of the neccesity to comply with the requirements of the European Court of Human Rights' case law. 

The Congress is addressed in particular to junior researchers. The four general reports were prepared by members of the network with the aid of junior researchers. The travel and accommodation expenses of about ten specialised junior research workers could be met thanks to the financial support of DG Research of the European Commission. Those interested are invited to send their curriculum vitae to the network whereby the candidates will be selected.