Asylum

Asylum and refugee issues, Asylum Policy in the European Union, Information on Countries of Origin, Resettlement 

Asylum and refugee issues

Asylum and refugee issues are terms that are very close in purpose – both fulfil humanitarian purposes in order to protect foreigners from persecution by state authorities based on various reasons.

The rules for granting national recognised refugee status are defined by each state. The situation is a bit different in the case of refugees – the applicable rules are contextually defined in the provision of international treaties, specifically the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees (1951) and the associated New York Protocol (1967), also known as the Geneva Convention. Just on this basis, it is apparent that the concept of a refugee is actually a contemporary institution and is of a contractual nature (countries are contractually bound to provide protection). As far as granting recognised refugee status is concerned, it is a very old institution that dates back to antiquity and the Middle Ages. The concept of a refugee is much newer – it was first mentioned no more than one century ago.

Today, the instrument of asylum/ the concept of a refugee is applied in one form or another by 144 of the world’s countries, often in the form of constitutional acts. In the case of the Czech Republic, the applicable provisions are embedded in Article 43 of its Charter of Fundamental Rights and Basic Freedoms.

As a member state of the European Union, the Czech Republic has, amongst other things, bound itself to cooperate in the area of asylum and refugee issues. Asylum, together with subsidiary protection, both fall under the term international protection and are a constant and very current issue for the Czech Republic as well as for the European Union as a whole. As a result, for the past twenty years the member states of the European Union have been striving to bring their polices closer towards a common and effective asylum system.