Brussels, 28/10/2011 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 26 October, in Strasbourg, MEPs approved the draft directive on asylum qualification, blocked for some time due to differences between the European Parliament and Council on the issue of tables of correspondence. The problem was settled on 20 October this year by the conference of the presidents of EP groups. The text on the qualifications/conditions to be met in order to be granted asylum has still to be formally adopted by the EU Council of Ministers before it can take effect. European home ministers meeting in Luxembourg on Thursday 27 October noted that this deadlock was now broken (the dossier being part of the “asylum package”).
The qualification directive, which was the subject of the report by Jean Lambert (Greens/EFA), clarifies several key notions, such as “actors of protection”, “internal protection” or “membership of a particular social group” in order to enable national authorities to apply the criteria more robustly and to identify persons in need of protection more quickly.
The directive approved also provides for a commitment to take into account the best interests of the child and gender-related aspects when assessing asylum requests and when implementing rules on the international protection content. It harmonises rights granted to refugees and beneficiaries of subsidiary protection with regard to access to employment and health care. It also extends the period of validity of a residence permit issued to a beneficiary of subsidiary protection upon the renewal of the initial residence permit, to two years, following the granting of the status.
These proposals have already been approved in Council and must now be formally adopted in ministerial session during coming weeks, like the project on sanctions against the perpetrators of sexual crimes against children, already endorsed by the Council and approved on 26 October by the EP. (SP/transl.jl)