Brussels, 07/05/2015 (Agence Europe) - EU asylum applications for unaccompanied minors should be processed in the country where the child is present, even if this is not where the child first applied, explained the Civil Liberties Committee when it adopted a report on one of the aspects of the Dublin Regulation that had not been finalised in 2013.
In a report by Cecilia Wikström (ALDE, Sweden) adopted by 49 votes in favour, with 3 against, MEPs amended the Dublin Regulation whose general line is that the member state responsible for a request for asylum is the one in which the candidate first entered the EU and was registered there. MEPs asserted that “it is the member state where the minor is present which should be responsible for processing the asylum application, so as to avoid unnecessary transfers of children.” The MEPs claim that the current regulation is not clear on this subject and say that “it should be where the minor has lodged his or her application, but not whether this should be the country where the minor first applied for asylum or, in cases where more than one application is made, the country where the minor is present”.
According to the amendments introduced by the committee, it is the member state where the minor is present which should be responsible for processing the asylum application, so as to avoid unnecessary transfers of children and ensure a swift decision on the application, in line with the overriding principle of the child's best interest. The only possible exception to this principle should be if an individual assessment shows that it would be in the best interest of the child to go to another country
“Unaccompanied minors are very vulnerable and the best interest of the child must always come first. I am extremely happy that the committee supports this view”, explained Cecilia Wikström, adding that, “The position of the European Parliament is clear: children should not be pushed around between member states”. This vote gives Wikström a mandate for beginning negotiations with the Council. (Solenn Paulic)