Brussels, 26/03/2007 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission does not intend to introduce any significant changes to the Dublin II regulation that allows member states to send asylum seekers back to countries where they first entered the European Union. An assessment focusing on the Dublin II (2003) and Eurodac (2000) regulations, as well as on the measures for applying them, will be made public in April, in the form of a Communication. This document will be of a technical nature and will focus on shortcomings in existing instruments. It is expected to lead to the Commission slightly amending current legislation. One European source explained to Europe confidentially that “at the end of the assessment, some amendments could be adopted quite quickly at a level of implementing regulation”. Amendments will focus on how to decide more quickly what state is responsible for the asylum request, the deadlines for sending information from one member state to another, simplification of mechanisms on family unity and practicalities of the Eurodac system. The Commission considers this assessment as the first stage towards the second phase of the European common asylum system, which is expected to come out in 2010. Another stage will begin in June when the Commission publishes a Green Paper that will tackle the political aspects of the Dublin system. Concrete proposals will be made in the first half of 2008. A European source stressed that “the application of the system currently poses a problem in certain member states. This is why a higher level of harmonisation is required, together with efficient measures for protecting asylum seekers”. The same source did not rule out “other alternatives” being substituted for the system in force. (bc)