Resumen de Refusal of International Protection Under the EU-Turkey Deal
This article examines the implementation of the EU-Turkey statement of 18 March 2018 in the global context, with a special focus on refusal of protection in Greece. More precisely, it discusses (in)admissibility procedures based on the interpretation of the relevant provisions of the Asylum Procedures Directive regarding the safe third country and first country of asylum concepts, as transposed into national law. Following an examination of the provisions of International Law regarding ‘safe third country’ practices, as well as those of the Asylum Procedures Directive, which is the only legally binding supranational text regulating the application of this concept, it summarizes the available information regarding refugees’ rights in Turkey. In this respect, it focuses on the standards that should govern the collection and verification of information on ‘safe third countries’. Following a short presentation of the applicable Greek legal framework, the article proceeds to a detailed analysis and critique of the examination of asylum applications under the ‘safe third country’ provisions following the EU–Turkey statement. Finally, it draws some conclusions on the impact of the Deal within the broader context of externalization policies and discusses future developments regarding fair responsibility – sharing and prevention of human rights violations.
