The draft European Directive on asylum “does not ensure adequate protection to genuine refugees” and “violates the right of asylum seekers to have each of their applications evaluated individually”. The allegation is made by five Christian organizations, which have appealed to the Council of Ministers of the European Union for this draft to be amended in its session on 19 February. Caritas Europe, the Commission of the Churches for Migrants in Europe (CCME), the secretariat of the Commission of the episcopates of the European Union (COMECE), the Service of the Jesuits for refugees in Europe and the Council of European Affairs of the Quakers have expressed their concern, in particular, about two provisions in the draft Directive in question. The first would permit member states to implement negative decisions on asylum applications, in spite of the appeals lodged by the asylum seekers against them. “If the Directive does not authorize the suspension of the decisions pending appeal, this would place the refugees in difficulty and undermine the rule of law, one of the Union’s fundamental values”, say the organizations in a letter sent to EU Ministers. As for the list of “safe third countries” where, according to the Directive, asylum seekers could return without any risk to their safety, the said organizations reply that “no country may be called safe in an absolute sense”. “A just, transparent and efficient asylum procedure is essential for the effective protection of refugees”, conclude the Christian organizations, which ask the Ministers of Justice and Home Affairs of EU member states to reject the directive in the event of the failure to adopt the appropriate amendments. At the beginning of 2003 there were over two million refugees and some 500,000 asylum seekers in Europe.
