Common procedures for granting and withdrawing international protection. Recast

The Council looked at the state-of-play of the asylum package on the basis of a presidency paper.

The existing legislative framework in the field of asylum lays down minimum standards. The Commission, in keeping with the commitment to establish the CEAS by 2012, has submitted a series of proposals aimed at greater harmonisation of national asylum systems and higher levels of protection.

These are at different stages in the legislative process:

• Qualification directive: the Council welcomed the fact that the European Parliament endorsed the compromise text agreed in July. This will allow final adoption by the Council in the coming weeks.
• Dublin II system establishing procedures for determining the member state responsible for examining an application for international protection: in September 2011, the Council supported the idea to include in the proposal the concept of an early warning and preparedness process for evaluating the practical functioning of national asylum systems, in the form of an 'asylum evaluation mechanism'. On the so-called 'emergency' or 'suspension mechanism' so far included in the Commission proposal a majority of member states maintained their rejection.
• Eurodac regulation: discussion on amendments to the rules regulating this fingerprint database are on hold awaiting a proposal which would permit law enforcement access.
• Asylum procedures and reception conditions directives: revised proposals were tabled by the Commission on 1 June 2011. Work is ongoing.