Dublin Convention

The Dublin Convention (or sometimes the Dublin accords) is a European Union (EU) law to streamline the application process for refugees seeking political asylum under the Geneva Convention, as amended by the New York Protocol. The intent is to clarify which member state is responsible for any particular asylum seeker, and ensure that at least one member state deals with the application.

One of the principal aims is to prevent an applicant from submitting applications in multiple member states. Generally, someone seeking asylum is required to apply in the member state first entered. Another aim to reduce the number of "orbiting" asylum seekers, who are shuttled from member state to member state.

The Convention was signed in Dublin, Ireland on 15 June 1990, and first came into force on 1 September 1997 for the first twelve signatories, on 1 October 1997 for Austria and Sweden, and on 1 January 1998 for Finland. Recently, the treaty has been extended to some countries outside the Union. Switzerland has become a signatory to the Convention and will submit it to a referendum for ratification.

External links

• Text of the Dublin Convention
• European Council on Refugees and Exiles position on the Convention
• Fact sheet from the Irish Refugee Council