Refugee resettlement programmes in the EU: current trends and the repercussions in Spain

Setting up legal and safe pathways to the European Union is a crucial part of the reform of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS), and resettlement programmes are one of the most relevant instruments in this regard. This paper examines the measures and recent proposals on resettlement adopted in the European Union, demonstrating: a) that resettlement must continue to be humanitarian in nature and complement accessing international protection; and b) that it cannot be an argument for adopting more restrictive policies towards asylum applications made in national territory. This paper also assesses the impact of EU resettlement policies in Spain, which underwent a significant shift with the adoption of Asylum Law 12/2009 and the introduction of an annual national resettlement programme.

Key Words: EU, asylum, resettlement, international protection, pathways, Dublin Regulation, Spain

DOI: doi.org/10.24241/AnuarioCIDOBInmi.2018.262

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