The thesis analyses the negotiations at the 1996-97 Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) of the European Union (EU) and outlines an array of ideas, interests and issues at stake for the actors involved. The thesis has three objectives: (1) to explain the 1996-97 IGC negotiations which led to the Amsterdam Treaty, (2) to identify the key players throughout this process and (3) to examine the concept and characteristics of the EU IGC. This thesis aims to provide both breadth and depth in its analysis, presenting an overview of almost all the significant topics on the IGC agenda while focusing on three major issue areas: institutional reform. Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) and Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). At the same it concentrates on the governments of Britain, France and Germany, while outlining the positions of all other governments and the European institutions. The thesis has three basic lines of argumentation. The first argues that the 1996-97 IGC was an incremental process where member governments often had poorly defined objectives, leaving the process to drift along with little direction for the greater part of the sixteen months. In turn governments either drifted into agreement without being fully aware of the consequences of their decisions, or they postponed taking decisions on difficult and divisive issues until a future IGC or the post-negotiation phase. The second argument relates to the key players in the IGC process. While all member governments played a role in the IGC process the most influential actor was the Dutch Presidency, followed by the Irish Presidency and the French, British and German governments. Given that the Presidencies played such an important role it is also possible to gain some insight to the 'behind the scenes' role of the Council Secretariat. Finally, there were also occasions when the Commission also proved influential. The third strand of argumentation relates to the concept of the IGC, arguing that since the first Conference the IGC has evolved, being gradually institutionalised into the European Union.

Denna uppsats ämnar att undersöka arbetet med den gemensamma asyl policyn inom EU.Beslutet för policyn togs 1999 vid EU mötet i Finska Tammerfors och började med en plan på fem år.Jag vill i denna studie se vad som har hänt sedan 1999 och effekten av detta på personer som söker asyl inom EU:s gränser. Detta är ett interdisciplinärt arbete genom att jag ser på faktorer som de legala utvecklingarna genom vilka lagar som presenterats och implementerats samt ett frågeformulär som jag sänt till personer som jobbar för organisationer i samarbete med the European Council for Refugees and Exiles för att få deras syn på utvecklingen. Jag presenterar även statistik och diagram från the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees för att illustrera mönster i utvecklingen av migrationsmönster. Utgångspunkten för harmoniseringen är att alla Medlems Stater ska behandla ansökningar om asyl på ett likvärdigt sätt, men under nuvarande omständigheter verkar det som att det finns stora skillnader i antalet ansökningar, antalet erkända flyktingar och vilken status som godkänns inom EU:s medlemsländer.Dublin regulationen uppfattas som ett orättvist verktyg mot asylsökanden eftersom staterna har olikheter i erkännandet och olika status för flyktingar. EU:s medlemsländer har en ganska lång väg kvar i harmoniseringsarbetet innan de kan hävda att de har likvärdig hantering av asylsökanden. / The aim of this study is to investigate the development of the Common European Asylum System which was called for at the Tampere European Council in 1999. The intention was to harmonize the legal standards of asylum seekers and refugees and coordinating the policies Thus, with this study I want to give an account as to what has happened so far and what effect this might have had on asylum seekers in the Member States of the European Union.This is done through an interdisciplinary approach by looking at the developments in the legal section as to what laws have been passed and implemented so far but also with a questionnaire sent to organizations working in connection to European Council for Refugees and Exiles aiming to understand their perception of the harmonization process. Further, I present statistics and diagrams taken from statistic publications of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in order to illustrate patterns in the history of migration as to trends and patterns.The main idea of the harmonization process is that all Member States should treat asylum applications in a similar way. However at present there still seems to be major differences in the numbers of applications, the recognition rates and what status granted between the Member States of the European Union. The Dublin Regulation is perceived as an unjust tool against the asylum seekers since states have differences in the recognition and statuses. The Member States of the European Union still have a very long way to go in this harmonization process to claim equal treatment of asylum seekers.

Unter Diversity (dt.: Vielfalt) wird die Heterogenität und Diversifizierung sozialer Lebenslagen und sozialer Zugehörigkeiten verstanden, die in Folge von unter anderem Migrationsbewegungen, veränderten Geschlechterbeziehungen und der Pluralisierung von Familienformen in westlichen Gesellschaften zunehmen bzw. stärker thematisiert werden als zuvor. Dabei ist eine Lesart vorherrschend, die Diversity als gesellschaftliche und besonders als ökonomische Ressource, als Potenzial, betrachtet.

Genderkompetenz umfasst die Fähigkeit und Motivation zur kritischen Reflexion sozialer, geschlechtsbezogener Zuschreibungen auf Grundlage des Wissens über ihre Entstehung und ihre gesellschaftlichen Auswirkungen sowie zu einer Anwendung des Wissens, mit welcher das eigene Handeln zu einem Abbau von Ungleichheiten in den Geschlechterverhältnissen beiträgt. Kritisiert werden u. a. eine Beliebigkeit des Begriffs und die Individualisierung struktureller Gründe sozialer Ungleichheit, die vor allem durch den Bezug zum Kompetenzbegriff naheliegt.

Genderkompetenz umfasst die Fähigkeit und Motivation zur kritischen Reflexion sozialer, geschlechtsbezogener Zuschreibungen auf Grundlage des Wissens über ihre Entstehung und ihre gesellschaftlichen Auswirkungen sowie zu einer Anwendung des Wissens, mit welcher das eigene Handeln zu einem Abbau von Ungleichheiten in den Geschlechterverhältnissen beiträgt. Kritisiert werden u. a. eine Beliebigkeit des Begriffs und die Individualisierung struktureller Gründe sozialer Ungleichheit, die vor allem durch den Bezug zum Kompetenzbegriff naheliegt.

My thesis is based on description of asylum policy of Czech Republic after year 1989, as well as the fact about influence of entering Czech Republic in EU, according to asylum policy and the number of immigrants. There is a description of immigration after year 1989. There is also a description of the number of immigrants and the common view of these questions. This situation is compared with the situation in similar Belgium. The main purpose of my thesis is to make description in the domain of immigration in both countries and further comparation in the domain of asylum policy, the number of immigrants and their nationality origin. My thesis also includes common asylum and migration policy of EU. According to a fact that immigration to Belgium started earlier and that Belgium is called the "Land of asylum", this country was always very attractive destination with many new opportunities and better standards of life. There was also a big immigration influence to local culture. There is a big difference between Belgium and Czech Republic, because Czech Republic has not had yet open approach to other nationalities. The immigration to Czech Republic started much later and there is no important influence to czech culture. The nationalities of incoming immigrants to both countries are also different.

Unter Diversity (dt.: Vielfalt) wird die Heterogenität und Diversifizierung sozialer Lebenslagen und sozialer Zugehörigkeiten verstanden, die in Folge von unter anderem Migrationsbewegungen, veränderten Geschlechterbeziehungen und der Pluralisierung von Familienformen in westlichen Gesellschaften zunehmen bzw. stärker thematisiert werden als zuvor. Dabei ist eine Lesart vorherrschend, die Diversity als gesellschaftliche und besonders als ökonomische Ressource, als Potenzial, betrachtet.