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This thesis investigates how a change in the municipal asylum seeker share affects voting for the Sweden Democrats (SD), a far-right anti-immigration party, in both national Parliament and Municipal Council elections in Sweden. To circumvent the endogeneity problem, I use an instrumental variables strategy where the share of available apartments in Allmännyttan is used as an instrument for the municipal share of asylum seekers living in Migration Agency provided accommodation (ABO). I have exploited municipal level panel data on municipality characteristics, allocations of asylum seekers and national elections. I am not able to find support for any effect of a change in the municipal share of asylum seekers on voting for the Sweden Democrats. Consequently, I cannot provide any support for either the group position theory or the contact hypothesis.

In the light of the current refugee crisis in the European Union, and the remarkably critical stance the East Central European states are taking in Brussels, this research contributes to a broader understanding of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Poland's policies towards refugees. By scrutinizing the process of developing refugee policies during the 1990s and 2000s, the research will demonstrate that the countries united in the V4 platform in their first years of transition generously contributed to international refugee protection. Steep increase of asylum applicants and negotiation talks with the EU in the late 1990s brought various changes to the refugee policies in the region, marked by more closely defining and the enhancing of asylum seekers' and recognized refugees' rights, but also by lower refugee recognition rates. Accession to the European Union ultimately resulted in more complete and comprehensive asylum policies in line with the Common European Asylum System (CEAS). However, the V4 states maintained rather restrictive interpretations of the European policy, explained by the pressure the CEAS places on the states at the EU's external border and lower economic capacity to accommodate large numbers of refugees. Recent developments are mostly the result of political exploitation...

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The thesis deals with procedure of asylum and additional protection granting in the Czech Republic. The thesis focuses on characteristic features of the process; primarily the proceeding the application of protection and asylum granting by official authorities. To a certain extent, the thesis copes with substantive law; it defines terms of refugee and asylum law. It enumerates and characterizes the mentioned terms in connection with the process of the asylum and protection granting in the Czech Republic. Impact of the European Union law on the Czech internal law is also discussed.

La crise du droit d’asile au sein de l’Union Européenne fait aujourd’hui l’objet de préoccupations récurrentes. En plus de celle-ci, les personnes qui recherchent une protection dans l’ « espace de liberté, de sécurité et de justice » de l’Union, se trouvent face à une autre crise, celle du droit à l’asile. A partir de ce constat, il est apparu pertinent de s’interroger sur les droits des demandeurs d’asile dans le cadre du régime d’asile européen commun (RAEC). Plus précisément, il s’agit de l’étude de l’effectivité des droits confrontés aux obstacles d’accès à l’Union Européenne et aux procédures d’asile de ses Etats membres, des droits liés à la procédure d’examen des demandes d’asile et des droits dont les personnes disposent pendant cet examen. La protection de ces droits, en plus du problème traditionnel de la mise en oeuvre des engagements internationaux au niveau national, a été confrontée à un nouveau régime régional ainsi qu’à une harmonisation ambiguë. A travers l’étude des droits, cette recherche vise à démontrer les causes de la crise et à proposer éventuellement des solutions orientées vers le respect du Droit International pour sortir de celle-ci, afin de contribuer à l’amélioration de la condition des demandeurs d’asile dans l’espace européen. A cet effet, notre approche est également comparatiste car l’examen des deux exemples concrets sert d’outil d’analyse, de réflexion et enfin d’évaluation du RAEC, qui a commencé à répartir les charges au sein de l’Union Européenne par le mécanisme de Dublin avant que les procédures d’examen des demandes d’asile ainsi que les conditions d’accueil dans les Etats membres aient été harmonisées. Une analyse de droit comparé entre deux Etats membres, en l’espèce la France et la Grèce, nous semble en effet s’imposer, afin de démontrer les enjeux actuels de l’harmonisation européenne en matière d’asile et d’éclairer les défis de la protection des droits. / The crisis of asylum law within the European Union is currently the subject of recurring concerns. In addition to that, people who seek protection in the "area of freedom, security and justice" of the European Union, face another crisis, that of the right to asylum. Following this observation, it seems relevant to consider the rights of asylum seekers under the Common European Asylum System (CEAS). More specifically, we study the effectiveness of rights before the obstacles of access to the European Union and its Member States’ asylum procedures, the rights related to the procedure for examining asylum applications and the rights accorded during this examination. The protection of these rights, in addition to the traditional problem of the implementation of international commitments at national level, was faced with a new regional system as well as an ambiguous harmonization. Through the study of human rights, this research aims to demonstrate the causes of the crisis, to propose possible solutions oriented to the respect of international law and contribute to the improvement of the status of asylum seekers in the European space. To this end, our approach is also comparative because the examination of two concrete examples is useful for analysis, reflection and finally evaluation of the CEAS, which began to distribute the burden in the European Union by the Dublin mechanism before the examination procedures and reception conditions in the member states have been harmonized. A comparative law analysis between two member states, France and Greece, it seems to be necessary in order to demonstrate the current challenges of European harmonization on asylum and illuminate the challenges of rights’ protection.Keywords :

Governments around the world use immigration detention to detain and deport irregular immigrants, which negatively affects their health. The aim of this thesis was to explore, describe and identify factors that could mitigate the effect of immigration detention on the health of detainees. This was a mixed method study using qualitative methods (Papers I and II), quantitative methods (Paper III) and descriptive case comparison (Paper IV) comparing the Swedish system to the system in the Benelux countries (Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg). The study design was strengthened by triangulation of methods and data sources. Detainees experienced lack of control over their own lives due to lack of information in a language they can understand, inadequate responses from detention staff and restrictions within detention centers further limiting their liberty. Duration of detention was negatively associated with satisfaction of services provided in detention and the detainees’ Quality of Life (QOL). Detainees had low QOL domain scores with the psychological domain having the lowest score (41.9/100). The most significant factor positively associated with the QOL of detainees was the support received from detention staff. A sense of fear was present among detainees and staff. Detainees’ fear was due to their inadequate interaction with authorities, perceiving it as threatening, and due to their worry of facing repercussions of being involved in incidents caused by others. The potential for physical threat from detainees created a sense of fear among the staff. The detention staff expressed the need for more support to manage their emotional dilemma and role conflict of being a civil servant, simultaneously enabling the deportation process while providing humane care to detainees as fellow human beings. Detention centers in the Benelux countries had more categories of staff providing different services to detainees. Compared to the Benelux countries, healthcare services at the Swedish detention centers were limited. Detainees were offered no medical screening on arrival and no regular access to mental healthcare professionals. Detaining authorities have the obligation to safeguard the health of detainees. Challenges faced by the detention staff and detainees must be addressed to create a supportive environment and fulfill that obligation.

Šio darbo tikslas yra ištirti ES prieglobsčio politikos įgyvendinimą Lietuvoje instituciniu ir teisiniu aspektais. Darbe yra tiriama ES prieglobsčio politikos teisinė bazė, išskiriant pagrindinius šią politiką reglamentuojančius teisės aktus ir įgyvendinančias institucijas. Taip pat yra atliekama dabartinės Lietuvos prieglobsčio politikos situacijos analizė bei nagrinėjama kaip Lietuvoje yra harmonizuojami be įgyvendinami ES prieglobsčio politikos teisės aktai. Empiriniu tyrimu buvo siekiama įvertinti ES prieglobsčio politikos įgyvendinimo Lietuvoje institucinės ir teisinės bazės probleminius aspektus. Šiuo metu yra įgyvendinamas antrasis BEPS kūrimo etapas, kuriuo yra numatyta iki 2015 m. liepos mėn. galutinai suvienodinti ES valstybių narių prieglobsčio sistemas. Lietuvos narystė ES nebuvo reikšmingas kriterijus pabėgėlių srautų padidėjimui šalyje, Lietuva tapo patraukli kaip tranzito valstybė. Didžioji dalis ES prieglobsčio direktyvų nuostatų atsispindi UTPĮ, tačiau jų yra ir poįstatyminiuose teisės aktuose. Dalies ES prieglobsčio direktyvų nuostatos yra perkeltos teisingai, tačiau kai kuriose srityse direktyvos turėjo neigiamą poveikį, ypač dėl papildomų pabėgėlio statuso netaikymo ir pasibaigimo nuostatų. Vertinant iš kitos pusės ES prieglobsčio direktyvų įgyvendinimas turėjo teigiamą poveikį, kaip, pavyzdžiui, nemokamos teisinės pagalbos prieglobsčio prašytojams įteisinimas, įvestos platesnės galimybės pasinaudoti švietimo ir sveikatos apsaugos sistema ir pan... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The aim of this paper is to analyse the implementation of EU asylum policy in Lithuania by institutional and legal aspects. This paper analyses the legal basis of EU asylum policy, marking the main laws which regulate EU asylum policy and its implementing institutions. It also examines the current situation of Lithuanian asylum policy and how the legal basis of EU asylum policy is harmonized and implemented in Lithuanian system. The empirical research was aimed at evaluating the problemical aspects of institutional and legal basis in the implementation of EU asylum policy in Lithuania. At the moment the second stage of common EU asylum policy system is being exercised. In conformity with it, the main asylum system procedures in EU member states should be equalized by July 2015. Lithuania‘s EU memebership was not a significant criterion for the increase of refugees‘ flows in the country but Lithuania has become attractive as a transit country. The main part of the provisions of EU asylum directives reflect in the law on the legal status of foreigners, though they also reflect in secondary legislation acts. The most of provisions are transfered correctly, however in some areas directives has had a negative impact, especially concerning the provisions about additional refugee status. On the other hand, the implementation of EU asylum directives has provided a positive effect in such areas as the validation of free legal assistance to asylum seekers, introducing wider... [to full text]

A major objective of the Human Rights Act (HRA) was to bring about a culture of rights in the UK. Its introduction fore-grounded questions about the use of rights to advance social justice issues and was the impetus for this research. At about the same as the Act came into effect another law, Section 55, an antithesis of what the HRA promised, was passed which forced thousands of asylum-seekers into destitution. Section 55 became a major battleground pitting non-governmental organisations (NGOs) against the Home Office in a three-year long campaign, characterised by rancour and viciousness, unlike any in recent memory. The NGOs, with the new HRA as a key part of their strategy, defeated the legislation. This thesis, a bottom-up case study of rights at work, examines the role of rights in the campaign to assess (1) if rights brought about social changes and (2) is a culture of rights developing in the UK? The paper first considers the various theoretical frameworks on rights and social change and analyses various case studies of rights at work. Context is important; therefore, it also examines how asylum has come to be framed in present-day discourse, with an overview on the evolution of welfare as a coercive measure. The study, framed against current events of the day, concludes that while test-case challenges eventually defeated Section 55 welfare as a coercive measure continues. In short, the HRA has proven to be ineffective against illiberal policies and the development of a culture of rights, insofar as asylum is concerned, has stalled. And it has happened with deliberation by a government determined to be tough on asylum irrespective of the HRA.

The aim of the thesis is to analyse asylum law of the European Union with focus on the changes, which introduced the Treaty of Lisbon. The paper describes development of the EU asylum law, establishing of the Common European Asylum System (CAES) and changes that Lisbon Treaty introduced in comparison with the former regulation. The text also deals with the right to asylum, which is established in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU. The thesis is divided into 7 chapters. In the first part of the paper the author follows historical development of the asylum law of the European Union and beginning of the harmonization until adoption of the Amsterdam Treaty. The second chapter is dedicated to the establishment of the CAES, which more than 10 years ago became main priority of the asylum policy of the EU and which aims to harmonize asylum laws of the Member States and therefore ensure a unified application not only of international, but also of European legislation from this area. Recent major changes in the structure and functioning of the European Union, which were introduced by the Lisbon Treaty, are in general outlined in the third chapter of this paper. Detailed description of changes is presented in the next chapter, which is divided into section according to the institutions. Each...