The Development of Subsidiary Protection of Refugees in the European Union up to 2004.

Abstract

Abstract: The purpose of the Common European Asylum System was to harmonize the regional protection regimes within the European Union. As part of this harmonization, the newly developed subsidiary protection status aimed at a common standard for protection beyond the 1951 Refugee Convention. is article explores the development of this status up to the implementation of the "rst Quali"cation Directive in 2004. In elaborating the key points in the debate on asylum, the article identi"es two different groups of member states. States with a higher level of protection prior to the harmonization process tended to push for tighter legal restrictions. The states of central and eastern Europe, however, tried to keep as much decision-making power as possible at the national level. The compromise harmonized the qualification criteria of the new status while keeping legal obligations vague.