Abstract
This chapter examines the definition of refugees in Germany. The German Refugee Law is, as in other parts of the world, influenced by both European Law and international agreements.
German asylum policies could not be understood without developments in European law. Since the first steps towards a European Community were taken, domestic regulations and laws have been continuously influenced by European agreements; at the beginning, the aim may have been European economic harmony instead of the promotion of common law. However, this was also the first-time sovereign states transferred power to another institution. Moreover, European states started to coordinate their law-making to achieve a consensus. In light of the Second World War, an astonishing but necessary development took place.
This article will investigate and demonstrate the steps taken during the development of the German definition of refugees and the legal process involved.
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Notes
- 1.
Article 1, Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, 1951.
- 2.
Article 14, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948.
- 3.
Council Directive 2004/83/EC of 29 April 2004, Official Journal L 304, 30/09/2004 P. 0012–0023.
- 4.
Tampere European Council 15 and 16 October 1999, Presidency Conclusions, http://www.europarl.europa.eu/summits/tam_en.htm.
- 5.
Tampere (1999).
- 6.
Tampere (1999).
- 7.
Tampere (1999).
- 8.
Tampere (1999).
- 9.
Council Regulation (EC) No. 343/2003.
- 10.
Council Regulation (EC) No. 2007/2004.
- 11.
EUR-Lex-j10036-EN, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=LEGISSUM:jl0036.
- 12.
Council Directive 2003/9/EC of 27 January 2003 laying down minimum standards for the reception of asylum seekers, Official Journal L 031, 06/02/2003 P. 0018–0025.
- 13.
Council Directive 2004/83/EC of 29 April 2004 on minimum standards for the qualification and status of third country nationals or stateless persons as refugees or as persons who otherwise need international protection and the content of the protection granted, Official Journal of the European Union, L 304/12.
- 14.
Council Directive 2005/85/EC of 1 December 2005 on minimum standards on procedures in Member States for granting and withdrawing refugee status, Official Journal of the European Union, L 326/13.
- 15.
An Aufenthaltserlaubnis is a temporary residence permit and is given for 3 years, bounded to a purpose regulated through law (§ 7-8, AufenthG).
- 16.
A Niederlassungserlaubnis is a permanent residence permit (§9 AufenthG).
- 17.
See §3, 1 AsylG and BGBl. 1953 II S. 559, 560, https://www.bgbl.de/xaver/bgbl/start.xav?start=//*%5B@attr_id=%27bgbl253019.pdf%27%5D#__bgbl__%2F%2F*%5B%40attr_id%3D%27bgbl253019.pdf%27%5D__1525095561304.
- 18.
See Duchrow (2004), p. 339.
- 19.
Until that time, German courts argued that a chasing had to come from a governmental actor. Even in court decisions of the Bundesverwaltungsgericht, this view was confirmed. For example, see BVerwGE 95, 42.
- 20.
See Duchrow (2004), p. 340.
- 21.
See Gesetz zur Umsetzung aufenthalts- und asylrechtlicher Richtlinien der Europäischen Union, BGBl. I S. 1970.
- 22.
Directive 2011/95/EU of the European Parliament and of the on standards for the qualification of third-country nationals or stateless persons as beneficiaries of international protection, for a uniform status for refugees or for persons eligible for subsidiary protection, and for the content of the protection granted (recast) of 13 December 2011, Official Journal of the European Union, L 337/9.
- 23.
See § 60, 7 AufenthG.
- 24.
See § 3 AsylG.
- 25.
See § 16a GG.
References
Bundesgesetzblatt Teil II 1953 Nr. 19 vom 24.11.1953 Komplette Ausgabe. https://www.bgbl.de/xaver/bgbl/start.xav?start=//*%5B@attr_id=%27bgbl253019.pdf%27%5D#__bgbl__%2F%2F*%5B%40attr_id%3D%27bgbl253019.pdf%27%5D__1525095561304
Duchrow, J. (2004). Flüchtlingsrecht und Zuwanderungsgesetz unter Berücksichtigung der sog. Qualifikationsrichtlinie. ZAR, 10.
Presidency Conclusions. (1999). Tampere European Council 15 and 16 October 1999. http://www.europarl.europa.eu/summits/tam_en.htm
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Saja, N., Seefried, S. (2019). Refugee. In: Bartolini, A., Cippitani, R., Colcelli, V. (eds) Dictionary of Statuses within EU Law. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-00554-2_60
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