Conference Examines Application of European Refugee Law

Posted on: 23 January 2014

A range of experts in international refugee law recently addressed a conference on EU asylum law organised by Trinity College Dublin’s Irish Centre for European Law and the Irish Refugee Council. The conference was attended by judges, civil servants and academics from 18 EU countries who came together to examine and review the way in which European refugee law is being applied across the European Union.

Speakers at the conference included Guy Goodwin-Gill, Professor of International Refugee Law at Oxford University; Mr Justice Bernard McCloskey, High Court Judge in Northern Ireland and President of the UK Upper Tribunal of the Asylum and Immigration Chamber; Nuala Mole, Senior Lawyer and Founder of the Advice on Individual Rights in Europe Centre; Judge Lars Bay Larsen, Court of Justice of the European Union; and Adriano Silvestri, EU Fundamental Rights Agency.

The conference, which took place on January 17th and 18th, was organised under the auspices of the European Database of Asylum Law (EDAL) which is co-ordinated by the Irish Refugee Council. EDAL and the conference are supported by the European Commission through the European Refugee Fund.

Speaking about the conference, Dr Nathy Dunleavy, Director of the Irish Centre for European Law at Trinity, stated: “The Irish Centre for European Law was delighted to support this important conference on EU Asylum Law. The conference saw over 150 delegates come to Dublin from throughout the European Union and it was extremely interesting for delegates to hear about the way in which different countries are applying EU law in this politically sensitive area.”

Aoife Gillespie BL, Director of EDAL added: “We were delighted to welcome colleagues from across the EU all of whom have an interest in the practice of refugee law.  The conference provided an opportunity to assess the progress that has been made in harmonising asylum law across the EU and to highlight where we can make progress together.”