"2012 is almost tomorrow"
![](http://www.eutrio.be/files/bveu/imagecache/node_main_img/warnand-2010914-32.jpg ""2012 is almost tomorrow"")
Under the Belgian Presidency of the European Union, Mr Melchior Wathelet, Belgian Secretary of State for Migration and Asylum, has chaired in Brussels on 13 and 14 September a European Ministerial Conference on ‘Quality and Efficiency in the asylum process’.
For Mr Wathelet, the establishment of a Common European Asylum Policy by 2012 is still the main policy objective: ‘The Stockholm Programme is an ambitious programme. Realisation of the programme is a challenge requiring participation of all Member States. The Belgian Presidency is resolutely committed to a Common Asylum Policy combining solidarity and responsibility. Now is the time to act, and mobilisation of all actors is needed’.
Every asylum seeker, whichever Member State assesses his/her application, has to enjoy the same rights, the same guarantees and the same quality of assessment. This is a major goal as it will help to limit secondary movements and ‘asylum shopping’ within the EU.
The asylum process should guarantee high protection standards corresponding to the EU’s fundamental values and at the same time an efficient decision-making system should be established to ensure correct decisions, positive or negative, in the shortest possible time.
The fact that a high level debate on these issues took place between Member States, EU institutions, the UNHCR and many civil society representatives is an important signal. The conference moreover led to a concrete discussion on cooperation, for instance regarding the access to and exchange of country of origin information between Member States.
The European Asylum Support Office will soon be operational. The conference has established the Office’s priorities: training of asylum officers and support of Member States under particular pressure.
During the conference, the need to harmonise legislation has also been stressed to restore confidence between Member States. Intra-European solidarity should also be reinforced.
