The European migration and asylum policy has been shaped by efforts to establish an efficient migration management system in order to protect the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice from the new security threat of "irregular migration". The extraterritorialisation of immigration control measures beyond territorial borders form part of this strategy and the EU-Turkey deal and the call for an increased cooperation with Northern Africa are but two examples. Pre-border control mechanisms composed of administrative, legislative and operational measures, are largely perceived as effective means to channel flows of migrants avoiding logistical and financial burdens for Member States. However, from a legal perspective, this shift to extraterritorial activities raises important questions related to the creation of zones in which responsibilities for legal norms related to the protection of refugees may be circumvented by States or any other actors involved in migration control activities. 'Protecting the Rights of Refugees Beyond European Borders' tries to reconcile the motives behind extraterritorialisation strategies with actual legal consequences. It carefully examines the legal frameworks that govern situations in which a migrant meets an authority in the context of extraterritorial immigration control measures.

In times of the proclaimed 'refugee crisis' this book aims to shed light on human rights and refugee law responsibilities of EU member states and other relevant actors when engaging in border control measures beyond the territory of the EU.

Europe is currently experiencing a migration crisis, demonstrated by millions of displaced people unseen since World War II. This book examines the interface between extraterritorial border and migration controls taken by EU member states, and the rights asylum seekers acquire from EU law.Control measures such as the enforcement of visas, fines on carriers transporting unsatisfactorily documented migrants, and interception at sea are investigated in detail in an effort to assess the impact these measures have on access to asylum in the EU. The book also explores the rights recognisedby the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights to persons in need of international protection, inclusive of the principle of non-removal to a place of persecution, the prohibition of ill-treatment, the right to asylum, and the right to effective judicial protection.The fundamental focus of the book is the relationship between the aforementioned border and migration controls and the rights of asylum seekers, and importantly, how these rights limit the nature of such control measures and the ways in which they are implemented. The ultimate goal of the book is toconclude whether the current series of extraterritorial mechanisms or pre-entry vetting is compatible in EU law with the rights of refugees and forced migrants.

This book measures EC/EU asylum initiatives against international refugee and human rights standards and makes law reform proposals to ensure compliance with international standards. It identifies four areas of concern: the interpretation of the 1951 Convention definition of a refugee; access to asylum procedures; the establishment of fair and effective procedures; and the asylum seekers' status pending the determination of their asylum claims. The author argues that any departure from international standards by the EU and its Member States risks undermining the right to seek refugee status and protection as a humanitarian concept. The author also considers Member states' laws and practices, with special emphasis on the United Kingdom and France. This inclusion reflects the mutual influence that national and European measures exercise on one another and reveals existing discrepancies and tensions between national laws and practices. The author urges the European Union to remain true to its commitment to the Treaty of Amsterdam and its humanitarian tradition and vision.

In 2004, the European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the Member States of the European Union was established. The Agency supports member states in coordinating their border controls. Border controls at sea have, therefore, received increasing attention. Coordinated by FRONTEX, member states carry out border controls not only in their territorial waters, but also on the High Seas and within the territorial waters of third countries. One must assume that at least some of the people on board intercepted vessels are persons in need of international protection. However, some European governments have argued that the principle of non-refoulement does not apply exterritorially. This article will challenge this approach. First, it argues that the principle of non-refoulement, as laid down in the UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, the European Convention on Human Rights and other international treaties relating to refugee and immigration law does apply beyond the territory of the signatory states. Secondly, it argues why non-refoulement, as a principle of refugee and fundamental rights legislation within European primary and secondary law, does apply beyond the territory of the contracting states. Thirdly, regarding the treatment of protection seekers and migrants at sea, it examines the obligations of border guard authorities to act under maritime, human rights and refugee law and when there is a legal failure to act. Finally, the article examines whether EU secondary law, as well as Border Control Practice, are consistent with these obligations.

The international refugee regime is fundamentally broken. Designed in the wake of World War II to provide protection and assistance, the system is unable to address the record numbers of persons displaced by conflict and violence today. States have put up fences and adopted policies to deny, deter, and detain asylum seekers. People recognized as refugees are routinely denied rights guaranteed by international law. The results are dismal for the millions of refugees around the world who are left with slender prospects to rebuild their lives or contribute to host communities. T. Alexander Aleinikoff and Leah Zamore lay bare the underlying global crisis of responsibility. The Arc of Protection adopts a revisionist and critical perspective that examines the original premises of the international refugee regime. Aleinikoff and Zamore identify compromises at the founding of the system that attempted to balance humanitarian ideals and sovereign control of their borders by states. This book offers a way out of the current international morass through refocusing on responsibility-sharing, seeing the humanitarian-development divide in a new light, and putting refugee rights front and center.

A critical discussion of EU and ECHR migration and refugee law, this book analyses the law on asylum and immigration of third country-nationals. It focuses on how the EU norms interact with ECHR human rights case law on migration, and the pitfalls of European human rights pluralism.