Laws on refugees

International

1951 Refugee Convention defines a refugee and prohibits states from returning them to a country where they face persecution (also known as nonrefoulement).

Council of Europe

European Convention on Human Rights Article 3 on the prohibition of torture and inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment may provide protection for asylum seekers, who do not meet the refugee criteria under the 1951 Convention.

European Union

Revised Asylum Procedures Directive ensures that asylum decisions are made more efficiently and more fairly and that all member-states examine applications with a common high-quality standard.

Revised Reception Conditions Directive establishes common standards of living conditions for asylum applicants.

Revised Qualification Directive harmonizes the eligibility criteria for beneficiaries of international protection and the content of protection at the EU level.

Revised Dublin Regulation aims to improve the previous Dublin Regulation by creating a mechanism to detect problems in national asylum or reception systems and address their root causes before they develop into full-blown crises.