External Processing: An Evergreen of the Policy Debate
Over the past 20 years, the external processing of asylum claims has been discussed on various occasions. Nevertheless, it has not been realised on the European continent a single time so far. Legal concerns are one reason for that outcome. Lately, the U.K.’s ‘Rwanda Plan’ and political initiatives across Europe, including Germany, have reinvigorated a long-standing debate. Professor Thym discusses the implication of the U.K. Supreme Court’s judgment and the feasibility of external processing in two contributions for LEGAL TRIBUNE ONLINE (’Externe Asylverfahren sind kein Zaubermittel’ & ’Probleme lösen, nicht nur verlagern’), in an interview with EPD SOCIAL ('Ausgelagerte Asylverfahren sehr schwer umzusetzen') and in comments for a newspaper report in DIE WELT, DER SPIEGEL, TAGESSPIEGEL , MEDIENDIENST INTEGRATION and, In 2017, Thym wrote an Expert Opinion for the German government for the reform of the safe third country provision in the future Asylum Procedures Regulation, which has been discussed at the EU level ever since.