Protection at airports

In most Member States of the EU, the number of persons crossing the state border at airports far exceeds those at land or sea borders. Yet access of asylum seekers to the territory and the asylum procedure is often unregulated or ad hoc at such entry points. Although international and European laws contain rules and guidelines to ensure that refugees can have access to Europe, practices often do not reflect the protection envisaged in law.

This report summarises the experiences and findings of the project "Monitoring asylum seekers' access to territory and procedure at European airports -- exchange of experience and best practices" in a practical way, highlighting the most important aspects of airport procedures by country through 6 airports (Amsterdam, Budapest, Madrid, Prague, Vienna and Warsaw), sharing good practices that can and should be followed by other EU Member States, and providing a set of recommendations based on common concerns for border guard authorities and other relevant government agencies.

Download the report from the Hungarian Helsinki Committee website (PDF)