Accelerated Procedures for Asylum in the European Union

Therefore, it became accepted that certain asylum applications should be processed in an accelerated procedure. While there is no standardized definition of an accelerated procedure, it is generally understood that an accelerated procedure processes asylum applications at a significantly faster rate than does the normal asylum system. Accelerated procedures can either be classed as 'inclusionary' or exclusionary.

While the main objective of an inclusionary accelerated procedure is to speedily grant an individual refugee status, the main objective of an exclusionary accelerated procedure is to speedily deny an individual refugee status. It is widely held that the accelerated procedures currently in operation in Member States of the European Union are examples of the latter. This paper examines whether or not it is possible for accelerated procedures to be both fair and efficient.

The case for speedier decisionmaking needs to be balanced against the requirement of States to fulfill their obligations under international human rights and refugee law. Research findings from the first independent assessment of the accelerated procedure (fast track procedure) in the United Kingdom are presented. On the basis of this and comparative secondary data the paper suggests that some States may be in danger of violating the principle of nonrefoulement and returning refugees to places where their lives or freedoms could be threatened.