Amnesty International Memorandum to the 2003 Greek EU Presidency

Brussels (13 January) With the presentation tomorrow by the Greek prime minister Costas Simitis of his country’s EU Presidency programme to the European Parliament, Amnesty International has released a detailed set of recommendations under the theme:

Amnesty International’s Comments on Articles 20-32 of the European Commission’s Proposal for a Council Directive on Minimum Standards for the Qualification and Status of Third Country Nationals and Stateless Persons as Refugees or as Persons Who Are Otherwise in Need of International Protection, COM(2001) 510 Final (continued).

07/01/2003 – Amnesty International’s Comments on Articles 20-32 of the European Commission’s Proposal for a Council Directive on Minimum Standards for the Qualification and Status of Third Country Nationals and Stateless Persons as Refugees or as Persons Who Are Otherwise in Need of International Protection, COM(2001) 510 Final (continued).

Amnesty International open letter released on the eve of the JHA Council

INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT: The need for the European Union to take more effective steps to prevent members from signing US impunity agreements (AI index IOR 40/030/2002).

Amnesty International’s legal experts have released a 25-page legal analysis of the conclusions of the EU Foreign Ministers meeting of 30 September which agreed common guidelines for bilateral agreements with the United States on immunity for US citizens from the International Criminal Court.

Amnesty International’s Comments on the Commission’s Proposal for a Council Directive on Minimum Standards for the Qualification and Status of Third Country National and Stateless Persons as Refugees or as Persons Who Are Otherwise in Need of International Protection -COM(2001) 510 Final-

With the launch today by Amnesty International and the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights of a major report on the ill-treatment of detainees and excessive use of force in Greece, Amnesty International sends an urgent plea to the European Union to act more decisively on human rights abuses within its borders.

Amnesty International’s concerns regarding the discussion paper issued by the Danish Presidency concerning recognition rates on Convention refugees and persons in need of protection in Member States and (the road towards) a common understanding of international protection,

Amnesty International’s concerns regarding amendments to the draft report on the proposal for a Council directive on a minimum standards for the qualification and status of third country nationals and stateless persons as refugees or as persons who otherwise need international protection (PE 310.971/52-176)

Amnesty International’s observations regarding the “Discussion Paper of key elements for a future Repatriation/ Return program on the basis of the Commission Green Paper” in relation to returns to Afghanistan