Austria > Dublin II

Austria has not stopped deportations to Greece. Due to a decision made by the Austrian Constitutional Court in October 2010, deportations of particularly vulnerable persons (unaccompanied minors, elderly people, families with small children, seriously ill persons etc.) to Greece are now more difficult to execute than before. While it used to be possible just to inform the Greek authorities about a planned Dublin II deportation, Austrian officials now have to get an individual acceptance paper from Greece for each person they want to deport.

Belgium > Dublin II

Belgium stopped deportations to Greece temporary on 10th of October. This decision follows a letter from the ECtHR warning that the Court would systematically suspend any attempt to transfer to Greece. Transfers are so suspended until the judgment of the Court in the MSS case.In the meantime, the asylum claims will be handled in Belgium.These files receive a priority so that the ones who are not refugees are sent back home quickly (same reasoning as in Norway...)

Bulgaria > Dublin II

According to Dublin 2, each person can apply for asylum in only one of the EU member states. This is thought to be the country of the first entry into the EU. So if your first fingerprint was taken in Bulgaria you risk to be sent back there if you apply in another country.

Denmark > Dublin II

The main rule of the Dublin II Regulation is that your application for asylum is handled by one, and only one, country. The decision is based on in which country you have been registered and had your fingerprints taken the first time. If you meet the police in Denmark or any other EU country the police will take your fingerprints if you are more than 14 years old, and transmit them to a shared database called Eurodac. Deportations to Greece are stopped in Denmark.

Finland > Dublin II

The Finnish Immigration Service (FIS) has decided to stop returning asylum-seekers to Greece. According to FIS the Greek asylum procedures do not meet human rights standards. The decision follows a key verdict by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) on Friday, in which Belgium was condemned for violating the rights of an Afghan asylum-seeker when sending him back to Greece.

France > Dublin II

Booklets on DublinII in France in different languages (English, Farsi, French, Arabic, Somali and Russian) can be downloaded. 

Germany > Dublin II

On 28th of November 2011 the German Ministry of the Interior informed about prolonging the temporary stop of deportations to Greece for another year. This means at least until January 2013 there will be no "Dublin"-deportations from Germany to Greece. Whith the first moratorium that passed already in January 2011 German authorities tried to prevent losing a court case before the constitutional court.

Greece > Dublin II

Greece used to be a major receiving member state under the Dublin II Regulation, due to its geographical position. However, following the decision of the ECtHR in the case of MSS v. Belgium and Greece, the majority of Member and Associate States under the Dublin II Regulation have suspended the transfer of asylum seekers to Greece.

Hungary > Dublin II

Hungary has not stopped all deportations to Greece, but if somebody explicitly says, that she/he does not want to be deported back to Greece, the Immigration Office suspends their asylum procedure for some weeks, and in the end they do not send the person back to Greece. So express clearly that you don’t want to go back to Greece.

And there is another problem: Many people try to continue their journey after having been fingerprinted in Hungary. If you have fingerprints in Hungary and continue to another country you can be sent back to Hungary...

Italy > Dublin II

We have not heard of recent deportations from Italy back to Greece of people who have managed to reach the big cities. But Italy deports regularly people back who are caught inside the ferryboats coming from Patras or Igoumenitsa or inside the port area of the Italian ports.

And there is another problem: Many people try to continue their journey after having been fingerprinted in Italy. If
you have fingerprints in Italy and continue to another country you can be sent back to Italy

Ireland > Dublin II

When asylum seekers arrive in Ireland, they can apply for legal aid in the form of the Refugee Legal Service.  This is subsidized and nominal to the applicant and is subject to a means test.  The Refugee Legal Service, as well as private practitioners, have challenged Dublin II transfers to Greece in the High Court in the form of Judicial Reviews in recent months.  We are still awaiting the decisions of these cases.  In some cases, legal representation have been successful in securing injunctions until a decision is reached on the Judicial Review.

Netherlands > Dublin II

Early October 2010 the Dutch minister of Justice announced that the Netherlands would definitely not send asylum seekers back to Greece. Beginning of February 2011 the minister for Immigration and Asylum decided that “Greek Dublin-II cases” will be dealt with in the Netherlands.

Norway > Dublin II

14/10/2010: The Immigration Appeals Board (UNE) has stopped deportations to Greece until further notice. “The Immigration Appeals Board has decided to honour the request of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) to stop forced returns to Greece”, says UNE-director Terje Sjeggestad. All asylum-seekers who have had their applications denied in accordance with the Dublin Regulation, but remain in the country, will be allowed to stay.

Serbia > Dublin II

Serbia is not part of the Dublin II agreement.

Sweden > Dublin II

A ruling by the Migration Court of Appeal (MCA) stopped all forced returns of asylum-seekers from Sweden to Greece under the Dublin regulations. All the cases concerning Dublin to Greece get their asylum process in Sweden. All the cases are not yet in process but on the way to be processed.

Switzerland > Dublin II

Swiss halt asylum returns to Greece. The Federal Migration Office is to suspend the return of asylum seekers to Greece, examining cases in Switzerland instead.

UK > Dublin II

The UK Border Agency suspended returns of asylum seekers to Greece under the Dublin II Regulation in the end of September 2010. With immediate effect the backlog of approximately 1300 cases and all new cases will have their applications heard in the UK, and not be deported to Greece. This is a great relief to all those facing return to the “broken asylum system” of Greece.