Description

This lecture will address the refugee crisis with particular emphasis on the German dimensions, including the present legal situation of refugees in Germany and the constitutional right of asylum. Further important considerations in this context include German legislation to restrict access to social benefits, acceleration of asylum procedures, and recent legislation that designates so-called safe countries of origin. The lecture will also discuss the impact of European Union legislation on asylum law, the Dublin Regulation and its apparent breakdown, Schengen border controls, and the possibilities of restricting the inflow of asylum seekers at EU external borders and at German borders specifically.

Prof. Dr. Kay Hailbronner is professor emeritus at the University of Konstanz and director of the Research Center for Alien and Asylum Law. He has served as counsel to the Federal Republic of Germany in asylum-related cases before the Federal German Constitutional Court as well as the European Court of Justice and has served on several advisory boards and commissions related to refugees and asylum seekers. He is currently co-editor of the Baden-Württembergische Verwaltungsblätter, vice-chair of the Federal Commission on Implementation of the EU Researchers Directive, and a member of the Scientific Council of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees.