Political Agreement reached on the Reception Conditions directive at the Justice and Home Affairs Council

According to the Cyprus presidency of the European Union press release (dated 25/10/2012):

 "The Justice and Home Affairs Council (JHA) achieved progress in several legislative proposals for the establishment of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS), as it adopted today, October 25, a Political Agreement on the Reception Conditions Directive. Common European Asylum System moves a step closer.

UNHCR Deputy High Commissioner highlights the importance of the right to work

 Stewart Pollock, on the Refugee Work Rights blog (by Asylum Access) reported that at the last Plenary Session of the UNHCR Annual Consultations with NGOs, UNHCR Deputy High Commissioner Alex Aleinikoff spoke on the importance of innovation and self-reliance; highlighting the importance of the right to work.

To read the full post: http://rtwasylumaccess.wordpress.com/2012/07/03/updates-from-geneva-unhcr-deputy-high-commissioner-touts-the-right-to-work/ 

Right to work granted for asylum seekers in Ecuador

 In a post on the "Refugee Work Rights " blog, Adina Appelbaum reports that on May 2012 the Ecuadorian government adopted a decree (Decreto 1182) that contains restrictive measure for asylum seekers. The decree nevertheless allows for asylum seekers who asked for refugee status to have the right to work.  Previously, only refugees who had gained refugee status were given the right to work in Ecuador.  Despite the fact that the Ecuadorian constitution states that anyone within the limits of Ecuador has the right to get paid if they are working, in reality employers have notoriously discriminated against asylum seekers, refusing to hire them if they did not have documents.  

To read Asylum Access full post: http://rtwasylumaccess.wordpress.com/2012/09/27/the-right-to-work-in-ecuador-a-positive-development-within-a-restrictive-new-law/ 

The Reception Conditions directive, toward a limited legislative progress on access to the labour market of asylum seekers

Context

The current EU rules on claimants for international protection's access to the labour market are set out in Directive 2003/9 (the ‘2003 Reception Conditions Directive’, hereafter RCD), which applies to all Member States except Denmark and Ireland. The UK has opted out of the 2008 proposal (as revised in 2011, and now agreed) to amend these rules, but the 2003 RCD will continue to apply to the UK regardless.

Currently  article 11 of the 2003 EU Reception Conditions directive explicitly recognizes the right to work to asylum seekers, and contingently to claimants for subsidiary protection. 

ECRE Comments on recast of the Reception Conditions directive

We reproduce hereafter ECRE (the European Council on Refugees and Exiles) Comments  on the Amended Commission Proposal to recast the Reception Conditions Directive (COM(2011) 320 final) that were released in September 2011. ECRE Comments were released before June 2012 and September 2012, when the Amended Commission Proposal to recast the Reception Conditions Directive was harshly discussed between the Council, the European Commission and the European Parliament (see our next post on that topic for more informations on the agreement reached after the "trialogue process"). We nevertheless reproduce ECRE Comments as it highlights interesting points:

ECRE Comments: 

Cash in hand Urban refugees, the right to work and UNHCR's advocacy activities

The UNHCR Policy Development and Evaluation Service (PDES) has released in May 2011 a report called ' Cash in hand Urban Refugees, the Right to work and UNHCR's Advocacy Activities'. As a dispersed population that often lacks secure legal status and access to social services, urban refugees face particular challenges. Urban economies are cash-based, and work is the key livelihoods strategy for refugees in urban settings.  By becoming self-reliant and productive, refugees with the legal right to work can benefit their local communities and host countries in addition to improving their own situations. Urban livelihoods and refugees right to work are therefore priorities for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and advocacy is an essential tool to help its staff to reduce barriers to this right.