CYIL vol. 9 (2018)

CYIL 9 ȍ2018Ȏ

THE CZECH REPUBLIC AND SOLIDARITY WITH REFUGEES …

THE CZECH REPUBLIC AND SOLIDARITY WITH REFUGEES: THERE WERE TIMES WHEN SOLIDARITY MATTERED 1 Věra Honusková

Abstract : The paper deals with the temporary refuge (shelter) program which the Czech Republic offered in response to the mass influx of people coming from the former Yugoslavia between 1991 and 1997. The author analyses the program itself and focuses on both the legal background and the evaluation of this program. The analysis connects the Czech experience with the possibility of providing temporary protection in general. However, the concept of temporary protection seems to be declining today as it has not been included into the debates regarding the future of the Common European Asylum System, although there are legal grounds for it within the European Union legal framework. Resumé : Článek se zabývá programem dočasného útočiště, který Česká republika vyhlásila v odpovědi na hromadný příliv osob ze zemí bývalé Jugoslávie v letech 1991–1997. Analyzuje daný program, věnuje se jak jeho právnímu ukotvení, tak i jeho zhodnocení. Dává tuto zku- šenost České republiky do kontextu možnosti poskytovat dočasnou ochranu obecně, ježto jde o koncept, od něhož se při jednáních o budoucnosti Společného evropského azylového systé- mu, zdá se, ustoupilo, ačkoliv právní rámec k němu v rámci legislativy Evropské unie existuje. KeyWords : Temporary Protection, Temporary Refuge, ArmedConflict in the former Yugoslavia. About the Author: JUDr. Věra Honusková, Ph.D. is a senior lecturer and researcher at the International Law Department, Faculty of Law, Charles University, Prague. She specializes in refugee and migration law and human rights law. She is in charge of the Migration Programme at the faculty and teaches courses on refugee and migration law, organizes externships, internships, moot courts, and simulations in the respective area. She is a member of the Odysseus Network and of the Committee for the Rights of Foreigners of the Council of the Government of the Czech Republic for Human Rights. She publishes papers and attends conferences on a regular basis. Introduction The European Union member states’ response to the migration (refugee) crisis of 2015 and early 2016 seemed to be insufficient as well as were the steps taken by the European Union. 2 It reflected neither the needs of states, nor the needs of migrants and refugees. The 1 The paper was funded by PRIMUS/17/HUM/13: Temporariness in the legal framework for protection of forced migrants. Debates about the draft version were held in a research group set up thanks to this project. 2 For analysis see e.g. THYM, D., The ‘refugee crisis’ as a challenge of legal design and institutional legitimacy, 53 CML Rev. (2016), pp. 154-1574; DEN HEIJER, RIJPMA, J., SPIJKERBOER, T., Coercion, prohibition, and great expectations: The continuing failure of the Common European Asylum System, 53 CML Rev. (2016), pp. 607-642; GAMMELTOFT-HANSEN,T.,TAN, N. F.,The End of the Deterrence Paradigm? Future Directions for Global Refugee Policy. 5(1) JMHS (2017), pp. 28-56; BATTJES, H., BROUWER, E., SLINGENBERG, L., SPIJKERBOER, T., The Crisis of European Refugee Law: Lessons from Lake Success (23 May 2016). Available at SSRN, http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2783247; CARRERA, S., BLOCKMANS, S., GROS, D., GUILD, E., The EU’s Response to the Refugee Crisis: Taking Stock and Setting Policy Priorities, CEPS Essays No. 20 (2015). 1.

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