Impartiality in the EU Asylum Procedure

Abstract

The Asylum Procedures Directive stipulates that asylum applications are examined 'impartially' by the national authorities. This paper explores the meaning of the term impartiality in administrative settings in EU asylum law focussing on three levels: The Common European Asylum System, the administrative organisational level and the level of the individual immigration officer. CEAS does not provide for a definition of impartiality. The article connects impartiality to the right to good administration as in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU. It includes jurisprudence of the Court of Justice of the European Union and the European Court of Human Rights as well as the approach of the EU Ombudsman and EASO in its scope. These sources provide more concrete aspects of impartiality. The article is finalized with recommendations for a code of conduct.