The new EU immigration pact and its significance for the Netherlands

EU legislation (EU Directive 2013/32, Article 24) requires member states to have procedures in place to identify vulnerable people as part of the asylum procedure. In the Netherlands, this is done, among other things, with the Medical Advice Hearing and Decision and the possibility of a forensic medical examination asylum.

In September, the European Migration Network together with the Red Cross (EU), presented the note “Practices and challenges in identifying victims of torture and ill-treatment in the context of international and temporary protection. The meeting reiterated the great impact that medical issues have on the explanation of those who have been victims of severe violence. iMMO is not without criticism of medical advice, but believes that with some modifications it is a very workable tool that can greatly benefit the IND when hearing and deciding.

iMMO also attended a meeting on the implementation of the new EU pact which Refugee Council and the Meijers Commission organized. With the new asylum pact being rolled out at EU level and the Dutch outline agreement making the asylum procedure more austere, threatening the disappearance of medical advice, the coming years will be crucial in ensuring a careful procedure for this vulnerable group.