Recommendation 787 (1976) on Harmonisation of Eligibility Practice under the 1951 Geneva Convention on the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol
| Publisher | Council of Europe |
| Publication Date | 16 September 1976 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | Rec 787 (1976) |
| Other Languages / Attachments | Greek |
| Cite as | Council of Europe, Recommendation 787 (1976) on Harmonisation of Eligibility Practice under the 1951 Geneva Convention on the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol, 16 September 1976, Rec 787 (1976), available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6b36020.html [accessed 7 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
1.Considering that, although refugee status is founded upon the provisions of a number of international conventions, eligibility for this status in individual cases is determined in substantially different ways in different states;
2.Observing that not all European states parties to these instruments have established a formal procedure for the examination of applications, and that the national procedures which have been established do not conform to a single pattern;
3.Concerned about the widely differing recognition rates in the various states, which are the result of the adoption of different criteria and, in part, of reliance upon inadequate information;
4.Noting that refugee status granted in one state is not necessarily recognised in other states parties to the same conventions, and that a greater uniformity of eligibility practice would contribute towards a greater willingness to grant such mutual recognition;
5.Bearing in mind the recommendations formulated by the European Consultation on Refugees and Exiles in Europe, held in Geneva in January 1976, and in particular those which call for action by the Council of Europe;
6.Recommends that the Committee of Ministers consider:
a.the inclusion in the revised medium-term plan, as an objective within field VIII (co-operation in the legal field), of the harmonisation of eligibility practice, in application of the 1951 Geneva Convention and 1967 Protocol, relating to the status of refugees;
b.the creation for a limited period of an ad hoc committee of experts to examine the most appropriate means for the realisation of the objective mentioned in (a) and for further work on the legal questions relating to international refugees.
