ECRE is an alliance of 128 NGOs based in 40 European countries. ECRE’s mission is to protect and advance the rights of refugees, asylum seekers and other forcibly displaced persons in Europe and in Europe’s external policies. ECRE’s work covers three main activities:
Legal Support and Litigation: FIGHTING THE LEGAL BATTLE
ECRE’s legal support and strategic litigation aims to support asylum seekers and refugees to access their rights through the courts and to effect deeper legal changes through litigation.
Advocacy: CHANGING THE AGENDA
ECRE’s Advocacy team seeks to influence government policy and practice affecting refugee rights in Europe as well as European external action that impacts refugee rights outside Europe.
ECRE provides thorough and authoritative analysis of EU asylum law with a particular focus on the implementation and reform of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS).
Communication: DELIVERING THE MESSAGE
The ECRE Communication team works to turn ECRE knowledge and expertise into effective messages that can be directed towards the public.
ECRE has developed and continues to manage the following tools:
Asylum Information Database (AIDA)
The Asylum Information Database (AIDA) is a database managed by the European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE), containing information on asylum procedures, reception conditions and detention across 23 countries. This includes 19 European Union (EU) Member States (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Germany, Spain, France, Greece, Croatia, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, and Slovenia, and 4 non-EU countries (Switzerland, Serbia, Turkey and the United Kingdom).
European Database of Asylum Law (EDAL)
The European Database of Asylum Law (EDAL) is an online database managed by the European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE) and a compilation of summaries of refugee and asylum case law from the courts of 22 EU Member States, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) and the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). The summaries are published in English and in the relevant Member State’s national language.
European Legal Network on Asylum (ELENA)
The European Legal Network on Asylum (ELENA) is a forum of legal practitioners who aim to promote the highest human rights standards for the treatment of refugees, asylum seekers and other persons in need of international protection in their daily individual counselling and advocacy work. The ELENA network extends across most European states and involves some 500 lawyers and legal counsellors.