The policy of the Union on asylum and its implementation shall be governed by the principle of solidarity and fair sharing of responsibility, including its financial implications, between the Member States.

In the event of one or more Member States being confronted by an emergency situation characterised by a sudden inflow of nationals of third countries, provisional measures may be adopted for the benefit of the Member State(s) concerned.

For that purpose, measures should be adopted for a common European asylum system comprising: a uniform status of asylum for nationals of third countries, valid throughout the Union; a uniform status of subsidiary protection for nationals of third countries who, without obtaining European asylum, are in need of international protection; a common system of temporary protection for displaced persons in the event of a massive inflow; common procedures for the granting and withdrawing of uniform asylum or subsidiary protection status; criteria and mechanisms for determining which Member State is responsible for considering an application for asylum or subsidiary protection; standards concerning the conditions for the reception of applicants for asylum or subsidiary protection; partnership and cooperation with third countries for the purpose of managing inflows of people applying for asylum or subsidiary or temporary protection.

The Union shall develop a common policy on asylum, subsidiary protection and temporary protection with a view to offering appropriate status to any third-country national requiring international protection and ensuring compliance with the principle of non-refoulement. This policy must be in accordance with the Geneva Convention of 28 July 1951 and the Protocol of 31 January 1967 relating to the status of refugees, and other relevant treaties.

The Union shall offer its citizens an area of freedom, security and justice without internal frontiers, in which the free movement of persons is ensured in conjunction with appropriate measures with respect to external border controls, asylum, immigration and the prevention and combating of crime.

(Article 3 of the Treaty on the European Union and Articles 67, 78 and 80 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union)

Third-country support: supporting the external dimension, supporting partnerships with third countries to reach common solutions, for example by capacity building and regional protection programmes, and coordinating Member States’ actions on resettlement.

Information and analysis support: sharing and merging information and data, analysis and assessment: not only comparing and sharing information, but also common trend analysis and common assessment.

Emergency support: organising solidarity for Member States confronted with particular pressures by providing temporary support and assistance to repair or to rebuild the asylum system.

Permanent support: supporting and stimulating the common quality of the asylum process through common training, a common asylum curriculum and common country of origin information.

EASO contributes to the implementation of a Common European Asylum System. EASO’s purpose is to facilitate, coordinate and strengthen practical cooperation among Member States on the many aspects of asylum, such as: providing practical and operational support to Member States; providing operational support to Member States with specific needs or Member States subject to particular pressure on their asylum systems; providing scientific and technical assistance for EU policymaking and legislation in all areas having a direct or indirect impact on asylum.

EASO has set up a Consultative Forum in accordance with Article 51 of the EASO Regulation. The Consultative Forum enables EASO to ensure close dialogue with civil society organisations and relevant competent bodies. The Consultative Forum constitutes a mechanism for the exchange of information and pooling of knowledge between EASO, civil society organisations and relevant bodies operating in the asylum field. In accordance with the EASO Regulation, the Consultative Forum meets in plenary at least once a year. In addition, EASO has an annual consultation calendar to organise its various consultation methodologies and activities, i.e. expert meetings, workshops, seminars and online consultation.

The Executive Director, who is independent in the performance of his tasks, is the legal representative of the Office and is responsible, inter alia, for the administrative management of EASO and for the implementation of the work programme and the decisions of the Management Board. The Executive Director of EASO, Dr Robert K. Visser, took up office on 1 February 2011. His term of office is five years, renewable once for a further three years.

The key functions of the Management Board, as the governing and planning body of EASO, are outlined in Article 29 of the EASO Regulation and include the appointment of the Executive Director and the adoption of EASO’s work programmes and annual reports, and of EASO’s general budget. It has overall responsibility for ensuring that EASO performs its duties effectively.

Denmark, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland are invited to attend all meetings of the Management Board and other relevant meetings as observers.

The EASO Management Board is composed of one member from each Member State except Denmark, two members from the European Commission and one non-voting member from the UNHCR. All members are appointed on the basis of their experience, professional responsibility and high degree of expertise in the asylum field.

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