“Luxembourg has made considerable efforts to respond to Europe’s refugee and migrant crisis by receiving asylum-seekers and relocating and resettling refugees from other parts of Europe and beyond. It has largely avoided the trap of political instrumentalisation of the issue of migration, and government and civil society have been actively providing protection to people in need”, said NilsMuižnieks, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, concluding a visit to Luxembourg from 18 to 22 September 2017 which focused on the issues of asylum, migration and integration. “Nevertheless, more could be done to address delays in examining asylum claims and in ensuring access to housing, employment and inclusive education”.
The Commissioner notes that the authorities are addressing the existing delays in processing asylum claims, including by increasing the number of staff assigned to handle the backlog. However, applicants must be provided more systematically with information on the progress made in the examination of their claims in order to prevent uncertainty and increase their confidence in the process.
