European legal network on asylum (ELENA)
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ELENA is a forum for 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 counselling and advocacy
work. The ELENA network extends across 25 central and western European states
and involves some 2,000 lawyers and legal counsellors.
ELENA in collaboration with Asylumlaw.org
runs a private discussion forum for asylum
lawyers to facilitate networking and exchange of information between legal
practitioners around the world. To register visit link.
ELENA's objectives are pursued by:
- providing and reinforcing contact between practising lawyers and legal
counsellors in different European countries who work on asylum cases;
- facilitating the exchange of information and experience between these
lawyers and legal counsellors;
- studying the implementation of national and international law relating to
refugees;
- organising seminars on specific topics relating to refugee law and making
results available to practising lawyers;
- promoting the development of national networks of lawyers specialising in
asylum law.
The ELENA work is co-ordinated at the European level by the ECRE Legal
Officer, advised by the Conference of ELENA National Co-ordinators, which meets
annually. The National Co-ordinators are responsible for promoting and
facilitating the work at the national level.
European governments are working together in a number of different fora to
co-ordinate their policies on refugees and asylum. This process of harmonisation,
led by the European Union, has a major impact on its member states as well as
other European states. To respond to the challenges posed by this situation
legal counsellors need to be better equipped and trained in order to advocate
and defend the legitimate rights of persons seeking asylum in Europe. To achieve
this aim, ELENA undertakes the following activities:
The topics of ELENA training courses are selected by the annual Conference
of the ELENA Co-ordinators in response to needs identified by practitioners.
More than 20 seminars have been held on numerous topics of international
refugee law. A number of these courses have been organised in collaboration
with UNHCR and the Council of Europe. ELENA runs a very successful introductory
course on refugee and asylum law. Other courses are devoted to the in-depth
examination of topics of particular concern to legal practitioners. In
recent years the following courses have taken place:
 The European Human
Rights Convention in relation to Asylum (Strasbourg, France, 2001and 2003)
The Application
of Article 1C & Article 1F of the the 1951 Convention relating to
the Status of Refugees (Korsør, Denmark, 2003)
Introductory Course
on Refugee and Asylum Law (Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2001) (Sintra,
Portugal, 2002)
In the near future, the following courses will take place:
Introductory Course
on Refugee and Asylum Law (Portoroz, Slovenia, December 2003)
Some of these courses have focused on a comparative analysis of national
practice on the basis of country reports; others have emphasised training in
international law and practice. All training courses are facilitated by
internationally renowned experts in refugee law, such as Prof. James Hathaway
and Prof. Walter Kälin.
- ELENA Index of Useful Addresses. Published annually, in co-operation with
the Swiss Refugee Council (OSAR/SFH). This directory of legal services,
available to refugees and asylum seekers, is an important tool for lawyers
seeking contacts in other European countries in the course of their daily
casework
- Reports from ELENA Seminars. Materials from training courses are published
and made available to interested practitioners.
- ELENA research papers. In response to shared legal concerns within the
ELENA network, occasional research papers are published.
- In addition, ELENA lawyers are updated throughout the year on developments
in field of refugee law by means of the ECRE Documentation Service. The legal
section of this newsletter is available directly to ELENA lawyers via e-mail or
by arrangement with the ELENA National Co-ordinators.
ELENA maintains close co-operation with the Human Rights Division of the
Council of Europe in Strasbourg and with UNHCR Headquarters in Geneva and its
European branch offices.
ELENA reinforces direct personal contacts between lawyers to promote
co-operation on emergency cases and support services between European countries.
ELENA lawyers confer on legal issues of mutual concern by means of a
discussion group on the ECRE website (see above). If you are an asylum law
practitioner and want to find out how to join ELENA and subsequently participate
in the discussion group on this web-site, please contact the ELENA Coordinator.
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