Recommendation 18

Further, there must be clear criteria set out on the face of the Bill for the inclusion of states as ‘safe’. Any country which has a significant successful grant rate for asylum claims, such as Albania, should not be included on a list of safe states. Albania should be removed from the list of safe states in clause 57 owing to the significant rates of successful asylum claims (see Annex, Amendment 10). Clause 57 should be amended to include criteria for designating countries as ‘safe’ which is based on strict and objective criteria based on reliable information, which includes, at a minimum, that: designated states must have signed and ratified the core UN human rights treaties as well as the Refugee Convention; that individuals must have access to a fair and effective asylum system and to free legal advice and representation; that states must have adequate domestic human rights laws and an effective and accessible justice system. (see Annex, Amendment 11).