The European Asylum Curriculum (EAC) is a co-operation between the Swedish, Dutch, Czech and Spanish Immigration Services with the Odysseus Academic Network to create a European Asylum Curriculum (EAC) for common vocational training of employees of the Immigration Services in the EU.

The Curriculum, will be based on the EU- legislation on Asylum and will create a learning system that can be used as a common foundation in all 25 Member States. It will build on the existing developments of – and experiences from – different learning strategies in the Member States, but will additionally aspire at creating a complete and harmonised learning tool for the advancement of both knowledge and skills among case workers, management officials and policy makers by the help of advanced and up-to-date didactical methods.

The EAC-project is realised under the auspices of the General Directors’ Immigration Services Conference (GDISC).

Realising the EAC

First project-phase:

In the first stage we will make an inventory of the existing training programmes in the Member States as well as relevant independent university education to create a curriculum for the next project stage. This will be carried out together with representatives of the Member States, who will participate in a preparatory Conference with the objective to produce the backbone of the curriculum by determining the different topics in which the target groups need to be trained. The project group will then further specify the syllabus in order to create the curriculum, a document that will be the framework for the toolbox in the second project project-phase.

The first project-phase will also generate an introductory module on European Asylum Law for a specified target group that will be a part of the EAC toolbox.

Second project-phase:

The second stage will focus on producing the toolbox from the curriculum that was laid down in the first project-phase. The project group and experts from the initiating Member States and the Odysseus Academic Network, as well as experts on content and methodology from other Member States will work with the different topics and didactical methods to generate the materials in the form of texts, trainer's guides, learning materials and audio-visual and electronic support.

Third project-phase and future developments:

In the third stage local trainers will be selected in all Member States and trained in using the common toolbox. The EAC will assist the national adaptation of the training by translating learning material and creating a supporting e-learning system, where experiences can be shared.

Thereafter, and following a thorough evaluation, future stages may involve introduction of revised and new components (i.e. in the field of Managed Migration or Return) and progressive advancement of the learning system. In our vision of the EAC concept, we also anticipate organisational developments, ranging from deployment of mobile training teams assisting Member States to creation of an institutional-like academy.

See documents below.

Göran Larsson (Project Leader)

Sphere of Operations Asylum

Legal Practice Division

Tegelängsgatan 19A

SE 601 70 Norrköping

Sweden

+46 11 15 61 91

+46 11 15 62 70 (fax)

+46 708 15 61 97 (mobile)

goran.larsson@migrationsverket.se

Louise Whalström

Migrationsverket/Swedish Migration Board

Internationella samordningsenheten/International Coordination Unit

+46 11 15 63 93

+46 11 15 66 48 (fax)

+46 11 708 365 111 (mobile)

Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Service

Minke Vorstenbosch

Hoftzichtpark, room 4.04

P.O. Box 16502

2500 BM The Hague

The Netherlands

+31 70 3709375

+31 70 3703299 (fax)

+31 6 2250 4331 (mobile)

mvorsten@ind.minjus.nl

The Czech Ministry of the Interior

Eva Cervinkova

Department for Asylum and Migration Policy

P.O. Box 21/OAM

170 34 Prague 7

Czech Republic

+420 974 827 547

+420 974 827 050 (fax)

opueu@mvcr.cz

The Spanish Ministry of Interior

Raphael Garcia

Directorate General of Internal Policy

Asylum Office

Pradillo, 40

28002-Madrid

Spain

+34 915372103

+34 915372141 (fax)

Rgarcia@refugio.mir.es

Odysseus Academic Network

www.ulb.ac.be/assoc/odysseus

Philippe De Bruycker

Université Libre de Bruxelles

CP 137

Roosevelt Avenue, 50

1050 Brussels

Belgium

+32 2 650 38 90

+32 2 650 45 46 (fax)

+32 476 28 22 49 (mobile)

+32 650 49 96 (Secretary, Ms Bosmans)

debruyck@ulb.ac.be