Facing unprecedented numbers of people fleeing violence and persecution, refugee receiving states are increasingly relying on what are euphemistically termed refugee responsibility-sharing agreements. The earliest incarnation was the Dublin Convention, implemented as an arrangement between 12 EU member states in 1997. Since then, these pacts have proliferated – often accompanied by other unilateral measures predicated on a concept of “safe country of arrival” or “country of first entry.” Broadly, these agreements and policy tools bar entry to asylum seekers who, prior to their arrival in the country where they are seeking asylum, have travelled through a “safe” country that could have adjudicated their asylum claim.
