All the pieces of EU legislation on asylum are currently being recast through a slow process. The issues at stake are quite controversial among EU Member States, which makes the whole legislative work longer. It is hard to say when the new legislative provisions will eventually be adopted.

Among the texts currently being negotiated in the EU institutions, ILGA-Europe pays a special attention to:

• The recast Qualification Directive 2011/95/EU. This Directive recognises sexual orientation and gender identity as reasons for persecution, and moreover it is the first EU Directive ever to expressively mention gender identity. Read more about the Directive here.

• the establishment of a European Asylum Support Office (EASO). The regulation that will create the EASO has already been discussed by the European Parliament. The EASO has been established in 2011, and it has various missions, including an important mission in terms of training national asylum officers.

Several other texts will also be recast, including:

• the regulation on the criteria and mechanisms for determining the Member State responsible for examining an application for international protection (Dublin regulation - look for more information here)
• the Directive laying down minimum standards for the reception of asylum seekers. And the Directive on minimum standards on procedures in Member States for granting and withdrawing refugee status. Read ILGA-Europe's Policy Paper on the two directives here.