UN: The European Union has launched an electronic network between national authorities dealing with asylum applications to help determine which country is responsible for each application.
The new network is called DubliNet after the Dublin II regulation agreed six months ago to streamline asylum applications across the EU.
Under the regulation, responsibility for examining an asylum application lies with the member-state which played the most important part in the applicant's entry or residence in the EU.
The member-state responsible takes charge of the applicant throughout the asylum procedure and must take back an applicant who is illegally in another EU country.
The request from a member- state for an asylum applicant to be processed or be taken back by another member-state must contain information establishing which state is responsible.
DubliNet operates in conjunction with EURODAC, an EU-wide electronic system launched on January 15th, 2003, which compares the fingerprints of asylum applicants, in order to identify those who have already lodged an asylum application in another member-state.