Seen By Administrative Authorities. Towards Europeanization of Asylum Practices in Germany and Sweden?

The Europeanization of asylum systems is still a matter of how given regulations are interpreted by decision-makers on the ground. Accordingly, an instrument put in place by the European Asylum Support Office are training programs for the case officers responsible for decision making in asylum procedures. Among other aspects, the trainings are aimed to provide competence in interviewing refugees, in dealing with traumatization and in providing a respectful interactive setting. Focusing on current conditions in Germany and Sweden, the paper considers the extent to which case officers participate in these trainings and how they realize the newly acquired proficiency. Based on an approach grounded in the sociology of knowledge, the analysis shows types of knowledge and how they shape the case officers’ perception of the applicants in the course of decision making. It is of particular interest, whether practices on the national level are being reproduced even if they are at odds with the newly learned material. Finally, the paper discusses options, if Europeanization is not only aimed to adjust decision making on asylum throughout Europe, but also meant to transform it according to the European human rights convention.

Data is drawn from an ethnographic study considering administrative asylum procedures taking place in multiple sites. In different settings in Germany, Sweden and in European wide trainings, participant observation as well as interviews with participating case officers and their trainers have been carried out. The project is part of a collaborative research on ‘horizontal Europeanization’ funded by the German research foundation.