ELENA Index of Useful Addresses Lists Organisations and Individuals Providing Legal Services and Other Forms of Support to Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Europe
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E U R O P E A N L E G A L N E T W O R K O N A S Y L U M Co-ordinated by: Last updated: August 2011 Maria Hennessy Senior Legal Officer European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE) Rue Royale 146, 1st floor 1000 Brussels, Belgium Tel: +32 (2) 234 3805 Fax: +32 (2) 514 5922 E-mail: [email protected] CONTENTS A. Introduction Preface i European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE) ii Introduction to ELENA iii B. Countries Austria 1 Belgium 8 Bosnia-Herzegovina 14 Bulgaria 16 Czech Republic 19 Denmark 21 Finland 25 France 29 Germany 36 Greece 45 Hungary 48 Ireland 52 Italy 58 Lithuania 71 Luxembourg 73 The Netherlands 76 Norway 81 Poland 87 Portugal 90 Romania 93 Russia 96 Slovak Republic 101 Slovenia 103 Spain 105 Sweden 123 Switzerland 134 Turkey 141 United Kingdom 144 C. UNHCR Offices in EU States and Candidate Countries 138 D. Format of the country chapters In general the country chapters are structured as follows: I. ELENA NATIONAL COORDINATOR Name and address of the person who serves as the contact and coordination person for the ELENA network for the country in question. I. NATIONAL UMBRELLA ORGANISATIONS / REFUGEE COUNCILS National umbrella organisations of voluntary agencies, counselling offices and lawyers who exercise a coordinating function. II. ORGANISATIONS SUPPORTING ASYLUM SEEKERS Voluntary agencies, counselling centres and other humanitarian organisations dealing with counselling, housing, financial support, integration and other social problems of asylum seekers during the asylum procedure. III. ORGANISATIONS PROVIDING ADVICE TO ASYLUM SEEKERS Non-Governmental Organisations and voluntary agencies providing legal advice and assistance to asylum seekers. Where available, the following additional information is also provided: *LA – denotes that legal aid is provided **Eng, Ger, Fr, It, etc. – denotes languages spoken within the organisation ***Denotes fields of specialisations e.g. unaccompanied minors, traumatised asylum seekers, etc. II. LAWYERS PROVIDING ADVICE TO ASYLUM SEEKERS Lawyers working in the asylum field and providing legal services to asylum seekers. Where available, the following additional information is also provided: *LA – denotes that legal aid is provided **Eng, Ger, Fr, It, etc. – denotes languages spoken within the firm *** Denotes fields of specialisations e.g. unaccompanied minors, traumatised asylum seekers, etc. III. AIRPORT / BORDER SERVICES Lawyers and legal counsellors on call at airports and border control offices, available to provide support and emergency services. IV. LEGAL AID This section is intended to provide a short explanation of each Member State‟s national legislation/policy on legal aid and its provision. V. LAWYERS AND LEGAL EXPERTS WITH AN OVERALL KNOWLEDGE OF REFUGEE LAW AND POLICY Lawyers, legal experts and academics who serve as sources of information on questions related to refugee law and policy. PREFACE The ELENA Index of useful addresses lists organisations and individuals providing legal services and other forms of support to refugees and asylum seekers in Europe. It is not intended to be a complete directory of all organisations and persons active in the asylum field, but reflects the information provided by the ELENA Coordinators in the various countries.. This list is only indicative of lawyers and organisations operating in this field and is not a formal endorsement by the ELENA network. The ELENA Index is meant to serve as a tool for lawyers and legal counsellors participating in the European Legal Network on Asylum in their daily counselling and advocacy work. It provides addresses of colleagues and organisations in other countries which are useful when working with refugee and asylum law. The ELENA Index is updated on an annual co-ordinated basis from the ECRE Secretariat. For more up-to-date information, additions, corrections and comments please contact the ELENA National Coordinators in the respective country or the ECRE Secretariat via e-mail: [email protected] or fax: +32 (2) 514 5922. This document is for internal use by agencies dealing with refugees and asylum seekers. It can be distributed to individuals with links to such an agency. i EUROPEAN COUNCIL ON REFUGEES AND EXILES The European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE) is a pan-European network of 65 refugee-assisting non-governmental organisations in 30 countries, concerned with the needs of all individuals seeking refuge and protection within Europe.The work of ECRE is coordinated by its Secretariat based in Brussels and advised by a Board of Directors comprising voluntary agency representatives from several regions of Europe. ECRE's principal objective is to promote through joint analysis, research and information exchange, a humane and generous asylum policy throughout Europe. It promotes the protection and integration of refugees based on the values of human dignity, human rights and an ethic of solidarity. Working through its member agencies, ECRE aims: to articulate the demands for humane and generous refugee policies arising from a growing sector of civil society at a time of intolerance and xenophobia; to encourage the informed discussion of policy options before states and to mobilise public opinion in favour of positive choices; to act as an information source and warning mechanism about negative develop ments and threats to the institution of asylum and to the needs of individuals fleeing persecution; to undertake advocacy as a form of humanitarian action in support of national and international refugee protection; to offer its specific competence to policy makers, based on a detailed knowledge of the predicament of refugees and the legal and social requirements specific to them; to bring about the greater integration of the activities of refugee assisting NGOs throughout the wider European region to reflect, and contribute to, the pan-European development of human rights and refugee policies. ii INTRODUCTION TO ELENA The European Legal Network on Asylum (ELENA) is a forum of legal practitioners who aim to promote the highest human rights standards for the treatment of refugees, asy lum seekers and other persons in need of international protection in their daily individual counselling and advocacy work. The ELENA network extends across most European states and involves some 2,000 lawyers and legal counsellors. ELENA's objectives are pursued by: providing and reinforcing contact between practising lawyers and legal counsellors in different European countries who work on asylum cases; facilitating the exchange of information and experience between these lawyers and legal counsellors; studying the implementation of national and international law relating to refugees; organising seminars on specific topics relating to refugee law and making the results available to practising lawyers; promoting the development of national networks of lawyers specialising in asylum law. ELENA reinforces direct personal contact between lawyers to promote cooperation on emergency cases and support services between countries, including Central and Eastern Europe. The work of ELENA is coordinated by the ECRE Secretariat in Brussels in continuous and close consultation with the ELENA National Coordinators comprising practising legal advisers from a range of European countries. iii AUSTRIA (+43) I. ELENA COORDINATORS Ulrike Brandl Maga. Angela Brandstätter University of Salzburg Department of International Law and Caritas Austria International Organisations Albrechtskreithgasse19-21 Churfürststrasse 1, A-5020 Salzburg A-1160 Vienna Tel.: (662) 8044 3652 Tel: (1) 488 31- 442 Fax: (662) 8044 135 Fax: (1) 480-4583 E-Mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] II. NATIONAL UMBRELLA III. ORGANISATIONS ORGANISATIONS / SUPPORTING ASYLUM NATIONAL REFUGEE SEEKERS COUNCILS VIENNA: Asylkoordination Laudonagasse 52/9 UNHCR, United Nations High A-1080 Vienna Commissioner for Refugees Tel.: (1) 532 1291 Branch Office for Austria Fax: (1) 532 1291 20 Vienna International Center E-Mail: [email protected] P.O. Box 550 Web: www.asyl.at A-1400 Vienna Tel.: (1) 260 60 5306 Diakonie/Protestant Refugee Service Fax: (1) 2633748 Austria E-Mail: [email protected] Steinergasse 3/12 A-1170 Vienna Österreichische Caritaszentrale Tel.: (1) 402 6754 Albrechtskreithgasse19-21 Fax: (1) 402 67 54 16 A-1160 Vienna E-Mail: [email protected] Karin Abram Web: www.fluechtlingsdienst.diakonie.at Coordinator of Austrian Asylum Lawyers Network Österreichische Caritaszentrale Tel.: (1) 488 31-442 Albrechtskreithgasse 19-21 Fax: (1) 480 31-9400 A-1160 Vienna E-Mail: [email protected] Department for Refugees and Migration Web: www.asylanwalt.at Tel.: (1) 488 31-440 Fax: (1) 488 31-9400 Österreichische Caritaszentrale Contact person: Karin Keil Albrechtskreithgasse19-21 Head of Department A-1160 Vienna E-Mail: [email protected] Miriam Mlczoch Web: www.caritas.at Coordinator of the EU-project for voluntary return Tel: (1) 488 31-435 Fax: (1) 488 31-9400 E-Mail: [email protected] Web: www.caritas.at Amnesty International Moeringgasse 10 A-1150 Vienna Tel.: (1) 780 08 Fax: (1) 780 08 44 E-Mail: [email protected] 1 AUSTRIA (+43) Web: www.amnesty.at Web: www.caritas-wien.at Asyl in Not Diakonie – Evangelischer Währingerstrasse 59/II, Flüchtlingsdienst A-1090 Vienna Counselling Center for Asylum Seekers Tel.: (1) 408 42 10 Steinergasse 3/12 Fax: (1) 405 28 88 A-1170 Vienna E-Mail: [email protected] Tel.: (1) 405 62 95 Web: www.asyl-in-not.at Fax: (1) 405 62 95 73 Contact person: