ABSTRACT
Forty years after its legal codification, the post-World War II refugee regime has gone through dramatic transformations. Throughout the Western world, the issues of asylum and migration have now gained the status of high politics. Two specialised committees have been set up to deal with asylum and refugee matters in the Council of Europe, one working for the Parliamentary Assembly and the other subordinate to the Council of Ministers. Throughout this time, the Council of Europe's efforts have followed a humanitarian approach to the refugee problem in Europe; it has generally been aimed at strengthening and harmonising the implementation of the international refugee regime. Another focal point in the activities of the Council of Europe has been the harmonisation of formal status determination procedures in the member states. The unwillingness of the member states to develop a Community competence in asylum and immigration matters was also manifested in negotiations which led up to the adoption of the Single European Act.
