France: Council of State orders Prefecture of Grande Synthe to introduce urgent measures

Date: 
Friday, June 21, 2019

On 21 June, the Council of State ordered the Prefecture of Grande Synthe to introduce emergency measures for the population in distress residing on its territory, overturning a previous dismissal of the case by Lille Administrative Court.

In assessing the current situation for asylum applicants and migrants in Grande Synthe, the Court recognised that under Article L 521-2 of the Code of Administrative Justice, when a serious and manifestly unlawful infringement of a fundamental freedom occurs, measures must be taken to eliminate the effects of such an infringement.

The Council ordered the Prefecture of the Nord to set up, within eight days of notification of the ordinance, information points in and around the gymnasium of the Espace jeunes du Moulin. This information must be translated into the main languages of the population concerned to inform them of their rights as applicants for asylum, unaccompanied minors or beneficiaries of emergency accommodation. In addition, the Council ordered the Prefecture to install, within the same time frame, a sufficient number of water points, shower cubicles, and toilets near the gymnasium. 

The Prefecture was given eight days to introduce these measures, and would face a fine of 150 euros per day if such measures were not introduced by that date.

Based on an unofficial translation by the EWLU.


This item was reproduced with the permission of ECRE from the ELENA Weekly Legal Update. The purpose of these updates is to inform asylum lawyers and legal organizations supporting asylum seekers and refugees of recent developments in the field of asylum law. Please note that the information provided is taken from publicly available information on the internet. Every reasonable effort is made to make the content accurate and up to date at the time each item is published but no responsibility for its accuracy and correctness, or for any consequences of relying on it, is assumed by ECRE.

 

Keywords: 
Effective access to procedures
Material reception conditions