United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres on Thursday called on European Union countries to resist whittling down asylum rights as they applied a EU directive on refugees.
"We appeal to the countries now, when translating the directive into national policies, not to undermine the asylum situation," said Guterres said at a news conference.
UNHCR claims that a EU "Asylum Procedures Directive", which sets minimum standards concerning decisions on asylum claims in EU member states, could actually make it harder for refugees to be granted asylum.