European Database of Asylum Law

The European Database of Asylum Law (EDAL) is an online database containing case law from 22 European states interpreting refugee and asylum law as well as from the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) and the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). EDAL summarises relevant case law in English and the Member State’s national language and provides access to the full text of the original judgment, where available.

The Irish Refugee Council coordinated the creation of EDAL in partnership with the European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE); the Hungarian Helsinki Committee (HHC) also joined as partners during the second phase of development supported by the European Commission’s European Refugee Fund.

EDAL’s objective is to strengthen the development of harmonized standards of protection within the Common European Asylum System (CEAS) and, in particular, to increase consistency and quality in the interpretation and application of CEAS legislation. EDAL aims to foster deeper cooperation amongst decision-makers, policy-makers, academics and practitioners in Member States.

The database is managed by ECRE and is financially supported by the Fundamental Rights and Citizenship Programme of the European Union.

EDAL was officially launched by President Michael D. Higgins on 17 February 2012.