Building Credibility – supporting EU-wide access to know how on objective credibility assessment

A significant proportion of asylum claims are rejected in the EU on credibility grounds and “credibility assessment” has become an indispensable element of the majority of asylum procedures. Yet, no common concept exists about what “credibility” means in an asylum context and EU law has only set basic principles in this respect. Experience shows that credibility assessment is often conducted in a non-structured manner (often based on “gut feelings”) and persisting erroneous or unscientific concepts distort this process in various ways.

The overall goal of the “Building Credibility” project is to provide access for all stakeholders in the EU asylum sector to know-how on structured, objective and protection-oriented credibility assessment. Based on continuing the work done in this area, the goal is to be achieved through several methods:

– Research state practices, and identify good practices, in the assessment of credibility in child asylum claims;

– Develop and promote an evidence-based methodology for credibility assessment in claims related to children, gender, and sexual orientation and gender identity;

– Enable access for relevant stakeholders (state authorities, judiciary, academics, legal counsellors, etc.) to tailored training; and knowledge on credibility assessment, through sustainable and cost-effective continuous knowledge transfer;

The project was coordinated by the Hungarian Helsinki Committee and implemented together with its partners – UNHCR Bureau for Europe, Asylum Aid (UK) and the European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE). The project started in June 2013 and concluded in January 2015. It was co-financed by the European Commission through the Refugee Fund Community Actions.

In the framework of the project the following materials were published:

– Second volume of the CREDO training manual on credibility assessment;

– Research on state practices related to credibility assessment in child asylum claims;

– Summary Conclusions of the “Expert Roundtable on Credibility Assessment in Asylum Procedures” organized together with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR);