Abstract

This essay addresses the topic of right of asylum by examining the most significant laws adopted in implementation of community law by Italy and France as well as the leading cases that have contributed to defining the present legal framework with regard to right of asylum and protection of refugees. At present, right of asylum is at the centre of the political debate at national, community and international level given the fact that it poses problems in terms of finding a balance between the protection of state prerogatives, such as public order and national security, and the protection of human rights. This is demonstrated by the pledge that the European Union has made to "Building a Europe of Asylum".