Do the Facts Speak for Themselves? Country of Origin Information in French and British Refugee Status Determination Procedures

Abstract

This article examines the place of Country of Origin Information (COI) in the British and French refugee status determination processes. It demonstrates that COI is crucial throughout those processes in both countries, and that there are important differences as well as similarities in the way it is treated. Following an overview of the refugee status determination process in each country, the article discusses different sources of COI and compares the uses of such information in both administrative and judicial procedures. It then compares the evaluation of COI in the UK and France, the role of COI in decision making, and the measures taken in both countries to try to improve the consistency of that decision making. More direct comparisons between the two national systems are then drawn with respect to their contrasting attitudes towards the Common EU Guidelines for Processing Country of Origin Information, and the different styles of field visit report generated by their official COI-producing organizations.