In spring when it becomes warmer drowning refugees in the Mediterranean occupy the media. A
solution is demanded. Tony Blair (in 2003) and Otto Schily (in 2004) proposed the creation of
European Union reception camps in North African states where refugees may seek asylum. Result:
they would not need to come to Europe. A solution debated with emotion was born. This work
examines the idea of externalised asylum procedures from a legal a humanitarian a political
and an economic point of view. The analysis finally incorporates the solution into a broader
context namely the growing refugee burden sharing debate within the European Union (EU). Would
the externalisation of asylum procedures represent an adequate EU refugee burden sharing
system?
