Nationals from EU member states, including some 220 Romanians who applied for asylum here over the past week alone, are not eligible to do so except in exceptional circumstances, Minister for Justice Michael McDowell announced yesterday.
This follows his decision to introduce an EU protocol governing the area, which takes effect from the start of this year. Included among the countries are Bulgaria and Romania, both of which became the latest members of the EU at the start of the year.
As a result of the move, most applicants from EU states will not be allowed to enter into or remain in asylum processes or accommodation provided by the Reception and Integration Agency for asylum seekers.
In a press statement headlined "McDowell takes firm action to deal with influx of Romanian asylum seekers", Mr McDowell said he had decided to apply the EU treaty protocol on asylum for nationals of EU member states.
This provides that applications for refugee status from EU nationals are inadmissible for processing by another EU state unless there are exceptional circumstances such as human rights abuses.
The Department of Justice claimed the reasons stated by many of the 220 Romanian asylum applicants, most of whom are understood to be from the Roma community, mainly relate to their wish to improve their economic well-being relative to their position in Romania.
This included a wish to access the labour market, something they cannot currently do despite their country's EU accession. "Applicants are also indicating an intention to avail of health and housing services in the State," the statement said.
Peter O'Mahony of the Irish Refugee Council last night said he was "extremely surprised" that the department appeared to be in a position to provide a breakdown of the reasons behind the asylum claims lodged by the Romanians. "It suggests a level of analysis that we just have not seen in the past several years."
The Government last year decided to continue imposing work and visa restrictions on citizens from Romania and Bulgaria following their accession to the EU at the start of the year.
There were some suggestions last night that some of the 220 Romanians may have mistakenly entered the asylum system here.