‘We are dealing with humans not categories’ - New Refugee Commissioner interviewed

Martine Cassar, a lawyer and former head of the International Organisation on Migration office in Malta, has just been appointed Refugee Commissioner. In her first interview, she tells Philip Leone-Ganado her guiding principles in deciding which migrants qualify for protection – and what Europe needs to do to address the crisis. A few weeks into the job, how do you see your role? The role is very specific: to analyse and assess claims for protection and the award of protection. We analyse – objectively and justly – every claim on a case-by-case basis. Naturally there are laws and regulations which govern the different forms of protection, and we give the form we think is rightful in terms of the parameters defined in the law. What you've described is quite a technical function. Do you also see yourself as the public face of the government's refugee policy? The claims are heavy: you're dealing with someone's future, with someone who went through a journey, often a treacherous one, to get here. So it is technical. We analyse in depth. Our decisions affect people's futures and I take it very seriously in that respect. Am I the government's face? Up to a certain extent. I am the...

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