Interview with Gert Wobbes

Interview with Gert Wobbes, Asylum expert from the Netherlands.

Name, title and country:

Gert Wobbes, Asylum expert from the Netherlands.

How have you been using EAC, what modules and for how long?

Evidence Assessment in November 2009 and train-the-trainer session in Stockholm, Sweden. Currently, I am working on EAC implementation in the Netherlands for 2011 for the modules Inclusion, Evidence Assessment, Interview Techniques, Interviewing Children and Interviewing Vulnerable Persons.

What are the main benefits of using the EAC-training?

• Quality improvement.
• Discussions with EU Member State colleagues.
• E-learning.
• Contribution to the Common European Asylum System. EAC leads to one type of Asylum Assessment.
• It is free of charge.
• Closer relation to EU legislation.
• What are the challenges of working with the EAC-training?
• The national priorities that tend to focus on production and not on training.
• The Lack of urgency of national services regarding the road to the Common European Asylum System (CEAS).
• The translational matters, as discussed at the Translation Conference in Prague.
• To convince the level of managers. It seems they are only interested in national priorities.

Have you seen any improvements in your country’s work on asylum management since you adopted the EAC-training?

Yes, but it has been a tough and long road. Our country is starting a pilot of five EAC modules; Inclusion, Evidence Assessment, Interview Techniques, Interviewing Children, Interviewing Vulnerable Persons.

What do you think of the structure of the EAC-concept of the face-to face sessions combined with e-learning?

It's a good way of combining theory during the E-learning part  and making use of best practices during the face-to-face discussions. The interactive parts are crucial for EAC.

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