Now reissued with a new Preface by Robin Cohen and Danièle Joly this book was originally published in 1989 at a time when the reality of a single European Community had begun to materialize the comfortable belief that many European countries offered havens for those fleeing persecution. This belief was undermined as governments sought to cope with xenophobic and racist sentiments by their indigenous populations. This book, with contributions from social scientists, policy-makers and representatives from many European countries discusses the response of European governments to the increasing demands by asylum-seekers, refugees and exiles for admission, settlement and protection: issues which remain as pertinent today as when the book was originally published.