The Academic Network for Legal Studies on Immigration and Asylum in Europe has been created with the financial support of the Odysseus programme of the European Commission. It was initiated in 1999 by Philippe De Bruycker, Professor at the Institute for European Studies of the Université Libre de Bruxelles (U.L.B.). It brings together specialists on Aliens Law from the Member States of the European Union. Its mission is, on the one hand, to carry out legal research and to offer expert opinions, either on its own initiative or on request, on the other hand, to exchange and diffuse as widely as possible legal analysis in the field of Immigration and Asylum Law in Europe. The national laws of each Member State of the European Union in a comparative perspective as well as European Law are taken into consideration. The works include research reports and scientific congresses, the results of which are published, as well as training sessions and educational programmes.