BRUSSELS - With the adoption of the Asylum Procedures Directive at Justice and Home Affairs Council in Brussels on 1 December 2005, the EU completed the first phase of the Common European Asylum System. This Directive, along with the other legislative instruments on asylum already adopted by the Council, guarantees a minimum level of protection and safeguards in all Member States for those genuinely in need of international protection while helping prevent fraudulent claims which undermine the credibility of asylum.