National refugee and asylum law, including the constitutionally guaranteed right to asylum under Article 16a of the Basic Law, is increasingly being overshadowed by the requirements of Union law. This is particularly evident in the area of substantive refugee law through the European Union Directive on minimum standards for the recognition and status of third-country nationals or stateless persons as refugees or as persons in need of international protection, known as the Qualification Directive. The book first outlines the requirements for examining an application for international protection that arise from the Qualification Directive. It also examines the refugee-friendly approach of the Qualification Directive, especially in comparison to the previously national-oriented German refugee law.