Due to the evolving situations in Afghanistan and Ethiopia, the processing of requests for international protection lodged by nationals from these countries of origin, in particular possible negative decisions, were suspended for a period of time in several EU+ countries.European Council on Refugees and Exiles. (December 2021). Afghans seeking protection in Europe: ECRE's compilation of information on evacuations, pathways to protection and access to asylum in Europe for Afghans since August 2021. https://ecre.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Evacuations-pathways-to-pro…
 
Norway suspended cases lodged by Afghan nationals in JulyImmigration Appeals Board | Utlendingsnemnda. (2022, January 27). UNE resumes the processing of cases from Afghanistan. https://www.une.no/en/see-more-news/archive/2022/une-resumes-the-proces…  and lifted the measure on
27 January 2022.Immigration Appeals Board | Utlendingsnemnda. (2022, January 27). UNE resumes the processing of cases from Afghanistan. https://www.une.no/en/see-more-news/archive/2022/une-resumes-the-proces… Belgium decided to temporary suspend the notification of negative decisions for applicants from Afghanistan in August 2021Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS) | Commissariaatgeneraal voor de vluchtelingen en de staatlozen | Commissariat Général aux Réfugiés et aux Apatrides. (2021, November 17). Temporary partial suspension of the notification of decisions for applicants from Afghanistan. https://www.cgrs.be/en/news/temporary-partial-suspension-notification-d…; Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS) | Commissariaatgeneraal voor de vluchtelingen en de staatlozen | Commissariat Général aux Réfugiés et aux Apatrides. (2022, January 6). Afghanistan: policy. https://www.cgrs.be/en/news/afghanistan-policy; Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS) | Commissariaatgeneraal voor de vluchtelingen en de staatlozen | Commissariat Général aux Réfugiés et aux Apatrides. (2022, March 2). Afghanistan: New policy. https://www.cgrs.be/en/news/afghanistan-new-policy   and lifted the suspension fully on 2 March 2022.Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS) | Commissariaatgeneraal voor de vluchtelingen en de staatlozen | Commissariat Général aux Réfugiés et aux Apatrides. (2021, November 17). Temporary partial suspension of the notification of decisions for applicants from Afghanistan. https://www.cgrs.be/en/news/temporary-partial-suspension-notification-d…; Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS) | Commissariaatgeneraal voor de vluchtelingen en de staatlozen | Commissariat Général aux Réfugiés et aux Apatrides. (2022, January 6). Afghanistan: policy. https://www.cgrs.be/en/news/afghanistan-policy; Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS) | Commissariaatgeneraal voor de vluchtelingen en de staatlozen | Commissariat Général aux Réfugiés et aux Apatrides. (2022, March 2). Afghanistan: New policy. https://www.cgrs.be/en/news/afghanistan-new-policy The processing of applications continued, such as the organisation of personal interviews, as well as the notification of decision to grant refugee status or declaring an application inadmissible for persons with a protection status in another Member State. In the Netherlands, the moratorium on decisions was imposed in August 2021 for
6 months.Ministry of Justice and Security | Ministerie van Justitie en Veiligheid. (2021, August 11). Kamerbrief over instellen besluit- en vertrekmoratorium Afghanistan [Parliamentary brief on introducing a decision and departure moratorium for Afghanistan]. https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/documenten/kamerstukken/2021/08/11/tk-inst…
 
A moratorium on decisions and returns for Tigrayan applicants from Ethiopia was also taken in the Netherlands in July 2021.Ministry of Justice and Security | Ministerie van Justitie en Veiligheid. (2021, November 1). Kamerbrief over Landenbeleid Ethiopië - Tigray en etnisch Tigreeërs [Parliamentary brief on the Ethiopia country policy - Tigray and ethnic Tigrayans]. https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/documenten/kamerstukken/2021/11/01/tk-brie…  The moratorium for Tigrayans was ended in November 2021, while Tigrayan ethnics were considered to be a risk group, with Tigrayan women a vulnerable minority group. The Netherlands also considered that there was no internal protection alternative for Tigrayans and they were not required to turn to the authorities or international organisations for protection in Ethiopia.Ministry of Justice and Security | Ministerie van Justitie en Veiligheid. (2021, November 1). Kamerbrief over Landenbeleid Ethiopië - Tigray en etnisch Tigreeërs [Parliamentary brief on the Ethiopia country policy - Tigray and ethnic Tigrayans]. https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/documenten/kamerstukken/2021/11/01/tk-brie…
 
Suspensions for negative decisions only were applied in Finland, Luxembourg and Switzerland. In Finland, the Immigration Service suspended the pronouncement of negative decisions on removals to Afghanistan on 9 July 2021. The asylum authority confirmed in November 2021 that negative decisions were still not issued and that only positive decisions were pronounced.Finnish Immigration Service | Maahanmuuttovirasto. (2021, November 11). New country guidelines for Afghanistan – extensive assessment of the security situation to continue. https://migri.fi/en/-/new-country-guidelines-for-afghanistan-extensive-…
 
In Luxembourg, cases lodged by Afghan nationals were processed where the need for protection was evident, so only positive, inadmissible and Dublin decisions were issued, while negative decisions were suspended. From the end of November 2021, the examination of these cases resumed, and in December 2021, the Ministry of Immigration and Asylum scheduled applicants for a complementary interview to discuss changes in their situation if the initial interview was done before 15 August 2021.Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs | Ministère des Affaires étrangères et européennes. (2021, October 1). Communiqué de presse au sujet de la crédibilité du ministre de l'Immigration et de l'Asile, Jean Asselborn, dans le contexte de la prise de décision actuelle en matière de protection internationale des demandeurs afghans [Press release on the credibility of the Minister for Immigration and Asylum, Jean Asselborn, in the context of the current decision making on international protection of Afghan applicants]. https://maee.gouvernement.lu/fr/actualites.gouvernement%2Bfr%2Bactualit…; Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs | Ministère des Affaires étrangères et européennes. (2021, November 3). Communiqué de presse au sujet de la prise de décision actuelle en matière de protection internationale des demandeurs afghans [Press release concerning the current decision-making on international protection for Afghan applicants]. https://gouvernement.lu/fr/actualites/toutes_actualites/communiques/202…
 
In Switzerland, the policy of deciding only clear cases was considered problematic by the Refugee Council as other Afghans remained in an uncertain situation.European Council on Refugees and Exiles. (2022). Input to the Asylum Report 2022. https://euaa.europa.eu/sites/default/files/2022-03/European_Council_on_… In Latvia, asylum authorities considered that there was no need to provide the personal interview if the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs had proof to grant refugee status.