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4.4.7. Efforts to further digitalise the asylum procedure

4.4.7. Efforts to further digitalise the asylum procedure

icon for digitalisation of first instance procedures

In 2021, EU+ countries continued with efforts for the long-term digitalisation of first instance asylum procedures, digitalising specific aspects of the procedure and interconnecting their digital asylum systems with other national electronic databases.

In Croatia, the project ‘RECORD - Development, implementation and maintenance of an application for the needs of international protection’ started at the end of 2020 to create a digital application to unite all processes related to international protection. The implementation of the application is planned to take place in the third-quarter of 2022.

BAMF in Germany carried out a feasibility study for digital certification processes and digital identity management, publishing a white paper as a first step toward analysing whether certification processes and identities of asylum seekers can be fully digitalised.560

France set up a teleservice that allows OFPRA to send letters to asylum seekers through a personal and secure digital space. This system, which was put in place for applicants living in two French regions in July 2020, was generalised throughout France in May 2022. Asylum seekers have the possibility to access their administrative documents quickly and easily with a smartphone, tablet or computer by using the portal which is translated into 25 languages. Support was also reinforced for claimants who require special assistance to connect.

In Ireland, the Immigration Service launched a new website in July 2021561  and published a new Digitisation Strategy to transition from paper-based processes to more efficient immigration services.562
 
In Italy, three digital platforms were created through an AMIF EMAS project, which ended in March 2022. The platforms include a website for asylum seekers and beneficiaries of international protection, a platform for exchanges between the NAC and territorial commissions to harmonise procedures and facilitate communication, and a portal for open data on asylum.

The IPA in Malta is in the process of converting physical documents to electronic files and transitioning to an electronic system in general.

In Romania, a new AMIF project on the “Extension, development and modernisation of the national Eurodac system” is being carried out between 2021 and 2022. New hardware and software will be purchased to improve the response time during a massive influx of migrants by using portable fingerprint stations.563
 
Slovenia is in the process of upgrading its asylum databases by adding new fields and connecting them with the police database. The introduction of an electronic signature for an applicant is also in the planning.

In Switzerland, the Federal Council sought to renew the Central Information System on Migration (SYMIC) and develop new functionalities to provide high-quality digital services for a smooth running of cases in the areas of asylum, foreigners and nationality.564