EU+ countries were faced with an exceptional number of people in need of protection in 2022 as a result of sharply increasing asylum applications lodged in Europe, coupled with the forced displacement of millions of people from Ukraine following the Russian invasion. In light of these developments, the EU and its Member States mobilised an unprecedented amount of resources to address growing protection needs. To manage the situation, some countries called a state of emergency, many reorganised the registration process and all countries needed to adjust reception capacity.

To set the scene, Section 1 presents an overview of forced displacement globally and addresses the international community’s response to large refugee movements. The section zooms in on key topics which were discussed at the global level: children seeking protection, displaced women and girls, physical and mental health of asylum applicants, climate-induced displacement and developments concerning stateless populations.

Section 2 zooms in on the context in the European Union, presenting the latest legislative and policy developments in the evolution of CEAS. Starting with the activation of the Temporary Protection Directive, it highlights the EU response in providing protection to displaced persons from Ukraine, while managing the ever-increasing number of asylum applications. Cases addressed by the Court of Justice of the EU are also summarised to clarify the interpretation of law in often complex situations. 

The support provided by the EUAA to countries during 2022 is outlined in Section 3. It details the Agency’s work programme, work with third countries, and operational and technical assistance which was provided over the course of the year. It also presents an evaluation of these activities, when applicable. 

Section 4 analyses developments at the national level at each stage of the asylum procedure, including access to the asylum procedure and to information, legal assistance, interpretation services, procedures at first and second instances, special procedures, the Dublin procedure, reception conditions, detention during the asylum procedure, country of origin information, the content of protection and resettlement. The key indicators which are presented help to identify and monitor trends in receiving countries, as well as with the main nationalities of applicants. 

The situation of children and applicants with special needs are described in Section 5. The section combines quantitative, qualitative and legal information to provide an overview of the situation for minors, women, victims of violence and human trafficking, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans-gender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ) asylum applicants. The section focuses in particular on unaccompanied minors, reviewing changes to legal representation, age assessments and reception conditions.

To include diverse perspectives, observations by civil society organisations and other stakeholders are presented throughout the report by topic. In 2022, concerns often centred around access to the asylum procedure, reception conditions and applicants with special needs.

The report serves as a main reference for developments in asylum in EU+ countries. It collates a wide range of sources to provide accurate information to policymakers, national asylum authorities, researchers and practitioners involved in the field of asylum.