Home Asylum Report 2024 Section 3. Functioning of the Common European Asylum System Overview of functioning of the Common European Asylum System Table of Contents Foreword Acknowledgements Acronyms and abbreviations Executive Summary Introduction Section 1. Global developments in the field of asylum in 2023 Overview of global developments in the field of asylum in 2023 1.1. Global trends in international protection 1.2. Global Compact on Refugees 1.3. Climate-induced displacement 1.4. Global developments on statelessness 1.5. The Humanitarian-Development-Peace nexus Section 2. Major developments in asylum in the European Union in 2023 Overview of major developments in asylum in the European Union in 2023 2.1. Reforming the Common European Asylum System Box 1. Safeguards for minors and families with children 2.2. Responding to the arrival of displaced persons from Ukraine 2.3. Key developments in policies and practices at the EU level 2.3.1. Asylum and migration on the EU policy agenda 2.3.2. Migration routes and management of the EU’s external borders 2.4. External dimension of the EU’s asylum policy 2.5. Jurisprudence of the Court of Justice of the EU Section 3. Functioning of the Common European Asylum System Overview of functioning of the Common European Asylum System Box 2. Temporary protection for displaced persons from Ukraine Box 3. Digital innovation in 2023 Section 3.1. Access to procedures 3.1.1. Access to territory 3.1.2. Access to the asylum procedure 3.1.2.1. Access during a state of emergency 3.1.2.2. Impact of the increase in applications for international protection 3.1.3. Data on applications for international protection 3.1.4. Data on relative pressure related to asylum 3.1.4.1. Asylum applications per capita 3.1.4.2. Beneficiaries of international protection and rejected asylum seekers per capita Box 4. The principle of non-refoulement Section 3.2. The Dublin procedure 3.2.1. Initiatives for more efficient implementation 3.2.2. Practical implementation 3.2.2.1. Impact of the invasion of Ukraine 3.2.2.2. Cooperation and communication among Member States 3.2.2.3. Interpreting definitions in the Dublin III Regulation 3.2.2.4. Time limits 3.2.2.5. Procedural safeguards and remedies 3.2.3. Decisions on outgoing Dublin requests 3.2.3.1. Citizenship of applicants in the Dublin procedure 3.2.3.2. Acceptance rate for Dublin requests 3.2.3.3. Decisions on take charge and take back requests 3.2.4. Use of the sovereignty clause 3.2.5. Assessing the implementation of transfers to specific countries 3.2.5.1. Differences in protection policies 3.2.5.2. Access to the asylum procedure and non-refoulement 3.2.5.3. Access to and quality of reception conditions in the country responsible for an application 3.2.5.4. Use of detention 3.2.6. Implementing Dublin transfers Section 3.3. Special procedures to assess protection needs 3.3.1. Border procedures 3.3.2. Safe country concepts 3.3.3. Admissibility procedures Box 5. Case law related to secondary movements in 2023 3.3.4. Accelerated procedures 3.3.5. Subsequent applications Section 3.4. Processing asylum applications at first instance 3.4.1. Re-organisation of first instance authorities 3.4.2. Legislative and policy changes 3.4.3. Case load management and prioritisation policies 3.4.3.1. New working methods 3.4.3.2. Prioritisation policies 3.4.3.3. Additional staff 3.4.4. Personal interview 3.4.5. National policies and practices for specific profiles and nationalities 3.4.6. Derived right to international protection 3.4.7. Exclusion from international protection 3.4.8. Case processing at first instance 3.4.8.1. Case closures in relation to the number of asylum applications 3.4.8.2. Number of decisions on first instance applications 3.4.8.3. Citizenships receiving first instance decisions 3.4.8.4. Discontinuations after withdrawals 3.4.8.5. Other closures 3.4.8.6. Pending cases at first instance 3.4.9. Quality assurance of first instance procedures and decisions 3.4.10. Length of the asylum procedure before the determining authorities 3.4.11. Digitalisation 3.4.12. The interplay between international protection applications and other procedures Section 3.5. Processing asylum applications at second or higher instances 3.5.1. Access to the appeals procedure 3.5.2. Institutional changes in appeal bodies 3.5.3. Scope of an appeal in international protection cases 3.5.4. The right to an oral hearing on appeal 3.5.5. The possibility to have a same-sex official in the appeal procedure 3.5.6. Examination of appeals lodged by specific profiles of applicants 3.5.7. Length of the appeals procedure Section 3.6. Reception of applicants for international protection 3.6.1. Organisation and functioning of the reception system 3.6.1.1. Adapting reception systems 3.6.1.2. Adjusting reception capacity and impact on reception conditions 3.6.2. Entitlement to material reception conditions 3.6.3. Applicants’ daily life 3.6.3.1. House rules and measures for disruptive applicants 3.6.3.2. Employment 3.6.3.3. Health 3.6.3.4. Orientation and education Section 3.7. Aspects of detention involving asylum applicants and former applicants 3.7.1. Recourse to detention 3.7.1.1. Comprehensive changes in detention regimes 3.7.1.2. Detention at the border and during the initial phase of the asylum procedure 3.7.1.3. Detention pending a return 3.7.2. Detention capacity and impact on detention conditions Section 3.8. Access to information 3.8.1. Let’s Speak Asylum portal 3.8.2. Information on the asylum procedure 3.8.2.1. Enhanced availability and accessibility of information 3.8.2.2. Existing challenges 3.8.2.3. Case law related to the provision of information Section 3.9. Legal assistance and representation 3.9.1. Access to legal aid during the first instance procedure 3.9.2. Access to legal aid during appeals 3.9.3. Legal aid at the borders or in detention 3.9.4. Supporting lawyers working on international protection cases 3.9.5. Continued legal assistance following an international protection procedure 3.9.6. Specific aspects of providing legal aid for displaced persons from Ukraine Section 3.10. Interpretation services 3.10.1. Access to interpretation 3.10.1.1. Improving access 3.10.1.2. Challenges in providing interpretation 3.10.2. Quality of interpretation 3.10.2.1. Enhancing quality 3.10.2.2. Raising the standards for interpretation services Section 3.11. Country of origin information 3.11.1. Improving methodologies and practices 3.11.2. Collaborating on accurate information 3.11.3. Increasing access to COI 3.11.4. Regions of focus 3.11.4.1. Medical country of origin information (MedCOI) 3.11.4.2. COI and the LGBTIQ community 3.11.4.3. Jurisprudence on COI Section 3.12. Statelessness in the context of asylum 3.12.1. Changing legislation and improving the situation of stateless asylum seekers and refugees 3.12.2. Stateless Palestinians 3.12.3. COI and statelessness Section 3.13. Content of protection 3.13.1 Granting international protection: Recognition rates at first instance 3.13.1.1. Breakdown by citizenship 3.13.1.2. Breakdown by country 3.13.1.3. Divergence in recognition rates 3.13.2. Building perspectives: Legal status and family reunification 3.13.2.1. National forms of protection 3.13.2.2. Review, cessation and revocation of international protection 3.13.2.3. Family reunification 3.13.3. Integration plans and their evaluation 3.13.3.1. Developing and updating integration strategies 3.13.3.2. Fostering cooperation among stakeholders 3.13.4. Supporting integration 3.13.4.1. Daily life and administrative procedures 3.13.4.2. Education and language learning 3.13.4.3. Employment 3.13.4.4. Housing Section 3.14. Resettlement and humanitarian admissions 3.14.1. National commitments for resettlement and humanitarian admissions 3.14.1.1. Annual pledging exercise 3.14.1.2. Implementing pledges 3.14.1.2.1. Data on resettlement activities in 2023 3.14.1.2.2. National developments and challenges 3.14.2. Complementary pathways for admission Section 4. Children and people with special needs in the asylum procedure 4.1. Comprehensive approaches to identify and support applicants with special needs 4.2. Protecting women and girls 4.3. Applicants with disabilities and special health needs 4.3.1. Identification of disabilities 4.3.2. Provision of information 4.3.3. Special procedural safeguards 4.3.4. Mental health conditions and needs in the asylum procedure 4.4. Providing protection and support to applicants with diverse SOGIESC 4.4.1. Case law related to SOGIESC applicants 4.5. Identifying and supporting victims of human trafficking 4.6. Children going through the asylum procedure 4.6.1. Data on unaccompanied minors 4.6.2. Legal representation for asylum-seeking children 4.6.3. Assessing the age of an applicant claiming to be a child 4.6.4. Rights of the child during the asylum procedure 4.6.5. Children in the reception system 4.6.6. Future perspectives for applicant children Box 6. Return of former applicants Section 5. EUAA support in 2023 5.1. Asylum knowledge 5.2. Training and professional development 5.3. Operational and technical assistance 5.3.1. Assessment of EUAA operational support in 2023 5.4. Third-country support 5.4.1. Assessment of the EUAA’s third country support in 2023 5.5. Protection of fundamental rights 5.6. Consultative forum and civil society organisations 5.7. Monitoring the implementation of CEAS 5.8. EUAA Presidency of the JHA Agencies Network 2023 Concluding remarks Reader’s guide Sources on Asylum 2024 Statistical tables Infographics Share Print Overview of functioning of the Common European Asylum System Section 3.1. Access to procedure Read more... Section 3.2. The Dublin procedure Read more... Section 3.3. Special procedures to assess protection needs Read more... Section 3.4. Processing asylum applications at first instance Read more... Section 3.5. Processing asylum applications at second or higher instances Read more... Section 3.6. Reception of applicants for international protection Read more... Section 3.7. Aspects of detention involving asylum applicants and former applicants Read more... Section 3.8. Access to information Read more... Section 3.9. Legal assistance and representation Read more... Section 3.10. Interpretation services Read more... Section 3.11. Country of origin information Read more... Section 3.12. Statelessness in the context of asylum Read more... Section 3.13. Content of protection Read more... Section 3.14. Resettlement and humanitarian admission programmes Read more... Book traversal links for Overview of functioning of the Common European Asylum System Previous Parent Next