Section 3.8. Access to information
Persons seeking international protection need information on their situation in order to be able to fully communicate their protection needs and personal circumstances and, in turn, have them comprehensively and fairly assessed.
To ensure effective access to the asylum procedure, the recast APD and the recast RCD oblige Member States to ensure that applicants have access to free legal and procedural information, for example on where and how applications for international protection may be lodged or what their rights and obligations are in reception. Obligations also include the provision of information to potential applicants who are in detention facilities and at border-crossing points.
Effective access to information is a primary constituent of procedural fairness. Applicants have the right to be informed so that:
- they understand the different stages of the process;
- they know their rights and obligations in each of these stages, and the possible consequences of not complying or cooperating;
- the timeframe for each stage of the procedure is clearly communicated; and
- they are aware of the means available to them to exercise their rights and fulfil their duties.
For applicants with pending cases, it is crucial to receive information, because a lack of clarity can be a contributing factor to absconding and secondary movements.
National authorities and other stakeholders continued to strive for information to be available more readily and in various formats and languages. Some countries produced tailored information for specific audiences, such as minor applicants and displaced persons from Ukraine.
After several years of work, the EUAA launched a comprehensive new portal, Let’s Speak Asylum, where recommended methodology and practical tools are available to stakeholders working on information provision in the asylum system.
