|
Bulgaria |
2023 |
Policy |
|
Special procedures to assess protection needs |
Authorities proposed the adoption of a new methodology for age assessments, following EUAA guidelines. The methodology is planned to be piloted from March 2024. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Bulgaria |
2023 |
Policy |
|
The Dublin procedure |
Staff members in the Dublin unit were assigned specific tasks to avoid each officer following up on all aspects of the Dublin procedure. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Bulgaria |
2023 |
Legislative |
|
Processing asylum applications at first instance |
The authorities adopted a circular for the implementation of the accelerated procedure, pending the amendment of the Law on Asylum and Refugees. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Bulgaria |
2023 |
Legislative |
|
Processing asylum applications at first instance |
Legislation is being amended to enable a negative decision on international protection and a return decision to be issued jointly. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Bulgaria |
2023 |
Legislative |
|
Interpretation services |
National legislation on asylum was amended to allow EUAA interpreters to support the registration and assessment of applications for international protection. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Belgium |
2023 |
Legislative |
|
Detention during the asylum procedure |
The draft of the new Migration Code makes clear that children cannot be held in closed centres. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Belgium |
2023 |
Legislative |
|
The Dublin procedure |
The Council of Ministers approved a reform package on the migration model. It would codify in national law that the Immigration Office can extend the timeline for a Dublin transfer from 6 to 12 months when the applicant is detained in a penal institution, and to 18 months when the person has absconded. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Belgium |
2023 |
Legislative |
|
Special procedures to assess protection needs |
Georgia was removed from the list of safe countries of origin. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Belgium |
2023 |
Legislative |
|
Reception of applicants for international protection |
The Council of Ministers approved a royal decree which obliges applicants who work to contribute to reception costs. In addition, applicants who are in a stable and sustainable professional situation with high salaries can be asked to leave the reception network. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Belgium |
2023 |
Legislative |
|
Reception of applicants for international protection |
The Council of Ministers approved the draft law to amend the law on the reception of asylum seekers. The right to material assistance will end with a final negative decision in the international protection procedure. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Belgium |
2023 |
Legislative |
|
Interpretation services |
Amendments to laws were prepared on the recruitment and status of interpreters. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Belgium |
2023 |
Legislative |
|
Statelessness in the context of asylum |
The Council of Ministers approved a draft legislation which would become law in early 2024, setting up a specific procedure and a specific legal right to stay for stateless people, provided they have involuntarily lost their nationality, cannot obtain or retrieve one, and prove they cannot receive a residence permit in any another country. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Belgium |
2023 |
Legislative |
|
Content of protection |
The Flemish region of Belgium introduced an obligatory, standardised Dutch language test for newcomers, including beneficiaries of international protection, as part of civic integration courses. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Belgium |
2023 |
Legislative |
|
Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups |
The Council of Ministers approved the creation of a separate residence right for parents when their children qualify for international protection but they themselves do not. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Belgium |
2023 |
Policy |
|
Processing asylum applications at first instance |
The pilot project ‘Tabula Rasa’ was launched to maximise the number of decisions and eliminate the backlog. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Belgium |
2023 |
Policy |
|
Access to information |
The Fedasil Info Point was reopened in 2023 next to the Bordet reception centre with expanded tasks to support applicants residing outside of the reception network, migrants in transit and people without a legal residence. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Belgium |
2023 |
Policy |
|
Reception of applicants for international protection |
Fedasil and the Auxiliary Fund for Health and Invalidity Insurance launched a new project to simplify and digitalise the billing system for applicants’ medical support. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Belgium |
2023 |
Policy |
|
Reception of applicants for international protection |
Fedasil increased the number of reception places for unaccompanied children. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Belgium |
2023 |
Policy |
|
Reception of applicants for international protection |
Around 2,000 additional places were established in the reception system. The search for new centres continued throughout the year. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Belgium |
2023 |
Policy |
|
Processing asylum applications at first instance |
In March 2023, the CGRS adjusted its procedure to enable applicants to submit documents by email. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Belgium |
2023 |
Policy |
|
Processing asylum applications at first instance |
The CGRS published a new policy in January 2024 on the security situation in Somalia to guide the assessment of applications for international protection. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Belgium |
2023 |
Policy |
|
Processing asylum applications at first instance |
The CGRS suspended the examination of cases and notification of decisions for applicants from Gaza and the West Bank between October 2023 and January 2024. Exceptionally, positive decisions for refugee protection and inadmissibility decisions for persons with a protection status in another Member State continued to be pronounced. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Belgium |
2023 |
Policy |
|
Resettlement and humanitarian admissions |
Alongside the Community Sponsorship Programme, which has been running in Belgium since 2020, Fedasil launched an initiative in 2023 to find new partners to provide reception support, including housing, to resettled refugees. Various partnerships were signed in 2023, and the process of finding new partners continued in 2024. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Belgium |
2023 |
Policy |
|
Resettlement and humanitarian admissions |
A new reception facility to host up to 115 resettled refugees was opened in Alveringem. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Belgium |
2023 |
Policy |
|
Processing asylum applications at first instance |
The START section was created within the CGRS, where all newly-recruited case officers will start their career with 6 months of training, followed by integration into existing sections or units. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |