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3. EASO transition to the EUAA

3. EASO transition to the EUAA

After 10 years of operation, EASO was transformed into the EUAA through Regulation (EU) 2021/2303 on the Establishment of a European Union Agency for Asylum which entered into force on 19 January 2022. The Agency can now offer greater operational and technical support to increase efficiency in asylum systems; improve and accelerate the provision of assistance at the request of Member States; further develop operational standards, indicators and practical guidelines to inform uniform, high-quality decision-making in asylum cases; better monitor and report on the functioning of national asylum and reception systems; contribute to capacity-building in non-EU countries; and support EU+ countries with resettlement schemes.

A key area of work for the EUAA is to provide operational and technical assistance to Member States experiencing disproportionate pressure on their asylum and reception systems. As of May 2022, 10 Member States receive direct support from the Agency through annual or multiannual plans: Belgium, Cyprus, Czechia, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Romania and Spain. Operational support to national asylum and reception systems in 2021 covered a range of actions which were tailored to the specific context and needs in each country, including support to increase capacity and the quality of reception conditions, register and process applications at first and second instances, support relocations and increase the quality and standardisation of the Dublin procedure.

A cross-cutting external ex post evaluation was conducted at the beginning of 2022 to assess the implementation of the Agency’s operational support to inform decision-making and enhance the overall operational support framework. Overall, the external evaluation concluded that the Agency’s operational support during 2021 was highly relevant to the needs of Members States and flexible to adapt to rapidly-changing contexts.