4.9.2. Information for specific nationalities 

Afghans

More than a year after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, many EU+ countries retained information for Afghans on their websites, while the frequency of updates to these pages slowed down. In most cases, the content was relocated from the homepage to subpages of the authorities’ website. Information for Afghan applicants remained accessible on national authorities’ websites in Denmark,791 Finland,792 Germany, 793 the Netherlands,794 Norway,795 Poland,796 Sweden 797 and Switzerland.798

Ukrainians

By the end of 2022, all EU+ countries had developed websites or webpages to provide information to displaced persons from Ukraine (see the EUAA’s Who is Who: Temporary Protection to view the information tools developed by each country). These pages were regularly updated to provide the most up-to-date and accurate information in a rapidly-changing environment.

Since the activation of the Temporary Protection Directive on 4 March 2022, great efforts were made by EU+ countries and civil society organisations to inform this target population about their rights and the procedural steps to take to receive temporary protection. (Read more about access to information on temporary protection in the EUAA’s comprehensive report, Providing Temporary Protection to Displaced Persons from Ukraine: A Year in Review.) As the report notes, all 30 EU+ countries created dedicated tools and websites to provide information on access to relevant procedures and rights for displaced persons from Ukraine. In addition, several EU+ countries provided channels for personalised information through the creation of dedicated telephone lines and e-mail addresses. EU institutions and agencies, NGOs and international organisations, such as UNHCR and the IOM, also developed information material in various countries. Efforts also focused on producing more information material in Ukrainian and Russian. The European Commission launched information webpages and tools to centralise information resources, and several EU agencies made additional resources available in relation to their mandate.

Russians

Following President Putin’s announcement of a ‘partial’ military mobilisation on 21 September 2022, Finland started to see an increase in the number of asylum applications lodged by Russian nationals.799  Additionally, many Russian nationals started contacting the Norwegian UDI with questions about claiming asylum in Norway.800 In response, the Finnish Immigration Service801  and the Norwegian UDI802 updated their websites with specific information for Russian nationals about claiming asylum. The webpages contained Frequently Asked Questions and were accessible in Russian.