Skip to main content

National Asylum Developments Database

 

The National Asylum Developments Database presents legislative, institutional and policy developments related to asylum since 2018.

Searches can be narrowed down by:

  • Country
  • Year
  • Type of development: legislative, institutional or policy 
  • Thematic area: access to procedure, access to information, legal assistance and representation, interpretation services, special procedures, procedures at first instance, reception of applicants for international protection, detention, procedures at second instance, country of origin information, statelessness in the asylum context, content of protection, return of former applicants, resettlement and humanitarian admission programmes.

Details on each development and further analysis can be consulted in the Asylum Report series.
 

Types of policies and practices reported in the National Asylum Developments Database

The National Asylum Developments Database can be searched by institutional, legislative and policy changes. There are three types of policy developments:

Policies and practices related to the integrity of national asylum systems aim to swiftly identify unfounded asylum applications and ensure that financial, human and administrative resources are not dissipated on such claims. These measures involve efforts to rapidly establish an applicant’s identity, including age, country of origin, travel route and security concerns if any. These facts help to better assess the credibility of the applicant’s statements and determine whether beneficiaries of international protection are still in need of protection. The prevention of unintentional misuse of the asylum procedure and its integrity are also supported by the provision of information to asylum applicants and beneficiaries of international protection on their respective rights and obligations and related procedural arrangements.

Policies and practices that improve the efficiency of national asylum systems include digitalisation and the use of new technologies in the framework of asylum, prioritising or fast-tracking applications, the re-organisation of the procedure itself or implementing changes in the number of staff employed.

Policy and practice aiming to enhance the quality of national asylum systems contribute to increasing fairness, integrity and efficiency. Quality assurance systems, guidance materials and capacity-building measures typically pay off on the initial investment and efforts. The initiatives include staff training, revising existing guidance materials and monitoring the quality of the decisions delivered.

The database presents validated factual information and does not imply any endorsement from the European Commission or EUAA.

Flag Country Year Type of development Sort ascending Thematic area Development Source
Austria Flag Austria 2019 Policy Content of protection Content of protection Austria continued to focus on the labour market integration of beneficiaries of international protection, organised targeted employment fairs and mentoring programmes specifically tailored to migrant women. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Estonia Flag Estonia 2019 Policy Return of former applicants Return of former applicants The Estonian Police and Border Guard Board started to issue “three in one” decisions combining a negative decision on an asylum application, a return decision and a decision to impose a prohibition to entry. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Italy Flag Italy 2019 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The Ministry of Labour and Social Policies launched a project, Protezione Unita a Obiettivo Integrazione, which provided effective pathways to the labour market for beneficiaries of international protection, persons with humanitarian status or persons who entered the country as unaccompanied minors. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Belgium Flag Belgium 2021 Policy The Dublin procedure The Dublin procedure The State Secretary for Asylum and Migration extended the transfer period from 6 months to 18 months for applicants in the Dublin procedure who refused to undergo PCR testing. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Bulgaria Flag Bulgaria 2021 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The Bulgarian Ministry of Labour and Social Policy extended its refugee employment and training programme for 2021-2022. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Denmark Flag Denmark 2021 Policy Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance In October 2021, the Danish Refugee Board decided to review cases for citizens of the Democratic Republic of the Congo who were about to be deported, in light of a report by the Swedish Migration Agency of 24 June 2021. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Norway Flag Norway 2020 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The MOT-system was introduced for reception administration, and it is planned to be further developed in 2021. EASO Asylum Report 2021
France Flag France 2021 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The launching of the AGIR programme was announced, proposing individualised, 20-month integration pathways to all beneficiaries of international protection, with a focus on housing and employment. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Sweden Flag Sweden 2020 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The Swedish Migration Agency updated its legal position on the assessment of applications from Turkish citizens. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Iceland Flag Iceland 2021 Policy Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs Ukraine was removed from the list of safe countries (decision published in February 2022). EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Sweden Flag Sweden 2020 Policy Return of former applicants Return of former applicants A new legal position was issued to provide guidance on the assessment of the right to private and family life in the application of the temporary law, and specifically when assessing whether a decision on a foreigner's return infringes the right prescribed in Article 8. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Ireland Flag Ireland 2021 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure As part of the reform of the reception system, the IPAS announced the development of a new LGBTIQ resident policy, including accommodation for transgender applicants. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Finland Flag Finland 2020 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The Let's talk about children! method was fully rolled out in reception centres. The Finnish Immigration Service and MIELU adapted the method to the context of asylum in an AMIF-funded project between 2017-2020. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Italy Flag Italy 2021 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure UNHCR and the Italian National Commission for Asylum published new guidelines for the identification of victims of trafficking in an effort to standardise the procedure across territorial commissions. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Greece Flag Greece 2020 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The Prime Minister announced the planned legislative reform for the protection of unaccompanied children for 2021. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Luxembourg Flag Luxembourg 2021 Policy Resettlement Resettlement and humanitarian admissions The government pledged to receive 90 Afghan nationals at risk, including girls, women, former judges and human rights activists during 2021 and 2022. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2020 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The COA published its new multiannual strategy, which defines its measurable targets for the next 5 years. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Malta Flag Malta 2021 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The International Protection Agency and AWAS signed a memorandum of understanding on the medical referral of applicants claiming to be survivors of FGM/C. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Latvia Flag Latvia 2020 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued humanitarian visas for Belarusians in a shorter timeframe and applicants were required to contact the embassy only once instead of twice. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2021 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection An AMIF-funded project promoted sports, exercise and healthy lifestyle among residents. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Slovenia Flag Slovenia 2020 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance Additional staff were hired to tackle the pending backlog of cases and shorten delays in the asylum procedure. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Poland Flag Poland 2021 Policy Detention Detention during the asylum procedure To accommodate a larger number of detainees, as an emergency solution, the minimum space per person was reduced from 4 sqm to 2 sqm on the basis of the Ordinance of the Minister of the Interior and Administration. All detention centre for families and single women returned to 4 sqm on 25 April 2022, and the centre in Wedrzyn returned to 4 sqm on 6 June 2022. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Croatia Flag Croatia 2020 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection A new health care project was set up with AMIF funding, in cooperation with Medecins du Monde, to tackle the needs of applicants who have been in transit in Bosnia and Herzegovina and who suffer from chronic illnesses or disabilities. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Slovenia Flag Slovenia 2021 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure New national action plans were adopted for combating trafficking in human beings. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Sweden Flag Sweden 2021 Policy Content of protection Content of protection To facilitate migrant women’s employment, the Swedish government proposed to grant 90 days of parental leave to parents from low-income families. EUAA Asylum Report 2022