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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 Sort descending Type of development 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
Belgium Flag Belgium 2019 Policy The Dublin procedure The Dublin procedure The Immigration Office increased its staff working on Dublin cases. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Belgium Flag Belgium 2019 Policy Access to procedure icon Access to procedure The CGRS in Belgium continued to give refugee status to minor girls with a well-founded fear of persecution due to female genital mutilation, but parents were no longer granted derived refugee status automatically and needed to submit a separate request for regularisation. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Belgium Flag Belgium 2019 Policy Access to procedure icon Access to procedure Fedasil made improvements to the arrival path in the temporary arrival centre in Brussels, rendering registration and lodging procedures quicker and more efficient. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Belgium Flag Belgium 2019 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The Council of Ministers approved several measures on 14 November 2019 to speed up the procedures for international protection by hiring more staff in asylum authorities, increasing reception capacity to accelerate outflow and cooperating closer with all federal government departments. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Belgium Flag Belgium 2019 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The CGRS developed and implemented a system to prioritise specific cases or profiles. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Belgium Flag Belgium 2019 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection Fedasil and the Red Cross established an agreement with the Flemish Integration and Civic Integration Agency to notify the public of the opening of any new reception centre and the agency would appoint a liaison officer to support the local administration in addressing residents. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Belgium Flag Belgium 2019 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection Applicants do not need to obtain a separate work permit since 1 January 2019. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Bulgaria Flag Bulgaria 2019 Policy The Dublin procedure The Dublin procedure A new software was piloted to store files of applicants who are subject to incoming Dublin requests from other states. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Croatia Flag Croatia 2019 Policy Content of protection Content of protection Beneficiaries of international protection were granted 280 hours of state-provided language courses. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Croatia Flag Croatia 2019 Policy Content of protection Content of protection Coordinators were appointed to social welfare centres and branch offices to provide support in accessing social welfare and, more broadly, in fostering inclusion in the local community. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Cyprus Flag Cyprus 2019 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The Asylum Service was reinforced with additional staff in order to manage the increasing pressures on the asylum and reception systems. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2019 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The project, Participation and Language, was extended to all reception centres (AZC). EASO Asylum Report 2020
Ireland Flag Ireland 2019 Policy Resettlement Resettlement and humanitarian admissions A new phase of the Irish Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP) was announced by the Department of Justice and Equality. 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
Latvia Flag Latvia 2019 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The Ministry of Culture in Latvia launched language clubs, co-funded by AMIF, in five cities. The Latvian Language Agency developed new e?learning material (e-Laipa) for A1 and A2 levels. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Lithuania Flag Lithuania 2019 Policy Access to information Access to information The Refugee Reception Centre launched lectures for refugees and asylum applicants on the differences in status, rights and responsibilities, as well as general information on Lithuania (history, geography, education labour law, domestic violence, medical services, etc). With the use of new technologies, the Rukla Refugee Reception Centre also provided similar information through its new Facebook social network account. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Lithuania Flag Lithuania 2019 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The “Description of the Procedure for Accommodation of Asylum Applicants” clarified that costs exceeding the rates defined in the document might be covered by funds from international organisations, the European Union, non-governmental organisations or private entities. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Malta Flag Malta 2019 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The Office of the Refugee Commissioner and the IT Unit of the Ministry for Home Affairs, National Security and Law Enforcement improved the national asylum database that records relevant data pertaining to applications for international protection, as well as for registering asylum seekers. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Malta Flag Malta 2019 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection AWAS amended its policies and provided allowances to applicants who hold an asylum certificate and are registered with the Refugee Commissioner. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2019 Policy Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups The IND launched a special project and hired additional staff to reduce the backlog in applications from unaccompanied minors and shorten the overall length of the asylum procedure. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Luxembourg Flag Luxembourg 2019 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection The Law on Social Inclusion Income (REVIS) entered into force on 1 January 2019. All beneficiaries of international protection and their family members aged 25 or older can benefit from the social inclusion income. LU LEG 04 2019
Luxembourg Flag Luxembourg 2019 Legislative Detention Detention during the asylum procedure An amendment allowed a systematic verification process for the prolongation of a third country national’s administrative detention. LU LEG 03 2019
Luxembourg Flag Luxembourg 2019 Legislative Return of former applicants Return of former applicants An interdisciplinary commission was established to evaluate the best interests of unaccompanied minors in return decisions. LU LEG 03 2019
Luxembourg Flag Luxembourg 2019 Legislative Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The National Reception Office (ONA, Office nationale de l'accueil) was established. LU LEG 02 2019