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.
 

Flag Country Year Type of development Thematic area Development Source
Italy Flag Italy 2023 Legislative Detention Detention during the asylum procedure Law No 50/2023 established that new return and repatriation centres (CPRs) may be established and maintained with a derogation from some laws (e.g. procurement) until 31 December 2025 to ensure that centres can be opened quickly. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Italy Flag Italy 2023 Legislative Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Legislative amendments prescribe that unaccompanied minors are accommodated in SAI facilities, following an initial stay in a government reception facility. In the event of mass arrivals of unaccompanied children when reception cannot be provided by a municipality, the prefect must activate dedicated temporary structures for minors. When these structures are momentarily not available either, youngsters above the age of 16 may be accommodated in special sections of facilities foreseen for adults for a maximum of 90 days. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Italy Flag Italy 2023 Legislative Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance Law No 50/2003 introduced the possibility to address staff shortages in the determining authority by using officers of the local prefecture. The law requires new staff to be adequately trained. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Italy Flag Italy 2023 Legislative Detention Detention during the asylum procedure According to Law No 50/2023, applicants can provide a financial guarantee as an alternative to detention. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Italy Flag Italy 2023 Legislative Detention Detention during the asylum procedure According to Law No 50/2023, applicants may be detained in hotspots or CPRs when lodging an application at the border to assess their right to enter the country if they arrive from a safe country of origin or by evading relevant border checks. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Italy Flag Italy 2023 Legislative Detention Detention during the asylum procedure Law No 50/2023 extended the circumstances for a risk of absconding to include when the applicant does not have a passport or when the applicant provides a false identity. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Italy Flag Italy 2023 Legislative Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Law No 50/2023 provided that, before filing an appeal, lawyers may access the video recording of the applicant’s hearing before the Territorial Commission. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Italy Flag Italy 2023 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection Amendments specified that a short-term return to the country of origin is enough for the cessation of international protection status, unless the travel takes place for serious and proven reasons for strictly the necessary period. An additional ground for withdrawing international protection was added, when the beneficiary for international protection submits an application for another type of permit. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Italy Flag Italy 2023 Policy Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups The Ministry of the Interior issued guidance on the identification, referral and support to applicants with special needs in an effort to harmonise territorial practices. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Italy Flag Italy 2023 Legislative Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs Côte d’Ivoire, Georgia, Nigeria and The Gambia were added to the list of safe third countries by Decree of 17 March 2023. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Italy Flag Italy 2023 Legislative Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs Amendments specified that a subsequent application may only be considered admissible if external circumstances prevented the applicant from submitting new elements earlier. The applicant must explain and prove the reasons for the delay. The suspensive effect of an appeal is no longer automatic when a first subsequent application has been considered as inadmissible or a negative decision was issued on the merits. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Italy Flag Italy 2023 Policy Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs The establishment of a first centre for accelerated returns at the border was announced for applicants arriving from safe countries of origin. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Italy Flag Italy 2023 Legislative Detention Detention during the asylum procedure According to Law No 50/2023, applicants may be detained to determine elements on which the asylum claim is based and which cannot be established without detention, within the limits of places in CPRs. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Italy Flag Italy 2023 Legislative Access to procedure icon Access to procedure The penalty for human trafficking was increased and a new crime of “death or injury as a consequence of crimes in the field of illegal immigration” was introduced. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Italy Flag Italy 2023 Policy The Dublin procedure The Dublin procedure The Dublin unit started working on an IT solution to improve the workflow of outgoing transfers and transfer decision appeals. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Italy Flag Italy 2023 Legislative Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Law No 50/2023 provided that for appeals registered before 31 December 2021 and still pending, a motion may be presented by the lawyer to prioritise the assessment of the right to special protection before the assessment of the right to international protection. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Italy Flag Italy 2023 Legislative Access to procedure icon Access to procedure Italy and Albania concluded a protocol on strengthening cooperation in migration matters. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Ireland Flag Ireland 2023 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The Minister for Justice published the International Protection Modernisation Programme 2023-2024, which includes recommendations on the development of IT systems, exploring the use of robotic process automation to replace manual data entry tasks, and the wider use of video-conferencing for interviews. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Ireland Flag Ireland 2023 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The International Protection Office hired additional staff (200 new staff and 160 panel members) to address the backlog of applications. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Ireland Flag Ireland 2023 Policy Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups The Irish Ministry of Justice launched a third national action plan on human trafficking, which aims to provide victims with protection from removal and to increase awareness and the use of cultural mediators. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Ireland Flag Ireland 2023 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The Department of Justice introduced new operating plans so that applicants from safe countries of origin will receive decisions within 3 months instead of the current 17-24 months. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Ireland Flag Ireland 2023 Legislative Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance A number of acts in the statute relating to immigration, including legislation on international protection, were amended in 2023 to allow for electronic immigration notices. Previously, immigration notices were generally only possible through the postal service. These amendments support efforts to modernise Ireland’s immigration system. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Ireland Flag Ireland 2023 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The government decided to extend the suspension of the Council of Europe’s Agreement on the Abolition of Visas for Refugees for an additional 12 months. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Ireland Flag Ireland 2023 Policy Access to information Access to information The International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) published a leaflet on Internet safety which was targeted at both staff and parents of children who are housed in accommodation centres. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Ireland Flag Ireland 2023 Legislative Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance The term of office of a member appointed in a whole-time capacity on the tribunal was amended from 3 to 5 years. EUAA Asylum Report 2024