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.
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.
The list of grounds for subsequent applications was extended in July 2019 if there is reason to believe that asylum or subsidiary protection for the purpose of family reunification will be granted.
12 new countries were added to the national list of safe countries of origin: Algeria, Australia, Canada, Ghana, Georgia (excluding Abkhazia and South Ossetia), India, Moldova (excluding Transnistria), Morocco, New Zealand, Senegal, Tunisia and Ukraine (excluding Doneck and Luhansk Districts).
Development of a screening system for vulnerable applicants was developed in the First Reception Centre “Pournara”, with the tool waiting to be implemented in practice.
The AMIF project established the national forced return monitoring system, conducted by the Commissioner for Administration and Protection of Human Rights Ombudsman.
The project “Monitoring the conduct of the Ministry of the Interior police officers in the area of irregular migration and asylum” was launched to monitor that the rights of irregular migrants and potential applicants for international protection were consistently protected.
The Office for Human Rights and Rights of National Minorities updated its “Guide for Integration – Basic Information for the Integration of Foreigners into Croatian Society”.
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.
The Croatian Ministry of the Interior formed the Directorate for Immigration, Citizenship and Administrative Affairs, including the Sector for Foreigners and International Protection, which is divided into a Service for Foreigners, a Service for International protection (responsible for the International Protection Section, Dublin Procedure Section and the Integration Section) and a Service for the Reception and Accommodation of Applicants for International Protection (responsible for reception centres in Zagreb and Kutina).
Weekly meetings were organised with unaccompanied minors who are subject to proceedings under the Dublin III Regulation. At these meetings, unaccompanied minors are regularly informed of the steps that have been taken regarding their Dublin procedure and of the expected outcome of this procedure.
