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
Lithuania Flag Lithuania 2023 Legislative Detention Detention during the asylum procedure Amendments revising detention provisions came into force in Lithuania at the end of 2023, including a new alternative to detention which allows a person to leave the assigned accommodation only with the permission of the head of facility. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Lithuania Flag Lithuania 2023 Legislative Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection Draft amendments were approved by the government to establish an agency on the basis of the Refugee Reception Centre which will be in charge of the reception of and support for applicants, an entity under the Ministry of Social Security and Labour. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Lithuania Flag Lithuania 2023 Legislative Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection A legislative amendment established that the process to appeal the decision on accommodation must be done within 14 days before the district court. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Lithuania Flag Lithuania 2023 Legislative Legal representation and assistance Legal assistance and representation Following legislative amendments, the Ministry of Social Security and Labour, or an institution authorised by it, will replace the Migration Department in the organisation of state-guaranteed legal aid for third-country nationals. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Lithuania Flag Lithuania 2023 Legislative Access to procedure icon Access to procedure The Lithuanian parliament adopted amendments which allow border guards to return migrants who cross into Lithuania irregularly during a state of emergency. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Lithuania Flag Lithuania 2023 Policy Country of origin information Country of origin information Due to its geographical location and the instrumentalisation of migration, the authorities focused on producing COI on Belarus, as well as on countries in Central Asia. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Lithuania Flag Lithuania 2023 Policy Access to procedure icon Access to procedure Lithuania maintained the state of emergency along the border with Belarus as it continued to face challenges with migrants attempting to enter the country. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Lithuania Flag Lithuania 2023 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The Migration Department used a questionnaire to screen citizens of Belarus and Russia on their attitudes on the war in Ukraine and information on former employers and service to identify possible threats to state security and cases in which exclusion clauses would be applicable. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Latvia Flag Latvia 2023 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection A new reception centre was opened in Alūksne, with a capacity of 252 places for single people. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Latvia Flag Latvia 2023 Legislative Access to procedure icon Access to procedure A new law provides the Cabinet of Ministers with the authority to declare a situation of emergency when it considers that there is a disproportionately high number of cases of illegal or attempted crossings of the state border. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Latvia Flag Latvia 2023 Legislative Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance A new local court was afforded the competence to receive asylum appeals. 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 Legislative Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Unaccompanied minors turning 18 are now issued a residence permit with a maximum duration of 1 year. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Italy Flag Italy 2023 Legislative Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups A new legislative decree allows the public security authority to order anthropometric tests or other medical examinations (such as X-rays) to identify age in the event of emergency conditions (e.g. substantial, multiple and frequent arrivals, rescues at sea, etc.). In such cases, the authority must give immediate notice to the Public Prosecutor’s Office at the Tribunal for Minors, which authorises the execution in writing or, in cases of particular urgency, orally and subsequently confirmed in writing. The law has also foresees a detailed procedure for drafting the reports for examinations and appeal mechanisms. 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
Italy Flag Italy 2023 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection The criteria for national forms of protection was revised. The wording of the ECHR, Article 8 was cancelled. This national (special) protection may be granted on the basis of international or constitutional obligations. 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 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 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 For applicants awaiting a Dublin transfer, Law No 50/2023 allows their detention in CPRs if there is a significant risk of absconding, but only for the time strictly necessary for the execution of the transfer and for a maximum of 6 weeks. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Italy Flag Italy 2023 Legislative Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups The ordinary age assessment procedure was amended, providing that the age assessment must be carried out by a multidisciplinary and multi-professional team of experts (composed of a paediatrician, a psychologist specialised in child development or a child neuropsychiatrist, a cultural mediator and a social assistant) and completed within 60 days. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Italy Flag Italy 2023 Legislative Access to procedure icon Access to procedure A state of emergency was introduced due to the increased number of arrivals. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Italy Flag Italy 2023 Legislative Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs Law No 50/2023 allows for the accelerated processing of applications at the border or transit zones for applicants coming from safe third countries or who attempted to evade border checks. These applicants may also be detained at the border. The authorities must decide on their application within 7 days. 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 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