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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 Sakārtot dilstošā secībā Type of development Thematic area Development Source
Greece Flag Greece 2021 Legislative Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs Bangladesh and Pakistan were designated as safe countries of origin. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Lithuania Flag Lithuania 2021 Legislative Access to procedure icon Access to procedure The Law on the Legal Status of Aliens was amended, establishing at the end of a 6-month border procedure, the Migration Department and the State Border Guard Service will decide on the accommodation and restriction of freedom of movement based on the individual situation of each person and the possibility to refuse the lodging of an asylum application in exceptional situations. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2021 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection The new Civic Integration Law entered into force on 1 January 2022. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Slovenia Flag Slovenia 2021 Legislative Legal representation and assistance Legal assistance and representation Legal counsellors must undergo a security check and be granted access to classified information in order to perform activities during the asylum procedure. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2021 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection Amendments to the Swiss Federal Act on Foreigners and Integration were adopted, imposing a general travel ban on persons with temporary admission as of 2022. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Belgium Flag Belgium 2021 Policy The Dublin procedure The Dublin procedure The State Secretary for Asylum and Migration announced that children, applicants with vulnerabilities and first-time applicants have priority to receive reception over applicants who have already sought asylum in another EU Member State. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Bulgaria Flag Bulgaria 2021 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The State Agency for Refugees updated its standard operating procedures for preventing and responding to sexual- or gender-based violence within the asylum procedure and the new procedures were implemented in cooperation with UNHCR and the State Agency for Child Protection 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 The Refugee Board decided in December 2021 to suspend the processing of cases for Ethiopian nationals. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
France Flag France 2021 Policy Resettlement Resettlement and humanitarian admissions An instruction with guidelines on reception policies for resettled refugees was approved, establishing the division of responsibilities for the reception of resettled refugees between central administrations and funded organisations, the regional distribution and the monthly calendar for 2021 arrivals. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Iceland Flag Iceland 2021 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance Venezuelan applicants are no longer automatically granted subsidiary protection due to the general circumstances in the home country. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Italy Flag Italy 2021 Policy Access to procedure icon Access to procedure The Italian authorities issued a tender for the rental of five private vessels to accommodate migrants rescued at sea during the period of quarantine. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Latvia Flag Latvia 2021 Policy Access to procedure icon Access to procedure A state of emergency was declared in August 2021. The Cabinet of Ministers authorised the State Border Guard, the National Armed Forces and the State Police to order any person illegally crossing the border from Belarus to return to the country from which they have crossed and to take the necessary measures to enforce the order. During the emergency phase, asylum applications were accepted only outside the areas under the state of emergency. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Malta Flag Malta 2021 Policy Access to procedure icon Access to procedure Several changes were made to practices to improve access to the asylum procedure, which included improvements to office premises, streamlining registration and lodging procedures, issuing updated registration guidelines, and providing information on specialised services to applicants with a sexual orientation or gender identity claim. Improvements to the electronic database were also made in order to further streamline registration and lodging procedures. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2021 Policy Access to procedure icon Access to procedure The registration process was reorganised and separate streams were set up in specific locations for Afghan evacuees and for persons arriving through family reunification. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2021 Policy Content of protection Content of protection A new policy was launched to naturalise approximately 8,000-10,000 persons who were regularised earlier, the so-called RANOV permit holders. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Portugal Flag Portugal 2021 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The High Commission for Migration and the Institute for Housing and Urban Rehabilitation signed a cooperation protocol to provide adequate access to housing to migrant populations, including to beneficiaries of international protection. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Spain Flag Spain 2021 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration signed a memorandum with the Spanish Olympic Committee to promote sports in the reception system. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Sweden Flag Sweden 2021 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The Swedish Migration Agency updated its legal position on the medical examination of applicants invoking physical or psychological harm to support their asylum claim. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Czech Flag Czech Republic 2022 Legislative Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs The list of safe countries of origin was amended. Ukraine was removed, while Armenia and the UK were included. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Finland Flag Finland 2022 Legislative Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure Law No 1294/2022 was adopted to improve the identification and referral of victims of trafficking and their right to services and assistance, irrespective of the progress of criminal proceedings. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Greece Flag Greece 2022 Legislative Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance The Asylum Code codified the time limits for decisions on steps of the international protection procedure. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Latvia Flag Latvia 2022 Legislative Detention Detention during the asylum procedure Internal Regulation No 23.1-8.2/12 of the State Border Guard entered into force, defining the actions to take if minor children arrive with a detained adult asylum seeker. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Norway Flag Norway 2022 Legislative The Dublin procedure The Dublin procedure Guidelines clarified that the Dublin III Regulation did not apply to persons who were granted collective protection (a status similar to temporary protection in the EU framework). EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Slovakia Flag Slovakia 2022 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection A draft amendment to the Asylum Act and other related acts was adopted and put to public consultation, defining and regulating the initial integration of beneficiaries of international protection. The amendments are expected to enter into force in June 2022. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Belgium Flag Belgium 2022 Policy The Dublin procedure The Dublin procedure The accelerated procedure for specific, predefined potential Dublin cases was revised. EUAA Asylum Report 2023