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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 Type of development Sort descending Thematic area Development Source
France Flag France 2022 Institutional Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance A new OFPRA branch office was established in Mayotte for the lodging of applications for international protection in the territory. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Luxembourg Flag Luxembourg 2019 Institutional The Dublin procedure The Dublin procedure The Dublin Unit of the Directorate of Immigration was moved from the Return Unit, Department for Returns to the Asylum Unit, Department for Refugees. EASO Asylum Report 2020
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
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2020 Legislative Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The policy on sur place refugees was clarified, based on the jurisprudence of the Council of State. EASO Asylum Report 2021
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
Norway Flag Norway 2020 Legislative Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure According to the amended Immigration Regulations, the UDI and UNE are given access to obtain necessary information from the child welfare service for the purpose of case processing. EASO Asylum Report 2021
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
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2020 Legislative Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection A draft amendment would explicitly include that applicants are under a general travel ban and they could only travel if this is necessary for the asylum procedure or for their removal. EASO Asylum Report 2021
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
Ireland Flag Ireland 2020 Legislative Return of former applicants Return of former applicants The International Protection Act 2015 was amended to describe arrangements that may be applied to facilitate the return of a person whose application for international protection was determined to be inadmissible, including reporting requirements, requirements to reside in a particular place, surrender of a passport or travel documents and adult's detention for a maximum of 7 days when there is a significant risk of absconding. EASO Asylum Report 2021
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
Italy Flag Italy 2020 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection Labour market access was granted to persons under humanitarian protection for medical reasons or due to natural disasters. EASO Asylum Report 2021
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
Lithuania Flag Lithuania 2020 Legislative Interpretation services Interpretation services Amendments clarified that an applicant has the right to free oral interpretation related to the asylum application. EASO Asylum Report 2021
France Flag France 2020 Legislative Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The Ministry of the Interior provided instructions to the prefectures on the early examination of residence permit requests of unaccompanied minors under the care of departmental child care services. The objective is to ensure that rights - in particular work permits related to vocational education programmes - do not immediately cease when the minor reaches adulthood. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Greece Flag Greece 2020 Legislative Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection A Joint Ministerial Decision was issued on the terms of material reception condition under the ESTIA II programme, implementing Law No 4674/2020. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Hungary Flag Hungary 2020 Legislative Access to procedure icon Access to procedure Government Decree No 233/2020 (V.26.) defined special rules for the asylum procedure and requires applicants to submit a letter of intent at a Hungarian diplomatic mission in a non-EU country prior to their entry to Hungary and application for asylum. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Austria Flag Austria 2020 Legislative Special procedures to process asylum applications Special procedures to process asylum applications The UK and Northern Ireland were added to the list of safe countries of origin. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Bulgaria Flag Bulgaria 2020 Legislative Legal representation and assistance Legal assistance and representation Following amendments, the Law on Asylum and Refugees clearly states that state authorities have an obligation to ensure asylym applicants' access to legal aid. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Denmark Flag Denmark 2020 Legislative Access to procedure icon Access to procedure The Danish Immigration Service took over some responsibilities of the registration process from the police. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Finland Flag Finland 2020 Legislative Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure A working group has been set up to draw up a new act to assist victims of human trafficking. The working group's mandate runs until the end of 2022. EASO Asylum Report 2021
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
Spain Flag Spain 2019 Legislative Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The instruction granted the right to work for working-age unaccompanied minors. ES LEG 02 2019
Germany Flag Germany 2019 Legislative Detention Detention during the asylum procedure Custody when preparing for a removal (Vorbereitungshaft) was extended for persons who are considered to be a threat to public security. DE LEG 03 2019
Germany Flag Germany 2019 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection The amended law underlined that authorities are obliged to ensure that minors have access to education and care services in a federal state. DE LEG 05 2019