|
Denmark |
2021 |
Legislative |
|
Return of former applicants |
New legislation obliges applicants to undergo a medical examination for diseases and illnesses covered by the Danish Epidemic Act, e.g. COVID-19. If a returnee refuses to be tested, the Danish Return Agency can request the assistance of the police and the testing may, if necessary, be carried out with the use of force. The testing is always carried out by a health care professional. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2022 |
|
Greece |
2021 |
Legislative |
|
Content of protection |
Law No 4815/2021 made minor adjustments to the provisions on the residence permit of beneficiaries of international protection and their family members in Greece. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2022 |
|
Lithuania |
2021 |
Legislative |
|
Legal assistance and representation |
Amendments to the Law on the Legal Status of Aliens allow restrictions to be placed on contact between legal services providers and asylum applicants during a state of emergency. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2022 |
|
Romania |
2021 |
Legislative |
|
Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance |
Law No 114/2021 was adopted to digitalise the second instance procedure and allow for remote hearings due to the COVID-19 pandemic. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2022 |
|
Slovenia |
2021 |
Legislative |
|
Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure |
Amendments to the International Protection Act (IPA) clarified that unaccompanied children should be accommodated in child-friendly institutions instead of reception centres. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2022 |
|
Cyprus |
2021 |
Institutional |
|
Reception of applicants for international protection |
The Asylum Service established new sectors which are responsible for the reception of applicants for international protection. The implementation and operationalisation of a reception allocation bureau was planned in the First Reception Centre Pournara to collect statistics, follow in- and outflow, and gather information on residences of applicants who are leaving the centre. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2022 |
|
Belgium |
2021 |
Policy |
|
Processing asylum applications at first instance |
The notification of negative decisions was temporarily suspended for applicants from Afghanistan in August 2021 and the suspension was fully lifted on 2 March 2022. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2022 |
|
Croatia |
2021 |
Policy |
|
Reception of applicants for international protection |
Croatia introduced specific policies for the vaccination of asylum applicants, specifying that vaccines are free of charge, on a voluntary basis and by registration to receive an appointment. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2022 |
|
France |
2021 |
Policy |
|
Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure |
Discussions were underway to revise the methods for an age assessment, in particular related to bone X-rays. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2022 |
|
Iceland |
2021 |
Policy |
|
Information provision on the asylum procedure |
A new information hub was launched, newiniceland.is, which provides information in eight languages through online counsellors and telephone interpretation in additional languages. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2022 |
|
Italy |
2021 |
Policy |
|
Access to procedure |
Government authorities entered into an agreement with the Italian Red Cross to provide support to the persons onboard the vessels and initiate the identification of vulnerable persons. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2022 |
|
Latvia |
2021 |
Policy |
|
Access to procedure |
The Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs in Latvia committed to introduce improvements to the registration system by December 2021. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2022 |
|
Malta |
2021 |
Policy |
|
Access to procedure |
Authorities expressed the view that cooperation on returns to Libya is indispensable for the effective management of sea arrivals. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2022 |
|
Netherlands |
2021 |
Policy |
|
Access to procedure |
The control boards (regietafel) moved to the next implementation phase and continued to ensure that all information is available on the specific individual cases, before they entered the phase of the regular procedure. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2022 |
|
Netherlands |
2021 |
Policy |
|
Content of protection |
New work instructions were published on the examination of identity and family relations in family reunification procedures, including the use of DNA tests. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2022 |
|
Portugal |
2021 |
Policy |
|
Resettlement and humanitarian admissions |
Around 200 refugees, who were evacuated from Afghanistan, were received as the government pledged to receive Afghan nationals on humanitarian admission grounds. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2022 |
|
Spain |
2021 |
Policy |
|
Content of protection |
The sponsor in Spain must now begin the family reunification procedure, not the family member in the country of origin. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2022 |
|
Sweden |
2021 |
Policy |
|
Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure |
The Swedish Migration Agency updated its legal position from 2015 on the investigation and assessment of a future risk of persecution for applicants claiming asylum due to sexual orientation or gender identity. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2022 |
|
Belgium |
2021 |
Legislative |
|
Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance |
The Belgian CALL announced that from March 2022 procedural documents can be submitted online. Documents can be sent electronically via J-box, an alternative to traditional registered mail, and for an appeal in a special procedure, this option replaced the traditional submission by fax. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2022 |
|
Denmark |
2021 |
Legislative |
|
Processing asylum applications at first instance |
Amendments to the Aliens Act and the Return Act foresee the possibility to transfer suddenly-arrived asylum seekers to a partner country outside of the EU to process their asylum applications and subsequently provide protection to those in need. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2022 |
|
Greece |
2021 |
Legislative |
|
Special procedures to assess protection needs |
Turkey was designated a safe third country for applicants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Somalia and Syria. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2022 |
|
Lithuania |
2021 |
Legislative |
|
Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance |
Amendments to the Law on the Legal Status of Aliens changed second instance procedures for decisions pronounced in an accelerated procedure. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2022 |
|
Norway |
2021 |
Legislative |
|
Content of protection |
A new Integration Act entered into force in January 2021, putting more emphasis on training participants in the introduction programme (mostly refugees) on the skills required by Norwegian employers or needed to qualify for further education. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2022 |
|
Slovenia |
2021 |
Legislative |
|
Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure |
Amendments to the International Protection Act (IPA) ensured that unaccompanied children have continued legal representation even after a decision is given on their asylum application. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2022 |
|
Switzerland |
2021 |
Legislative |
|
Return of former applicants |
A number of legislative changes were adopted in the area of asylum and return, including compulsory COVID-19 tests for a person subject to a return, expulsion measure or a Dublin transfer, even against their will. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2022 |