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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
Ireland Flag Ireland 2021 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) piloted a vulnerability assessment process throughout 2021. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Estonia Flag Estonia 2020 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The Ministry of Cultural Affairs published guidelines for local governments on integration services. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Italy Flag Italy 2021 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure A working group was established to better coordinate mechanisms for the identification of and support to applicants with special needs and vulnerabilities. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Germany Flag Germany 2020 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The federal government published a report on the situation of unaccompanied foreign minors in Germany. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Luxembourg Flag Luxembourg 2021 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance Cases lodged by Afghan nationals were processed where the need for protection was evident, so only positive decisions were issued, as well as inadmissible and Dublin decisions, while negative decisions were suspended. From the end of January 2022, the examination of these cases resumed, and the Ministry of Immigration and Asylum scheduled applicants for a complementary interview to discuss changes in their situation if the initial interview was done before 15 August 2021. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Luxembourg Flag Luxembourg 2020 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The Ministry of Education, Childhood and Youth published a guide addressed to professionals working with newly-arrived foreign students, with a specific section on minors who are applicants for international protection. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Malta Flag Malta 2021 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The International Protection Agency (IPA) issued instructions that children between 2 and 10 years could not accompany their parents to the personal interview at the IPA’s premises. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Greece Flag Greece 2020 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The European Commission created a task force on 23 September 2020 to resolve the emergency situation on Lesvos. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2021 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection Specific projects continued to address and manage more effectively disruptive behaviour in the reception system. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Norway Flag Norway 2020 Policy Return of former applicants Return of former applicants As of March 2020, standard support assistance may be increased in order to ease the return and reintegration process, for example for returnees with special medical needs or if it is assessed to be more cost-effective for Norwegian society. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Poland Flag Poland 2021 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection Two centres from the Office for Foreigners were lent to the Border Guard due to the need for more capacity in detention. Thus, the capacity in reception facilities temporarily decreased. One of these centres was returned to the Office for Foreigners in mid-June 2022. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Bulgaria Flag Bulgaria 2020 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The State Agency for Refugees started to apply EASO standards to identify vulnerable applicants, and it established two safe zones for unaccompanied children in the reception centre in Sofia, which are operated by the IOM. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Slovakia Flag Slovakia 2021 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure A resolution was adopted to outline the national action plans for combating trafficking in human beings, according to the 2020 recommendations from GRETA. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Cyprus Flag Cyprus 2020 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The forms of notification for rejected applicants for international protection were amended to include information on their rights for effective remedy, timelines and programmes available for voluntary and assisted return operations. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Sweden Flag Sweden 2021 Policy Detention Detention during the asylum procedure The Swedish Migration Agency adopted legal positions on several issues providing guidance on the calculation of detention times, the validity period of a detention decision and which authority is competent to address detention if there is an enforceable expulsion or expulsion decision and the detainee applies for protection. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Malta Flag Malta 2020 Policy Content of protection Content of protection Criteria for the Specific Residence Authorisation (SRA) policy was modified. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2021 Policy Content of protection Content of protection Switzerland launched a pilot programme for the employment integration of refugees and persons with temporary admission and concluded subsidy contracts with 14 cantons. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Finland Flag Finland 2020 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The Finnish Immigration Service started to notify applicants, whenever possible, through phone or videoconferencing about the decision on their application. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Bulgaria Flag Bulgaria 2022 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The State Agency for Refugees reviewed internal guidelines and rules and prepared an analysis of national jurisprudence for internal use. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Estonia Flag Estonia 2022 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance An updated version of the register of granting international protection (RAKS2) was launched, including new features that allow the inclusion of data on court procedures and an automated process for receiving country of origin information. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Germany Flag Germany 2022 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure BAMF reviewed and clarified its internal instructions regarding procedures involving LGBTIQ applicants. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Ireland Flag Ireland 2022 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The Third National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence identified migrants, undocumented migrants, refugees and international protection applicants as requiring additional inclusion measures to address domestic sexual and gender-based violence. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2022 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The recruitment of staff for the authorities in the migration chain continued throughout 2022. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2022 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The Netherlands Forensic Institute changed its practice based on a recent literature review, and since October 2022, applicants with a mature collarbone are considered to be at least 18 years old, instead of 20 years. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Spain Flag Spain 2022 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 2023