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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 Thematic area Development Sort descending Source
Belgium Flag Belgium 2022 Policy Country of origin information Country of origin information CEDOCA created a working group on statistics to better understand methodologies and data visualisations in reports. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Belgium Flag Belgium 2020 Policy Country of origin information Country of origin information CEDOCA developed a new training programme on COI through an online tutorial. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Belgium Flag Belgium 2022 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance Certain categories of applicants were prioritised, including those in the reception system or from countries with high recognition rates, where a decision could be taken based on evidence in the file. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Ireland Flag Ireland 2020 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection Certain tasks of the Minister for Justice and Equality were transferred to the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, including the coordination of the national integration policy, the International Protection Accommodation Services, the International Protection Procurement Services and giving permission to enter and stay in the country for resettlement or temporary protection. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2019 Policy Content of protection Content of protection Changes in the procedure to grant a residence permit for persons in a distressing situation were implemented (among others) with the abolishment of the discretionary power of the Minister for Migration and by mandating the Managing Director of the IND to consider ex officio within the first assessment of the application whether a distressing situation exists. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Belgium Flag Belgium 2021 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection Changes to the integration path entered into force in the Flemish region of Belgium. The new programme includes four components (language learning, economic autonomy, social orientation and a 40-hour tandem programme with a Flemish ‘buddy’) and concludes with an exam. The compulsory programme is subject to a EUR 360 fee. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Sweden Flag Sweden 2020 Legislative Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure Changes to the national legislation introduce a departure ban for children who are at risk of being taken abroad for marriage or female genital mutilation. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Poland Flag Poland 2022 Policy Content of protection Content of protection Changes were made to the issuance of humanitarian visas and humanitarian stays for citizens of Belarus. The requirements were eased for those with a visa which was about to expire or those who have fled the regime to Ukraine and then entered Poland through a special procedure. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Greece Flag Greece 2020 Legislative Detention Detention during the asylum procedure Children's protective custody was abolished. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Italy Flag Italy 2022 Policy Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Clerks were deployed to support judges assigned to the specialised section on migration, with the objective of reducing the backlog at second instance. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Greece Flag Greece 2021 Policy Detention Detention during the asylum procedure Closed Controlled Access Centres (CCACs) were established at the borders with special detention facilities. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Estonia Flag Estonia 2020 Legislative Return of former applicants Return of former applicants Compliance with a return decision issued to a minor or an adult foreigner with limited active legal capacity will be organised by a parent, guardian or other responsible adult person who is staying with the person in Estonia. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Croatia Flag Croatia 2019 Policy Content of protection Content of protection Coordinators were appointed to social welfare centres and branch offices to provide support in accessing social welfare and, more broadly, in fostering inclusion in the local community. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2021 Policy Country of origin information Country of origin information Country of origin reports were made publicly available. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Cyprus Flag Cyprus 2021 Policy Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Courts were added to the Computerized Asylum Service System (CASS) database and case files were incorporated in the system. 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
Croatia Flag Croatia 2021 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection 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
Croatia Flag Croatia 2020 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance Croatia is developing and implementing a new IT application (RECORD) with AMIF funding that aims to improve the quality of collecting, managing, processing, monitoring and reporting data in the field of international protection. Funds for the implementation of the project proposal were approved on 23 November 2020. Iin April 2021, the technical specifications for the project were being drafted. EASO Asylum Report 2021
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
Greece Flag Greece 2019 Legislative Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance Decision on the procedure for issuing travel documents to refugee beneficiaries. EL LEG 01 2019
Greece Flag Greece 2019 Legislative Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance Decision on the restriction of movement of applicants of international protection and subsidiary protection recipients. EL LEG 02 2019
Greece Flag Greece 2020 Legislative Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance Decisions may be notified by e-mail, where the decision is considered to be notified 48 hours after it was sent to the applicant. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Italy Flag Italy 2021 Legislative Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection Decree Law No 139 provided for the creation of 3,000 new places for families in the System for Reception and Integration (SAI). EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Romania Flag Romania 2020 Policy Special procedures to process asylum applications Special procedures to process asylum applications Depending on the claims made and documentation available, authorities prioritised applicants from Algeria, Bangladesh, India, Morocco, Pakistan and Tunisia. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Italy Flag Italy 2020 Legislative Detention Detention during the asylum procedure Detained applicants can address petitions and complaints to the national, regional and local ombudspersons. EASO Asylum Report 2021