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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 2020 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The Council of Ministers agreed on the creation of an Inter-ministerial Conference on Migration and Integration. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Belgium Flag Belgium 2020 Legislative Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance The Council of Ministers approved a law proposal and a draft royal decree, which aims to adapt the working methods of the CALL to the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The amendments concern the electronic communication of procedural documents and the written procedure. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Belgium Flag Belgium 2019 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The Council of Ministers approved several measures on 14 November 2019 to speed up the procedures for international protection by hiring more staff in asylum authorities, increasing reception capacity to accelerate outflow and cooperating closer with all federal government departments. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Portugal Flag Portugal 2020 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The Council of Ministers in Portugal adopted a resolution establishing a single system for the reception and integration of beneficiaries of international protection. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Belgium Flag Belgium 2021 Legislative Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance The Council of Ministers approved in June 2021 a draft law on the organisation of CALL. The proposal aimed to increase the number of judges of CALL and simplify and optimise the appraisal procedure for staff by introducing a comprehensive system of disciplinary and policy measures for officials. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Belgium Flag Belgium 2020 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The Council of State suspended the project which aimed to pilot the use of videoconferencing in open centres. This is due to the fact that the Royal Decree on the functioning of the CGRS does not mention this among the competencies of the authority. The project can only continue once the Royal Decree is amended. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Iceland Flag Iceland 2021 Policy Statelessness in the context of asylum Statelessness in the context of asylum The country acceded to the 1954 Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, and the Directorate of Immigration adopted a Standard Operation Procedure, developed in cooperation with UNHCR. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Bulgaria Flag Bulgaria 2020 Legislative Special procedures to process asylum applications Special procedures to process asylum applications The court has to decide ex officio or at the request of the applicant on the right to stay during an appeal against the rejection of a subsequent application. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Estonia Flag Estonia 2020 Legislative Return of former applicants Return of former applicants The criteria for the risk of absconding when a return decision is issued were clarified. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Croatia Flag Croatia 2020 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The Croatian Action Plan for the Integration of Persons Granted International Protection was developed in 2020 and is foreseen to be implemented throughout 2021-2023. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Croatia Flag Croatia 2019 Institutional Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The Croatian Ministry of the Interior formed the Directorate for Immigration, Citizenship and Administrative Affairs, including the Sector for Foreigners and International Protection, which is divided into a Service for Foreigners, a Service for International protection (responsible for the International Protection Section, Dublin Procedure Section and the Integration Section) and a Service for the Reception and Accommodation of Applicants for International Protection (responsible for reception centres in Zagreb and Kutina). EASO Asylum Report 2020
Sweden Flag Sweden 2020 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The Cross-Party Committee of Inquiry on Migration submitted its report on a sustainable long-term migration policy, proposing several changes to the Aliens Act. This would include for example that beneficiaries of international protection would first get a temporary residence permit. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Cyprus Flag Cyprus 2021 Policy Access to procedure icon Access to procedure The Cypriot Council of Ministers approved the establishment of an inter-ministerial committee mandated to suggest specific responses and management measures to address the emergency resulting from increased migration flows; a management unit with operational facilities; and a contingency plan for the irregular arrival of third-country nationals by sea or through the Green Line. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Czech Flag Czech Republic 2020 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The Czech Ministry of Labour updated its guidelines and clarified that public employment services may provide special, employment-related language courses to beneficiaries of international protection to improve their employment chances. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Denmark Flag Denmark 2020 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI) published a new information package for social workers in local authorities on providing specialised employment support to refugee and migrant women. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Denmark Flag Denmark 2020 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The Danish Immigration Service reassessed the issuance of residence permits to several hundred Syrians from the Damascus area. 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
Denmark Flag Denmark 2020 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The Danish Immigration Service, the Refugee Appeals Board and the Immigration Board have jointly been preparing a memorandum on the protection of foreigners' private and family life in the European Convention on Human Rights and the UN convention on human rights in connection with the new withdrawal ground introduced in 2019. The memorandum was still under work in spring 2021. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Denmark Flag Denmark 2022 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The Danish Immigration Services extended processing deadlines and shifted personnel to allow for the prioritisation of applications lodged under the Special Act on Residence Permits for Displaced Persons from Ukraine. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Denmark Flag Denmark 2022 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The Danish Immigration Services launched a tender and opened a reception centre for applicants with special needs, including those suffering from mental and physical disabilities, mental illnesses, trauma or substance abuse. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Denmark Flag Denmark 2020 Legislative Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The Danish parliament adopted a bill introducing the possibility to transfer asylum applicants for adjudication of asylum claims and subsequent protection in third countries. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Denmark Flag Denmark 2020 Institutional Return of former applicants Return of former applicants The Danish Return Agency started its operations on 1 August 2020 and is responsible for tasks linked to return, with the exception of forced removals. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Lithuania Flag Lithuania 2020 Legislative Special procedures to process asylum applications Special procedures to process asylum applications The decision on which procedure the applicant follows must be made within 2 working days and no sperate decision is issued on this, but the case officer communicates this during the interview. The decision on admissibility is issued within 3 working days from the registration of the application. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Spain Flag Spain 2019 Legislative Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups The decree enabled the reception centres for unaccompanied minors in Ceuta and Melilla to receive funding directly. ES LEG 01 2019
Italy Flag Italy 2019 Legislative Special procedures to process asylum applications Special procedures to process asylum applications The decree identified border or transit zones in several provinces and established two additional sections of the Territorial Commissions in Apulia and Sicily. IT LEG 02 2019