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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 Sort descending Type of development Thematic area Development Source
Sweden Flag Sweden 2021 Policy Interpretation services Interpretation services The Swedish Migration Agency published a legal position on the requirements for interpreters and translators to work in the asylum context. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2021 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The Swiss Federal Council opened consultations on adjusting the financing of cantonal integration measures under the new Swiss Integration Agenda. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Cyprus Flag Cyprus 2021 Legislative Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection New orders were issued by the Ministry of Labour, allowing applicants to start working before a formal decision is made on the work permit application. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Finland Flag Finland 2021 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection A draft government proposal was sent out for comments to amend the Aliens Act provisions on the family reunification of beneficiaries of international protection. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
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
Malta Flag Malta 2021 Legislative Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection Amendments to the Maltese Reception Regulations provided a more comprehensive transposition of the provisions in the recast Reception Directive on material reception conditions for vulnerable applicants. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Slovenia Flag Slovenia 2021 Legislative Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance Amendments to the International Protection Act (IPA) introduced the possibility to have remote interviews where necessary. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Sweden Flag Sweden 2021 Legislative Statelessness in the context of asylum Statelessness in the context of asylum The Act on Swedish Citizenship was amended to grant a stateless person holding a temporary residence permit the right to obtain Swedish citizenship, following amendments in the Aliens Act. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Spain Flag Spain 2021 Institutional Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The Secretary of State for Migration and the International Protection and Humanitarian Assistance Programmes were reorganised under the same General Directorate, and a new General Sub-Directorate was created for Migratory Analysis. The Executive Commission of the Inter-ministerial Commission of Retributions reorganised tasks between different departments within the Spanish Office of Asylum (Ministry of Home Affairs). A new Sub-Directorate of International Protection and three new heads of department were established. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Belgium Flag Belgium 2021 Policy Statelessness in the context of asylum Statelessness in the context of asylum Belgium formally pledged to introduce a residence permit for stateless persons during the UN High Level Officials Meeting event taking place under the Global Refugee Forum. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Cyprus Flag Cyprus 2021 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection Applicants from a safe country of origin may be assigned to the Collective Reception and Accommodation Centre through an individual administrative act for an accelerated processing of their application. If they leave the centre, their material reception conditions may be reduced or, in exceptional and duly justified cases, withdrawn. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
France Flag France 2021 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection OFII signed a convention with Marseille for the municipality to provide medical services and vaccines against measles, mumps, rubella and hepatitis B for migrants in general, including asylum applicants. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Greece Flag Greece 2021 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection A ministerial decision underlined that material reception conditions can be withdrawn, keeping the right to education and medical support, when an applicant breaches the accommodation rules of any type of facility, especially in the case of violent behaviour. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Ireland Flag Ireland 2021 Policy Content of protection Content of protection A regularisation scheme was launched with a strand for undocumented migrants and another for applicants for international protection. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Italy Flag Italy 2021 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The Ministry of the Interior’s Department of Civil Liberties and Migration issued a circular to disseminate an operational guide on the specific needs of women and girls in reception to first-contact reception staff. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Luxembourg Flag Luxembourg 2021 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The new first-reception centre started its operations at the beginning 2021, and staff optimised processes and information flows. Particular focus was given to promote voluntary returns for applicants with little chances of being recognised to avoid forced returns. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Malta Flag Malta 2021 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The International Protection Agency issued internal guidelines, which were formally adopted in 2020 and implemented in 2021, on interviewing and assessing applications based on sexual orientation and gender identity. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2021 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The COA significantly increased the number of reception places. It expressed several times the urgent need for more places. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Norway Flag Norway 2021 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The UDI announced a tender for a new supplier to train reception staff who lead dialogue groups on violence in reception centres. The dialogue groups are offered for men and boys over the age of 15, and the UDI was considering developing a similar scheme for women. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Slovakia Flag Slovakia 2021 Policy Return of former applicants Return of former applicants A new strategic document on migration policy was adopted, with an emphasis on voluntary returns rather than forced returns. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Sweden Flag Sweden 2021 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The Swedish Migration Agency published a new legal position on derived protection status. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2021 Policy Country of origin information Country of origin information Training on methodologies, quality standards and visualisations related to COI production was boosted. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Croatia Flag Croatia 2021 Legislative Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance Amendments were drafted to the Act on International and Temporary Protection, with the aim of aligning national legislation with the recast Asylum Procedures Directive. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Finland Flag Finland 2021 Legislative Legal representation and assistance Legal assistance and representation Free legal aid was made available to all applicants for international protection during an interview, not only to vulnerable groups. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Hungary Flag Hungary 2021 Legislative Access to procedure icon Access to procedure The special conditions to submit an asylum application which were introduced by the Hungarian government in May 2020 were extended until 31 December 2022. EUAA Asylum Report 2022