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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 Sort descending Development Source
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2021 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The SEM underlined that addressing the issue of violence against women would remain a priority in 2021 and the authority planned to hold information and training sessions for asylum and reception staff to raise awareness of all forms of violence against women. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
France Flag France 2022 Legislative Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure A new law was adopted on child protection, including the requirement for child welfare services to inform unaccompanied minors about the possibility to apply for international protection and the support which is available for them. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Slovakia Flag Slovakia 2022 Legislative Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure A new government regulation was adopted allowing the adult accompanying a child to be appointed as a legal guardian even if they do not have legal custody. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
France Flag France 2020 Legislative Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure A draft law was adopted by the senate which aims to improve and simplify processes for the support of vulnerable minors. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Greece Flag Greece 2022 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The Reception and Identification Service (RIS) created and deployed a team of case management assistants for reception facilities under its responsibility throughout Greece to ensure the identification of needs, referral and follow-up for all persons residing in reception facilities. A standard operating procedure was drafted to create a harmonised system for case management in first- and second-line reception. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
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
Italy Flag Italy 2022 Legislative Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure A new regulation was adopted to consolidate in one legislative piece the tasks of the Ministry of Labour and Social Policies related to unaccompanied minors. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2022 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure As a one-time action, the care for unaccompanied children who were at least 17.5 years on 1 July 2022 was taken over by the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) from Nidos, and the minors were accommodated in regular reception places instead of ones dedicated to minors. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Poland Flag Poland 2022 Institutional Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The Team for Coordination of Anti-Trafficking in Human Beings was established as a separate organisational unit reporting to the Deputy Director of the Department for International Affairs and Migration at the Ministry of the Interior and Administration. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Sweden Flag Sweden 2022 Policy Information provision on the asylum procedure Information provision on the asylum procedure The Swedish Migration Agency expanded its services in 11 new locations, where employees informed applicants about procedures and regulations, and supported them in navigating the agency’s website. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Slovenia Flag Slovenia 2021 Legislative Information provision on the asylum procedure Information provision on the asylum procedure Information on the consequences of arbitrarily leaving the asylum centre’s admission facility is now provided by the police during preliminary proceedings. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Norway Flag Norway 2021 Policy Information provision on the asylum procedure Information provision on the asylum procedure The UDI launched a new website to inform applicants about the current situation in Afghanistan, some also providing a section on frequently asked questions. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Latvia Flag Latvia 2022 Institutional Information provision on the asylum procedure Information provision on the asylum procedure The Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs developed new leaflets and piloted a hotline to provide information on the asylum procedure. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
France Flag France 2022 Policy Information provision on the asylum procedure Information provision on the asylum procedure OFPRA launched a new website to improve access to information. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Belgium Flag Belgium 2021 Policy Information provision on the asylum procedure Information provision on the asylum procedure The CGRS launched a new website to inform applicants on the asylum procedure and their rights and obligations within the procedure. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Iceland Flag Iceland 2021 Policy Information provision on the asylum procedure 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
Slovenia Flag Slovenia 2021 Legislative Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs Amendments to the International Protection Act (IPA) now allow the competent authority to decide on the admissibility of an application at the border or in a transit area if a person expresses an intention to apply for international protection. The time limit for a decision in the border procedure was extended from 2 weeks to 3 weeks. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Sweden Flag Sweden 2021 Legislative Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs A list of safe countries of origin was adopted, including Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Chile, Georgia, Kosovo, Mongolia, Northern Macedonia and Serbia. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Finland Flag Finland 2022 Legislative Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs The government submitted a legislative proposal to the parliament to introduce a border procedure that could be triggered by a government decision if an exceptionally large number of migrants arrive in a short period of time or if hybrid activities aiming to exploit migration were directed against Finland. However, the parliament did not manage to consider the proposal by the end of the electoral term (29 March 2023) and it was allowed to lapse. The next government will decide if the changes are proposed again. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Greece Flag Greece 2022 Legislative Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs Türkiye was retained as a safe third country. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2022 Policy Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs Following the decision of the Council of State, all groups that were paid special attention in Track 2 were excluded from the safe country of origin designation. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Finland Flag Finland 2021 Legislative Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs The Smart Border package was submitted to the parliament, bringing new technological means of processing at the border, concerning specifically the Aliens Act and other relevant legislative provisions. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Malta Flag Malta 2021 Policy Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs A standard form was optimised to submit a subsequent application to further streamline the process. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2021 Policy Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs The list of safe countries of origin was entirely revised following a decision of the Council of State. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Iceland Flag Iceland 2022 Legislative Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs Iceland revised its list of safe countries of origin and Ukraine was removed from the list. EUAA Asylum Report 2023