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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 ascending Development Source
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2022 Policy Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs The fast-track procedure was re-introduced for nationals of certain countries of origin: countries on the list of safe countries of origin, visa-exempt countries and – because of the high number of weakly-justified claims – Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
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
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 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
Denmark Flag Denmark 2022 Legislative Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs The list of safe countries of origin was updated, and Russia was removed from the list. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Belgium Flag Belgium 2022 Policy Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs The list of safe countries of origin was reviewed, but no changes were introduced. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Greece Flag Greece 2021 Legislative Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs The implementation of Article 90(3) and (5) of Law No 4636/2019 on the exceptional border procedure that applies to third-country nationals in Reception and Identification Centres in Lesvos, Chios, Samos, Leros and Kos was extended until 31 December 2021. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Iceland Flag Iceland 2021 Policy Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs Ukraine was removed from the list of safe countries (decision published in February 2022). EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Cyprus Flag Cyprus 2022 Legislative Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs The list of safe countries of origin was revised and Ukraine was removed from the list. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Greece Flag Greece 2022 Legislative Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs The list of safe countries of origin was updated and Ukraine was removed from the list. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Cyprus Flag Cyprus 2021 Legislative Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs The list of safe countries of origin was updated, adding Armenia, Benin, Kenya, Kosovo, Moldova, Mongolia and Togo. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Slovenia Flag Slovenia 2021 Legislative Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs The time limit to lodge an appeal before the Administrative Court against a decision issued in the accelerated procedure was reduced from 8 days to 3 days. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Sweden Flag Sweden 2021 Policy Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs The Swedish Migration Agency published three legal positions related to the handling of subsequent applications. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Italy Flag Italy 2022 Legislative Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs Italy revised its list of safe countries of origin, de facto suspending Ukraine. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2021 Policy Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs The simplified procedure (Track 2), equivalent to the accelerated procedure, was extended to other categories of applicants. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Estonia Flag Estonia 2022 Legislative Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs Ukraine was removed from the list of safe countries of origin. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Luxembourg Flag Luxembourg 2022 Legislative Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs The list of safe countries of origin was amended through the Grand-Ducal Regulation of 23 January 2023. Ukraine and Croatia were removed from the list and the name of the Republic of North Macedonia was adapted. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Austria Flag Austria 2022 Legislative Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs Ukraine was removed from the list of safe countries of origin. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Slovenia Flag Slovenia 2022 Legislative Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs The list of safe countries of origin was revised. EUAA Asylum Report 2023