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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
France Flag France 2019 Policy Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups OFPRA offered extensive training for senior protection officers on sexual orientation and gender identity. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Malta Flag Malta 2019 Legislative Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups The Head of the Agency for the Welfare of Asylum Seeker (AWAS) may be appointed as a legal guardian for unaccompanied minors with an interim care order, in order to prevent delays. MT LEG 01 2019
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2022 Legislative Statelessness in the context of asylum Statelessness in the context of asylum A bill was passed for a new stateless determination procedure and another bill amended the Dutch Nationality Act to allow stateless children to apply for naturalisation after 5 years of habitual residence. The bills still need to be adopted by the Senate. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
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
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
Bulgaria Flag Bulgaria 2019 Legislative Statelessness in the context of asylum Statelessness in the context of asylum An amendment to the Law on Foreigners stated that stateless persons who do not meet the requirements for permanent or long-term residence may obtain permission for a one-year prolonged stay. BG LEG 01 2019
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
Sweden Flag Sweden 2019 Legislative Statelessness in the context of asylum Statelessness in the context of asylum Persons born in Sweden and having been stateless since birth may receive under certain conditions a permanent residence permit. SE LEG 01 2019
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2021 Legislative Statelessness in the context of asylum Statelessness in the context of asylum The Statelessness Determination Procedure Act was discussed by the parliament. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2021 Policy Statelessness in the context of asylum Statelessness in the context of asylum The requirements were changed for the documents to be presented by Lebanese Palestinians for the registration of statelessness. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Czech Flag Czech Republic 2020 Legislative Statelessness in the context of asylum Statelessness in the context of asylum A new legislative proposal was presented to the Parliament, which includes among other aspects of the asylum procedure, the establishment of a statelessness determination procedure. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Slovakia Flag Slovakia 2019 Legislative Statelessness in the context of asylum Statelessness in the context of asylum The Act on Census of Population and Housing 2021 was adopted, which provides for information collection, not only on Slovak citizens, but also on other EU nationals, third country nationals and stateless persons. SK LEG 01 2019
Finland Flag Finland 2022 Legislative Statelessness in the context of asylum Statelessness in the context of asylum The Ministry of the Interior proposed amendments to the Nationality Act to update the definitions of a stateless person, in line with international treaties, eliminating the distinction between voluntarily stateless and involuntarily stateless person. 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
Portugal Flag Portugal 2022 Legislative Statelessness in the context of asylum Statelessness in the context of asylum The revised Nationality Regulation entered into force, which facilitates acquiring citizenship for children born in Portugal to applicants or beneficiaries of international protection. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
France Flag France 2019 Legislative Statelessness in the context of asylum Statelessness in the context of asylum A provision for a multi-year residence permit stating “beneficiary of stateless person status” or “family member of a beneficiary of stateless person status” was established and the rules were clarified for processing applications for this type of permit. FR LEG 14 2019
Sweden Flag Sweden 2020 Policy Statelessness in the context of asylum Statelessness in the context of asylum The Swedish Migration Agency updated its legal position on the assessment of cases by stateless persons, who previously had their habitual residence in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. (The legal position was repealed in 2021 and is no longer in force.) EASO Asylum Report 2021
Belgium Flag Belgium 2022 Legislative Statelessness in the context of asylum Statelessness in the context of asylum The government pledged to introduce a new legal status for stateless persons which would give them the right to legally reside in Belgium if they cannot return to their country of habitual residence. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Spain Flag Spain 2022 Legislative Statelessness in the context of asylum Statelessness in the context of asylum A Royal Decree was adopted which guarantees stateless persons access to the national reception system for the duration of the Stateless Determination Procedure. This will ensure that children in the Stateless Determination Procedure have access to education and other integration programmes. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Latvia Flag Latvia 2019 Legislative Statelessness in the context of asylum Statelessness in the context of asylum New legislation provides citizenship automatically to children born to non-citizens in the country, unless the parents have agreed to grant to the child citizenship of another country. LV LEG 01 2019
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2020 Legislative Statelessness in the context of asylum Statelessness in the context of asylum The draft law on the statelessness determination procedure was presented to the Dutch parliament. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Czech Flag Czech Republic 2021 Legislative Statelessness in the context of asylum Statelessness in the context of asylum Amendments to the Asylum Act and the Act on Stay of Foreigners stipulated that some provisions of the asylum procedure do not apply to the procedure for recognising statelessness, for example the appointment of a legal representative, having an oral hearing, and an appeal of the decision is not possible. However, the ministry provides an interpreter free of charge and issues a decision within 6 months of submitting the application (which can be extended by another 6 months for complex cases). EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Iceland Flag Iceland 2020 Legislative Statelessness in the context of asylum Statelessness in the context of asylum Iceland acceded to the 1954 Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness in the context of asylum. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Bulgaria Flag Bulgaria 2021 Legislative Statelessness in the context of asylum Statelessness in the context of asylum Amendments to the Law on Foreigners introduced new grounds for refusing to grant stateless status. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Germany Flag Germany 2021 Policy Statelessness in the context of asylum Statelessness in the context of asylum The coalition agreement foresees to expand both the access to and the scope of residence permits for all undocumented people living in the country, including stateless individuals. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Belgium Flag Belgium 2022 Legislative Statelessness in the context of asylum Statelessness in the context of asylum Amendments to the Nationality Code clarified that recognition as a stateless person was not required to grant Belgian nationality to a child born in Belgium without a nationality. EUAA Asylum Report 2023