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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 Sort descending Thematic area Development Source
Belgium Flag Belgium 2020 Policy Country of origin information Country of origin information CEDOCA developed a new training programme on COI through an online tutorial. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Belgium Flag Belgium 2020 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The Immigration Office provided detailed guidance on the exceptional circumstances to extend the validity of family reunification decisions and the validity of supporting documents. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Belgium Flag Belgium 2020 Policy Return of former applicants Return of former applicants The final report of the commission for the evaluation of policies on foreigners' voluntary and forced return (also known as the Bossuyt Commission) was published. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Bulgaria Flag Bulgaria 2020 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The State Agency for Refugees in Bulgaria prepared the framework for distance learning for children accommodated in the agency's facilities. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Bulgaria Flag Bulgaria 2020 Policy Detention Detention during the asylum procedure Bulgaria increased the capacity of two pre-removal facilities (Busmantsi and Lyubimets) from 700 to 1,060 persons. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Bulgaria Flag Bulgaria 2020 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The State Agency for Refugees started to apply EASO standards to identify vulnerable applicants, and it established two safe zones for unaccompanied children in the reception centre in Sofia, which are operated by the IOM. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Croatia Flag Croatia 2020 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection A new health care project was set up with AMIF funding, in cooperation with the Ministry of Health and Medecins du Monde. The purpose of the project is the protection of health and prevention of disease among asylum applicants through improved access to initial check-ups and medical consultations in reception centres. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Croatia Flag Croatia 2020 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection A new health care project was set up with AMIF funding, in cooperation with Medecins du Monde, to tackle the needs of applicants who have been in transit in Bosnia and Herzegovina and who suffer from chronic illnesses or disabilities. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Croatia Flag Croatia 2020 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection Two projects to refurbish reception centres in Zagreb and Kutina have started, co-financed by AMIF. The projects aims to improve living and working conditions in both centres. A new project of procurement of equipment, co-financed by AMIF, has also started. Through the project, new equipment for ambulances and newborn children will be purchased. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Croatia Flag Croatia 2020 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection A 3-year project providing psychosocial support for people residing in reception centres, conducted by the Croatian Red Cross and co-financed by AMIF, was started in February 2020. The project aims to improve the level of psychosocial support and social activities available in the reception centres. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Croatia Flag Croatia 2020 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection Through the project, Assistance in maintaining adequate living conditions in the reception centres, the running costs of the utilities in reception centres are co-financed by AMIF. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Croatia Flag Croatia 2020 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection Through a new AMIF co-financed project, Enlargement of reception capacities of the Reception Centre for International Protection Applicants in Zagreb, the procurement of accommodation containers is planned to increase accommodation capacity of the facility. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Croatia Flag Croatia 2020 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The national authorities concluded standard operating procedures on sexual and gender-based violence with UNHCR and national NGOs towards the end of 2020, aiming to start implementation as soon as possible. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Croatia Flag Croatia 2020 Policy Legal representation and assistance Legal assistance and representation The AMIF-funded project, Providing legal advice in the process of granting international protection ended in March 2020, and a new project on the same topic of ensuring access to an effective remedy was announced in November 2020. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Croatia Flag Croatia 2020 Policy Legal representation and assistance Legal assistance and representation The AMIF-funded project, Free legal assistance in the process of granting international protection was approved in July 2020 to provide asylum seekers without sufficient funds with access to legal assistance, which consists of: assistance in drawing up a claim, representation in first instance administrative disputes and an exemption from payment of the costs of first instance administrative disputes. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Croatia Flag Croatia 2020 Policy Interpretation services Interpretation services The AMIF-funded project Translation and expansion of the network of translators in the process of granting international protection was launched, with 43 interpreters . EASO Asylum Report 2021
Croatia Flag Croatia 2020 Policy Interpretation services Interpretation services The AMIF-funded project, Translation services during providing assistance in the integration process was ongoing. 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 2020 Policy Content of protection Content of protection A new 3-year project for the integration of refugees into Croatian society was approved by the Directorate for European Affairs, International Relations and European Union Funds in early March 2020. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Croatia Flag Croatia 2020 Policy Resettlement Resettlement and humanitarian admissions The AMIF-funded project, Establishment of a resettlement mechanism began its implementation in 2017. Until now, two study visits on resettlement programmes have been carried out. During 2020, a short video story was filmed about the integration process of a Syrian family who arrived to Croatia as a group of resettled persons from Turkey. The project also includes the development of a mobile application which provides information on the resettlement programme, arrival and daily life in Croatia. This activity is in its completion phase. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Croatia Flag Croatia 2020 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure Standard Operating Procedures were drafted to improve the coordination of family reunification for unaccompanied children in the framework of the The Dublin procedure. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Cyprus Flag Cyprus 2020 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The forms of notification for rejected applicants for international protection were amended to include information on their rights for effective remedy, timelines and programmes available for voluntary and assisted return operations. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Austria Flag Austria 2020 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The number of withdrawals initiated by the BFA continued to increase. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Belgium Flag Belgium 2020 Policy Special procedures to process asylum applications Special procedures to process asylum applications The Council of Ministers adopted the draft royal decree establishing a list of safe countries of origin. The draft did not include any changes to the list of safe countries from the previous year. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Belgium Flag Belgium 2020 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The Minister of Asylum and Migration announced new measures aiming to fight against the abuse of the asylum system. Persons already benefitting from international protection in another EU Member State no longer receive material reception conditions. Dublin applicants who abscond and re-apply for reception following 6 months are also no longer entitled to material reception conditions. Fedasil evaluated these rejections in an individual manner, case-by-case, taking into account any possible vulnerabilities. This policy was withdrawn later in 2020. EASO Asylum Report 2021