|
Iceland |
2022 |
Legislative |
|
Interpretation services |
A reform of administrative procedures, including asylum procedures, provides for professional interpretation to persons who do not speak Icelandic. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2023 |
|
Switzerland |
2020 |
Legislative |
|
Content of protection |
A draft amendment would allow persons with temporary admission to change their assigned canton if they follow a long-term vocational training or are employed in another canton |
EASO Asylum Report 2021 |
|
Luxembourg |
2022 |
Legislative |
|
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 |
|
Italy |
2020 |
Legislative |
|
Reception of applicants for international protection |
Language courses, psychological assistance and integration activities were re-established for all applicants residing in reception centres. |
EASO Asylum Report 2021 |
|
Poland |
2022 |
Legislative |
|
Reception of applicants for international protection |
The special rules on the duration of material reception conditions connected with the COVID-19 pandemic were repealed. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2023 |
|
Latvia |
2020 |
Legislative |
|
Reception of applicants for international protection |
Amendments to the Immigration Law were submitted for approval, shortening the waiting period for applicants to access the labour market from 6 to 3 months. |
EASO Asylum Report 2021 |
|
Spain |
2022 |
Legislative |
|
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 |
|
Luxembourg |
2020 |
Legislative |
|
Content of protection |
An amendment to the Immigration Law was presented to the parliament, which aimed to simplify the family reunification procedure in general and to extend the time limit for facilitated family reunification criteria for beneficiaries of international protection from 3 months to 6 months. |
EASO Asylum Report 2021 |
|
Greece |
2020 |
Legislative |
|
Access to procedure |
An urgent legislative act suspended applications from people arriving illegally into Greece for 1 month. |
EASO Asylum Report 2021 |
|
Greece |
2020 |
Legislative |
|
Detention during the asylum procedure |
The police director may issue a detention order upon the Asylum Service's prior notice. A judicial review is undertaken for the prolongation of the detention order but not for the initial order. The maximum initial detention period was extended from 45 days to 50 days and the total maximum detention period was extended from 3 months to 18 months. |
EASO Asylum Report 2021 |
|
Hungary |
2020 |
Legislative |
|
Processing asylum applications at first instance |
Paragraph 8a was added under Asylum Law, Article 32/Y to clarify circumstances when the procedure to enforce a financial claim - which arose during the asylum procedure - ceases. |
EASO Asylum Report 2021 |
|
Austria |
2020 |
Legislative |
|
Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure |
The BFA Procedures Law and the Asylum Law were temporarily amended until 31 December 2020, so that unaccompanied minors can be transferred directly to a regional directorate or field office to launch an asylum application, without passing through a first reception centre. |
EASO Asylum Report 2021 |
|
Bulgaria |
2020 |
Legislative |
|
Return of former applicants |
The Law on Foreigners was amended to provide clarification on the return procedure. For example, the country to which a return is to be executed must be indicated in the return decision. Automatic suspensive effect was introduced for an appeal which is filed against an expulsion order issued on the grounds of serious threat to public order. In addition, if it is established by a judicial act that a foreigner subject to a removal order cannot be returned to a country due to a risk to the person's life and liberty or persecution, torture, inhuman or degrading treatment, an order must be issued which explicitly states the prohibition of return and the state to which the foreigner should not be returned. This order is not subject to appeal. |
EASO Asylum Report 2021 |
|
Estonia |
2020 |
Legislative |
|
Special procedures to process asylum applications |
The amendment of the Act on Granting International Protection to Aliens clarified that the PBGB must update the list of safe countries of origin at least once a year. |
EASO Asylum Report 2021 |
|
Netherlands |
2019 |
Legislative |
|
Return of former applicants |
An amendment to the Aliens Circular (Vc) was enacted: while in principle after the rejection of the first asylum application a departure period is granted, exceptions to the rule were extended concerning (among other things) apparently unfounded applications and applications predominantly based on socio-economic grounds. |
NL LEG 02 2019 |
|
Sweden |
2019 |
Legislative |
|
Reception of applicants for international protection |
Applicants are not entitled to daily allowance anymore if they choose to reside in specific areas with high rates of immigrants and socio-economic challenges (32 municipalities listed), in order to avoid segregation. |
SE LEG 02 2019 |
|
Germany |
2019 |
Legislative |
|
Detention during the asylum procedure |
500 additional return detention places were created in regular prisons – in separated premises from inmates - temporarily until 2022, next to the existing 500 special return places. |
DE LEG 03 2019 |
|
Germany |
2019 |
Legislative |
|
Content of protection |
The scope of tolerated status related to education was extended and includes education and training for care services (Helfer- und Assistenzausbildungen) in occupations with shortages of employees. Tolerated persons receive a two-year residence permit if they directly continue to work upon completing their education. |
DE LEG 06 2019 |
|
Italy |
2019 |
Legislative |
|
Special procedures to process asylum applications |
The decree identified border or transit zones in several provinces and established two additional sections of the Territorial Commissions in Apulia and Sicily. |
IT LEG 02 2019 |
|
Austria |
2019 |
Legislative |
|
Country of origin information |
Namibia, the Republic of Korea and Uruguay were added to the list of countries considered to be safe countries of origin. |
AT LEG 05 2019 |
|
Czech Republic |
2019 |
Legislative |
|
Special procedures to process asylum applications |
The list of grounds for subsequent applications was extended in July 2019 if there is reason to believe that asylum or subsidiary protection for the purpose of family reunification will be granted. |
CZ LEG 01 2019 |
|
France |
2019 |
Legislative |
|
Access to procedure |
An Inter-Ministerial Instruction established a new protocol model to manage applications lodged from detention. |
FR LEG 08 2019 |
|
Belgium |
2021 |
Legislative |
|
Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance |
The Council of Ministers approved in June 2021 a draft law on the organisation of CALL. The proposal aimed to increase the number of judges of CALL and simplify and optimise the appraisal procedure for staff by introducing a comprehensive system of disciplinary and policy measures for officials. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2022 |
|
Czech Republic |
2021 |
Legislative |
|
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 |
|
Greece |
2021 |
Legislative |
|
Special procedures to assess protection needs |
Bangladesh and Pakistan were designated as safe countries of origin. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2022 |