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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
Denmark Flag Denmark 2020 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI) published a new information package for social workers in local authorities on providing specialised employment support to refugee and migrant women. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Italy Flag Italy 2021 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure A new national coordination board dedicated to unaccompanied children was established, with its first meeting foreseen for spring 2022. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Greece Flag Greece 2020 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection 67 hotel accommodation facilities were planned to be closed by the end of 2020, transferring residents to other inland structures. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Luxembourg Flag Luxembourg 2021 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection Reception structures by type of procedure were established in the initial reception system. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2020 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance A special task force was created in March 2020 to deal with the backlog of more than 15,000 asylum applications. It handled 8,200 by the end of 2020 and was foreseen to continue its work until mid-2021. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Malta Flag Malta 2021 Policy Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance The National Asylum Seekers Management System (NASMS) was improved to better communicate information on individual cases between the International Protection Agency and the International Protection Appeals Tribunal. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Ireland Flag Ireland 2020 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The Student Support Scheme for people in the International Protection Process was amended and the requirements to have attended three academic years in the Irish school system and to have obtained the Leaving Certificate in Ireland will no longer apply. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2021 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection An AMIF-funded project promoted sports, exercise and healthy lifestyle among residents. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Slovenia Flag Slovenia 2020 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance Additional staff were hired to tackle the pending backlog of cases and shorten delays in the asylum procedure. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Poland Flag Poland 2021 Policy Detention Detention during the asylum procedure To accommodate a larger number of detainees, as an emergency solution, the minimum space per person was reduced from 4 sqm to 2 sqm on the basis of the Ordinance of the Minister of the Interior and Administration. All detention centre for families and single women returned to 4 sqm on 25 April 2022, and the centre in Wedrzyn returned to 4 sqm on 6 June 2022. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
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
Slovenia Flag Slovenia 2021 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure New national action plans were adopted for combating trafficking in human beings. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Sweden Flag Sweden 2021 Policy Content of protection Content of protection To facilitate migrant women’s employment, the Swedish government proposed to grant 90 days of parental leave to parents from low-income families. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2020 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection Following up on the initiative from the State Secretary for Justice and Security, the COA started to accommodate at a separate location in Budel applicants from safe countries of origin and those who have already obtained international protection in another Member State. Applicants receive only basic material reception conditions in kind and stricter reporting obligation applies to them, as they need to report daily and in addition, every time they leave or come back. The location has extra security personnel. Vulnerable applicants cannot be accommodated here. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2021 Policy Resettlement Resettlement and humanitarian admissions The 2022-2023 resettlement programme was approved for the resettlement of 1,600 refugees focusing on three or five primary host countries. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Finland Flag Finland 2020 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The Government Programme's proposal was under examination to eliminate the sufficient financial resources criteria for family reunifications initiated by minor beneficiaries of international protection. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Belgium Flag Belgium 2022 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The CGRS allocated 32 new staff members to work on applications launched by unaccompanied minors. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Denmark Flag Denmark 2022 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The Danish Immigration Services launched a tender and opened a reception centre for applicants with special needs, including those suffering from mental and physical disabilities, mental illnesses, trauma or substance abuse. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Germany Flag Germany 2022 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure BAMF published a methodology for the identification of vulnerable applicants. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Ireland Flag Ireland 2022 Policy Resettlement Resettlement and humanitarian admissions The Department of Justice extended the Afghan Admission Programme. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2022 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The time limit for deciding on an application for international protection was extended by 9 months. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2022 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure New, simplified information material was prepared for illiterate persons and persons who cannot read and write in the Latin alphabet. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Spain Flag Spain 2022 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The Spanish Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration announced that applicants for international protection who had not yet been given a final decision on their case would not be withdrawn from the national social security system. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Malta Flag Malta 2019 Policy Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups The AWAS established the Therapeutic Services Unit (TSU) for migrants suffering from psychological disorders due to trauma, with a special team dedicated to children and unaccompanied minors. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Sweden Flag Sweden 2022 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The description of the age assessment method followed by the Swedish National Board of Forensic Medicine was updated to make the process more detailed and transparent, minimise risks and interpret the margin of errors and factors affecting the statistical model. EUAA Asylum Report 2023