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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 ascending Thematic area Development Source
Germany Flag Germany 2019 Legislative Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection Adult applicants without children are required to live in an initial reception centre for a maximum period of 18 months (federal states may decide to extend this period to 24 months). The previous law defined a 6-month maximum period. DE LEG 03 2019
Germany Flag Germany 2019 Legislative Access to information Access to information The Asylum Act was complemented with Article 12a, which regulates the modalities of BAMF counselling on asylum procedures for applicants. DE LEG 03 2019
Germany Flag Germany 2019 Legislative Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection A new paragraph was added in the Asylum Act (Article 44(2a)), underlining that federal states are obliged to provide reception conditions ensuring the protection of women and other vulnerable applicants. DE LEG 03 2019
Germany Flag Germany 2019 Legislative Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection All applicants became entitled to participate in an integration course after nine months of stay and they will have access to employment-related language courses after having registered as job seeker at the federal employment agency. This opportunity was previously reserved for applicants with high chances of recognition. Tolerated persons may participate in employment-related German courses after six months of tolerated stay. DE LEG 04 2019
Germany Flag Germany 2019 Legislative Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The law facilitates access to vocational training for all persons with a right to work in Germany, regardless of the initial residence circumstances of the person concerned. DE LEG 04 2019
Germany Flag Germany 2019 Legislative Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The unemployment benefit may be paid during the period of the integration course or the employment-related language course, when the federal employment agency considers participation in such courses necessary for the sustainable labour market integration. DE LEG 04 2019
Germany Flag Germany 2019 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection Beneficiaries of international protection are in principle obliged to take up residence and are entitled to integration services in the federal state where their asylum procedure was conducted. The foreigners’ authorities of the federal states are obliged to bear the integration costs for three years. DE LEG 05 2019
Germany Flag Germany 2019 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection The new act clarified that if the reason for an applicant to move to another federal state becomes obsolete three months from the move, then the first federal state must continue to bear integration costs for three years. DE LEG 05 2019
Germany Flag Germany 2019 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection The act clarified that this rule also applies to unaccompanied minors who reach the age of majority. DE LEG 05 2019
Germany Flag Germany 2019 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection The amended law underlined that authorities are obliged to ensure that minors have access to education and care services in a federal state. DE LEG 05 2019
Germany Flag Germany 2019 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection The residence regulation applicable to a beneficiary can only be lifted when the relevant authority at the place of originally-assigned residence gives its explicit agreement. DE LEG 05 2019
Germany Flag Germany 2019 Legislative Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection Labour market tests are no longer applied for the employment of foreigners whose removal has been suspended or applicants who have a permission to stay pending the asylum decision. DE LEG 05 2019
Germany Flag Germany 2019 Legislative Content of protection 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
Germany Flag Germany 2019 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection The act introduced the tolerated status related to employment (Beschäftigungsduldung) for persons who can cover their own living costs and are well integrated. The criteria include: at least of 12 months of tolerated status (Vorduldung), clear identity, in employment for at least 18 months working at least 35 hours a week, stable livelihood and sufficient language knowledge. DE LEG 06 2019
Greece Flag Greece 2019 Legislative Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance Decision on the procedure for issuing travel documents to refugee beneficiaries. EL LEG 01 2019
Greece Flag Greece 2019 Legislative Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance Decision on the restriction of movement of applicants of international protection and subsidiary protection recipients. EL LEG 02 2019
Greece Flag Greece 2019 Legislative Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance Joint Decision on the implementation of exceptional border procedures. EL LEG 03 2019
Greece Flag Greece 2019 Legislative Special procedures to process asylum applications Special procedures to process asylum applications Greece adopted a list of 12 safe countries of origin: Albania, Algeria, Armenia, Georgia, Ghana, India, Morocco, Senegal, Togo, Tunisia, The Gambia and Ukraine. EL LEG 04 2019
Greece Flag Greece 2019 Legislative Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance Several new changes were brought with the new law: specific profiles will be prioritised, subsequent applications should be examined within five days (or two days for a removal procedure), the vulnerability assessment is only intended to trigger the provision of reception needs and prioritise the application but does not exempt the applicant from specific procedures, and the reception and identification procedures were organised into five stages. EL LEG 05 2019
Greece Flag Greece 2019 Legislative Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance The new law provides new time limits to submit appeals, schedule hearings on appeal depending on the day of the submission of an appeal, and issue appeals decisions. It provides for the suspensive effect of appeals for deportation, readmission and return procedures. EL LEG 05 2019
Greece Flag Greece 2019 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection The length of residence permits for beneficiaries of subsidiary protection was decreased to one year (from three years), renewable for two years. EL LEG 05 2019
Greece Flag Greece 2019 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection The new law requires beneficiaries of international protection to leave the reception facility two months from recognition instead of the previously-applicable six months, at which point social welfare support would also cease. EL LEG 05 2019
Greece Flag Greece 2019 Legislative Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups The Ministry of Labour, Social Security and Social Solidarity in Greece issued several ministerial decisions throughout the year related to the registry of professional guardianship, guardian selection criteria, training and the procedures for the assessment and determination of the best interests of the child. EL LEG 06 2019, EL LEG 07 2019, EL LEG 08 2019, EL LEG 09 2019
Hungary Flag Hungary 2019 Legislative Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Government Decree 277/2018 (XII. 21.) entered into force, modifying Government Decree 114/2007 (V. 24.), which clarified the types of administrative actions that the Aliens Police can carry out in the absence of a legal guardian when the applicant is an unaccompanied minor. HU LEG 01 2019
Hungary Flag Hungary 2019 Legislative Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The Hungarian Government extended the time limit of Government Decree 41/2016 (III. 9.) stating that there was a continued state of crisis caused by mass migration. HU LEG 02 2019