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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
Sweden Flag Sweden 2020 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The Swedish Migration Agency updated its legal position in the assessment of applications from Syria. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Iceland Flag Iceland 2021 Policy Content of protection Content of protection Family reunification requests from Afghan residents were treated with priority in 2021. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Sweden Flag Sweden 2020 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The Swedish Migration Agency updated its legal position on the implementation of decisions related to unaccompanied children. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Italy Flag Italy 2021 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance Three digital platforms were created through an AMIF EMAS project, including a website for asylum seekers and beneficiaries of international protection, a platform for exchanges between the NAC and Territorial Commissions to harmonise procedures and facilitate communication, and a portal for open data on asylum. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
France Flag France 2020 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The Ministry of the Interior published an updated guide for applicants for international protection. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Latvia Flag Latvia 2021 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection To increase reception capacity, a second temporary reception facility was opened with a capacity of 400 persons and two AMIF-funded projects were ongoing to temporarily increase reception places. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Ireland Flag Ireland 2020 Policy Legal representation and assistance Legal assistance and representation The Advisory Group on the Provision of Support including Accommodation to Persons in the International Protection Process assessed the asylum system in Ireland and made specific recommendations to the Legal Aid Board for improvements. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Malta Flag Malta 2021 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The International Protection Agency introduced regular and routine reflective meetings on the quality of asylum procedure, and set up the Quality Control Unit with EUAA support. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2020 Policy Country of origin information Country of origin information The IND published new work instructions on the use of sources and country of origin information in the asylum procedure. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2021 Policy Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs The simplified procedure (Track 2), equivalent to the accelerated procedure, was extended to other categories of applicants. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Luxembourg Flag Luxembourg 2020 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection A new arrival centre opened in Luxembourg City, where all asylum and reception stakeholders are present at the same location. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2021 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 2022
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2020 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The Federal Council adopted its opinion on a report by the Political Institutions Committee of the Council of States concerning a parliamentary initiative on granting the same family reunification regimes to beneficiaries of international protection and persons with temporary admission. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Romania Flag Romania 2021 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The new National Strategy on Immigration 2021-2024 was approved, together with the Action Plan to implement the national strategy, with objectives related to making the national asylum system more efficient. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
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
Spain Flag Spain 2021 Policy Resettlement Resettlement and humanitarian admissions The National Resettlement Programme was approved foreseeing the resettlement of 1,200 refugees in 2022. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Denmark Flag Denmark 2020 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The Minister for Immigration and Integration decided that the processing of cases for persons with temporary residence permits which were granted on the grounds of the general circumstances in the Damascus area should be accelerated. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Sweden Flag Sweden 2021 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The Swedish Migration Agency issued a new legal position to clarify that municipalities and regions are entitled to be reimbursed for the care of unaccompanied children from the moment they express their wish to apply for asylum. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Belgium Flag Belgium 2020 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance During the months when personal interviews were halted the focus was on case loads for which an interview had already taken place. Furthermore, the focus during this period was also on cases where it was clear, based on written documents, that the applicant was in need of international protection (mostly Syrians or where a family member had already obtained international protection). Likewise, subsequent applications without any new elements received a decision without an interview. When interviews resumed, priority was given to applicants who were within the reception system of the Federal Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (Fedasil) and already had a status in another EU+ Member State and Brazilian applicants who were already in the country before applying for asylum. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Germany Flag Germany 2020 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection Following the amendments from 2019, which require adult applicants to live in an initial reception centre for a maximum of 18 months (extendable to 24 months) instead of the previously-applicable maximum of 6 months, German reception centres started to adapt their reception infrastructure and staff numbers. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Belgium Flag Belgium 2022 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection 4,000 places were created in the reception system throughout 2022. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Cyprus Flag Cyprus 2022 Policy Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance The rules of procedures of the Administrative Court for International Protection (IPAC) were amended making the applicant's presence before the court mandatory, whether in person or represented by a lawyer, without which the appeal could be rejected, except in situations of force majeure. Applicants or their lawyer now have a maximum of 10 minutes to present their supporting arguments, unless extended by the court when deemed necessary. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
France Flag France 2022 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The Ministry of the Interior published an instruction in April 2022 requesting the prefects to harmonise practices related to victims who were trafficked for sexual exploitation. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Ireland Flag Ireland 2022 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The International Protection Office implemented a revised asylum application procedure. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Lithuania Flag Lithuania 2022 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The Migration Department introduced measures to address the high-level of staff turnover. EUAA Asylum Report 2023