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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 Thematic area Development Sort ascending Source
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2021 Policy Country of origin information Country of origin information Training on methodologies, quality standards and visualisations related to COI production was boosted. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
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
Lithuania Flag Lithuania 2021 Policy Resettlement Resettlement and humanitarian admissions To facilitate resettlement in Lithuania, as of April 2021 travel documents issued to refugees by the International Committee of the Red Cross were recognised as valid. 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
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 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
United Kingdom United Kingdom 2019 Institutional The Dublin procedure The Dublin procedure Three teams from the Home Office, UK Visas and Immigration, Third Country Unit in London were transferred to Glasgow under the newly-established Home Office Immigration Enforcement Third Country Unit, taking over responsibility for Dublin out cases. The fourth team remained in London and became the Dublin Cessation Team (DCT). EASO Asylum Report 2020
France Flag France 2019 Policy Return of former applicants Return of former applicants Three new centres for DRAPs (dispositifs de préparation de l’aide au retour) were opened. EASO Asylum Report 2020
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
Czech Flag Czech Republic 2021 Policy Content of protection Content of protection Third-country nationals, including beneficiaries of international protection who would like to obtain a long-term permanent residence after 5 years of continuous residence in Czechia, must take a Czech language exam at A2 level instead of A1. Persons issued a long-term residence permit must complete within a year a 4-hour integration course on their rights and obligations, fundamental values, everyday life, culture and traditions. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Ireland Flag Ireland 2019 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The “National Standards for Accommodation Offered to People in the Protection Process” and a report on direct provision from the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice and Equality were published. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Lithuania Flag Lithuania 2019 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The “Description of the Procedure for Accommodation of Asylum Applicants” clarified that costs exceeding the rates defined in the document might be covered by funds from international organisations, the European Union, non-governmental organisations or private entities. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Sweden Flag Sweden 2019 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The “Asylum360” pilot project of 2018 was extended to more regions, combining the accommodation of asylum seekers and the examination of their applications into one continuous process to handle as many cases as possible without interruptions. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Ireland Flag Ireland 2020 Legislative Special procedures to process asylum applications Special procedures to process asylum applications The Withdrawal of the UK from the European Union (Consequential Provisions) Act 2020 introduced the concept of a safe third country into the International Protection Act 2015 and enabled the Minister for Justice to designate by order a country as a safe third country. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Belgium Flag Belgium 2022 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The winter plan was signed, for example reserving a certain number of places in the accommodation structure for the homeless, in particular for applicants for international protection. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Finland Flag Finland 2019 Policy Access to information Access to information The website, Asylum in Finland, maintained by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, was improved. New information leaflets and videos with simple terminology were developed for applicants in the framework of the AMIF-funded ONE project. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Ireland Flag Ireland 2021 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The waiting period to apply for a work permit for applicants for international protection was reduced from 9 months to 6 months, with an extended validity from 6 months to 12 months. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Slovakia Flag Slovakia 2022 Legislative Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The waiting period for applicants to access the labour market was shortened from 9 to 6 months. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
France Flag France 2020 Legislative Special procedures to process asylum applications Special procedures to process asylum applications The validity period of the asylum application certificate was extended to 10 months for applicants in the regular procedure and 6 months for applicants in the accelerated procedure. These can then be renewed in periods of 6 months. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Italy Flag Italy 2022 Legislative Detention Detention during the asylum procedure The use of quarantine vessels was extended until the end of May 2022. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2022 Policy Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs The Unites States, Armenia and Trinidad and Tobago were re-assessed as safe countries of origin. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
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
Ireland Flag Ireland 2020 Legislative Special procedures to process asylum applications Special procedures to process asylum applications The UK was designated as a safe third country. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Austria Flag Austria 2020 Legislative Special procedures to process asylum applications Special procedures to process asylum applications The UK and Northern Ireland were added to the list of safe countries of origin. EASO Asylum Report 2021