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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 Sort ascending Type of development Thematic area Development Source
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2022 Policy Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs Following the decision of the Council of State, all groups that were paid special attention in Track 2 were excluded from the safe country of origin designation. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2022 Policy Resettlement Resettlement and humanitarian admissions The government decided to temporarily pause resettlement selections out of Turkey. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Spain Flag Spain 2022 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The government decided to increase the migration budged for 2022 by 29% with the allocation of additional funds aiming to improve reception conditions of applicants for international and temporary protection and migrants. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Sweden Flag Sweden 2022 Policy Resettlement Resettlement and humanitarian admissions Following a decision of the new Swedish parliament, the annual refugee quota was reduced from 5,000 to 900 resettled refugees for 2023. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Iceland Flag Iceland 2022 Institutional Content of protection Content of protection The Minister of Education and Children established a steering group on refugee children's issues, which is tasked to monitor the situation of refugee children, provide advice, assess government measures and ensure that measures are aligned with international standards. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Belgium Flag Belgium 2022 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection The government announced its intention to create a separate right of residence through family reunification for parents of children who are recognised beneficiaries of international protection. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Finland Flag Finland 2022 Legislative Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs The government submitted a legislative proposal to the parliament to introduce a border procedure that could be triggered by a government decision if an exceptionally large number of migrants arrive in a short period of time or if hybrid activities aiming to exploit migration were directed against Finland. However, the parliament did not manage to consider the proposal by the end of the electoral term (29 March 2023) and it was allowed to lapse. The next government will decide if the changes are proposed again. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Germany Flag Germany 2022 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection The legal framework on social benefits was revised for German nationals and beneficiaries of international protection. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Italy Flag Italy 2022 Legislative The Dublin procedure The Dublin procedure A new circular clarifying the connection between an application for a special protection permit (a national form of protection) and the Dublin procedure was published. It states that an application for special protection should be deemed inadmissible if the applicant has also applied for international protection and is involved in a pending Dublin procedure. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Luxembourg Flag Luxembourg 2022 Legislative Detention Detention during the asylum procedure A bill proposed the introduction of non-negligible risk of absconding as a reason for detention, specifying in what cases this risk is presumed. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Portugal Flag Portugal 2022 Legislative Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The Asylum Act was amended to allow applicants for international protection to work from the day they submit their application and receive related support. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Spain Flag Spain 2022 Legislative Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure Spain’s Council of Ministers adopted a draft bill on trafficking and exploitation which focuses on prevention, assistance and the protection of victims by guaranteeing a series of rights and support measures. A national referral mechanism for potential trafficking victims will also be created. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Belgium Flag Belgium 2022 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection Fedasil presented its new management plan for the period 2021-2026. It defines the organisation’s strategic and operational objectives. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Czech Flag Czech Republic 2022 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The Ministry of the Interior launched a mapping project on the situation of child trafficking and created ""Human Trafficking Indicators Cards"" to help professionals better identify possible victims of human trafficking. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Germany Flag Germany 2022 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance BAMF introduced the ""Assistance System for Hearings"", a digital tool to support case officers in their work. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Ireland Flag Ireland 2022 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The Department of Justice omitted interviews for certain profiles (such as applicants from Afghanistan, Eritrea and Somalia) in order to speed up the asylum procedure. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Malta Flag Malta 2022 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The International Protection Agency sampled cases for quality assurance. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2022 Policy Detention Detention during the asylum procedure The Aliens Circular was amended to specify that a foreigner can be detained for a short period to investigate the person’s identity and their lawful status in the country. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Slovakia Flag Slovakia 2022 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance Slovakia established a new quality assurance mechanism for the asylum procedure, to be carried out every 6 months or on an ad hoc basis. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Sweden Flag Sweden 2022 Policy Information provision on the asylum procedure Information provision on the asylum procedure The Swedish Migration Agency expanded its services in 11 new locations, where employees informed applicants about procedures and regulations, and supported them in navigating the agency’s website. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Belgium Flag Belgium 2022 Institutional Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The State Secretary for Asylum and Migration announced that it considered plans to merge the Immigration Office, the CGRS and Fedasil. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Belgium Flag Belgium 2022 Legislative Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance CALL launched a digital tool on 1 March 2022, entitled J-BOX, to exchange procedural documents electronically instead of using registered mail. The use of the tool became mandatory in appeals for accelerated and urgent measures. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Estonia Flag Estonia 2022 Legislative Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The new Victim Support Act entered into force, which aims to further improve the availability and quality of victim support services, for example for victims of human trafficking. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Iceland Flag Iceland 2022 Legislative Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs Iceland revised its list of safe countries of origin and Ukraine was removed from the list. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Lithuania Flag Lithuania 2022 Legislative Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure Amendments to the Law on the Legal Status of Foreigners aimed to speed up the appointment of a legal guardian for an unaccompanied minor, due to the influx of unaccompanied minors from Ukraine. EUAA Asylum Report 2023