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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
Sweden Flag Sweden 2021 Legislative Resettlement Resettlement and humanitarian admissions A number of amendments to the regulatory framework concerning resettlement were adopted to enable greater flexibility in acute situations, such as the Afghanistan situation. According to a government decision, the requirement that a person must be in a third country to be eligible for resettlement was temporarily removed. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Bulgaria Flag Bulgaria 2022 Legislative Access to procedure icon Access to procedure The government adopted amendments to the ordinance regulating coordination between the asylum and police (border and immigration) administrations when implementing the Dublin III Regulation. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2020 Legislative The Dublin procedure The Dublin procedure The Aliens Circular was amended to reflect CJEU jurisprudence in Jawo and clarified when an applicant can be considered to have absconded. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Finland Flag Finland 2022 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection Minors who have received international protection became exempted from the requirement of having sufficient financial resources for family reunification. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Norway Flag Norway 2020 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection The new Integration Act was adopted in Norway and entered into force in January 2021. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Greece Flag Greece 2022 Legislative Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance A bill proposed establishing a Fundamental Rights Officer in charge of assessing complaints of fundamental rights violations related to international protection procedures. The officer would refer the complainant to the relevant authorities where applicable. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2020 Legislative Access to procedure icon Access to procedure A draft amendment to the Asylum Act would allow the State Secretariat for Migration to access and analyse data from applicants' mobile phones, in order to verify their identity, with full respect of the principle of necessity and proportionality, and in compliance with the right to respect for private and family life. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Italy Flag Italy 2022 Legislative Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure A presidential decree was adopted clarifying that the authorities need to examine the conversion of unaccompanied children’s residence permits on a case-by-case basis when they reach adulthood. Residence permits based on integration can be issued until the age of 21. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Ireland Flag Ireland 2020 Legislative Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The Irish government announced its intention at the end of 2020 to reduce the waiting period for asylum applicants from 9 months to 6 months to apply for a work permit. The permission's validity was to be extended from 6 months to 12 months. The new measures were introduced in January 2021. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2022 Legislative The Dublin procedure The Dublin procedure The government proposed a bill creating the legal basis for enforced COVID-19 testing in the beginning of 2022. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Italy Flag Italy 2020 Legislative Detention Detention during the asylum procedure Detained applicants can address petitions and complaints to the national, regional and local ombudspersons. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Slovakia Flag Slovakia 2022 Legislative Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The Asylum Act was amended to regulate the hierarchy of national and international protection statuses. If the conditions for granting international protection are not met, then the possibility of granting a national status will be considered. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Lithuania Flag Lithuania 2020 Legislative Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection An amendment to the Law on the Legal Status of Foreigners entered into force in January 2020, which granted applicants the right to work if the Migration Department had not taken a decision on their application within 6 months of the lodging and the applicants were not responsible for the delay. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2022 Legislative Detention Detention during the asylum procedure The Federal Council announced that it will not create a legal basis in the Law for Foreigners and Integration for the introduction of electronic bracelets as an alternative to administrative detention. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Malta Flag Malta 2020 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection The International Protection Act set in law the grounds and procedures for granting, excluding or revoking Temporary Humanitarian Status. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Greece Flag Greece 2020 Legislative Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance When the applicant does not comply with the duty to cooperate, especially the duty to remain in communication with the authorities, the application or the appeal is presumed to be implicitly withdrawn. Previously, in this case the application was examined under the rules for manifestly unfounded applications. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Hungary Flag Hungary 2020 Legislative Access to procedure icon Access to procedure A new point k) was added under Asylum Law, Article 86(1): The NDGAP can also request data from authority responsible for citizenship matters, in order to fulfil its task. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Iceland Flag Iceland 2020 Legislative Statelessness in the context of asylum Statelessness in the context of asylum Iceland acceded to the 1954 Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness in the context of asylum. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Bulgaria Flag Bulgaria 2020 Legislative Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The Law on Asylum and Refugees was amended in a comprehensive manner to bring national legislation more in line with the recast Asylum Procedures Directive. For example, the law allows for gathering expert opinions on a larger range of issues. It provides guidance on gathering and using information for the assessment of a case. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Cyprus Flag Cyprus 2020 Legislative Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance The composition of the Administrative Court of International Protection was amended, and the number of judges increased first from 3 to 5, then from 5 to 10. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Finland Flag Finland 2020 Legislative Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance A new act entered into force regulating the processing of personal data by all authorities involved in migration affairs. Corresponding amendments were made in the Reception Act, the Immigration Detention Act, the Integration Act and the Citizenship Act. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Luxembourg Flag Luxembourg 2019 Legislative Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The National Reception Office (ONA, Office nationale de l'accueil) was established. LU LEG 02 2019
Slovakia Flag Slovakia 2019 Legislative Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Amendments entered into force to replace the former facility for minors with centres for children and family. SK LEG 02 2019
Germany Flag Germany 2019 Legislative Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection Applicants and tolerated persons became entitled to student benefits, and exclusion from the relevant study support under the Twelfth Book of Social Code is no longer applicable to them. DE LEG 02 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