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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 Source
Greece Flag Greece 2021 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection Law No 4815/2021 made minor adjustments to the provisions on the residence permit of beneficiaries of international protection and their family members in Greece. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Greece Flag Greece 2021 Legislative Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs Turkey was designated a safe third country for applicants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Somalia and Syria. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Greece Flag Greece 2021 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The Ministry for Migration and Asylum established a National Mechanism for the Detection and Protection of Unaccompanied Children, in cooperation with the IOM, Aris, METAdrasi and the Network for Children’s Rights. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Greece Flag Greece 2021 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection A ministerial decision underlined that material reception conditions can be withdrawn, keeping the right to education and medical support, when an applicant breaches the accommodation rules of any type of facility, especially in the case of violent behaviour. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Germany Flag Germany 2021 Policy Resettlement Resettlement and humanitarian admissions The German Academic Exchange Service launched new scholarship programmes for refugees from Cameron, Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal, with funding from the German Foreign Office. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Germany Flag Germany 2021 Policy Interpretation services Interpretation services The coalition agreement set out to closely monitor the use of interpreters for LGBTIQ applicants for international protection. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Germany Flag Germany 2021 Policy Country of origin information Country of origin information The COI unit employed more country analysts and formed new regional teams, resulting in a larger production of new country reports. The production line of COI reports was streamlined and an internal peer review was introduced amongst the regional analyst teams. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Germany Flag Germany 2021 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance BAMF carried out a feasibility study for digital certification processes and digital identity management, publishing a white paper as a first step towards analysing whether certification processes and identities of asylum seekers can be fully digitalised. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Germany Flag Germany 2021 Policy Statelessness in the context of asylum Statelessness in the context of asylum The coalition agreement foresees to expand both the access to and the scope of residence permits for all undocumented people living in the country, including stateless individuals. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Germany Flag Germany 2021 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The AnkER concept is planned not to be used any longer, even though similar facilities for initial reception remain. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
France Flag France 2021 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The Ministry of the Interior published an action plan to strengthen support for applicants and beneficiaries of international protection with vulnerabilities. The plan lists 10 action points for improved identification and support for special needs. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
France Flag France 2021 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The launching of the AGIR programme was announced, proposing individualised, 20-month integration pathways to all beneficiaries of international protection, with a focus on housing and employment. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
France Flag France 2021 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection Legislative amendments introduced the possibility of refusing or withdrawing refugee status from third-country nationals convicted of public support of an act of terrorism. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
France Flag France 2021 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The implementation of the “National plan for the reception of asylum applicants and the integration of refugees” started in 2021, with the creation of 4,900 places for applicants and 408 places for recognised beneficiaries of international protection with vulnerabilities. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
France Flag France 2021 Policy Resettlement Resettlement and humanitarian admissions An instruction with guidelines on reception policies for resettled refugees was approved, establishing the division of responsibilities for the reception of resettled refugees between central administrations and funded organisations, the regional distribution and the monthly calendar for 2021 arrivals. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
France Flag France 2021 Legislative Return of former applicants Return of former applicants Penal sanctions apply to people who refuse to comply with health requirements which are required for an automatic enforcement of an expulsion measure. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
France Flag France 2021 Policy Interpretation services Interpretation services The OFII medical service launched a 6-month pilot project in three major cities, and medical screening is done in the presence of an interpreter for all new asylum applicants. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
France Flag France 2021 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure Discussions were underway to revise the methods for an age assessment, in particular related to bone X-rays. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
France Flag France 2021 Legislative Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure A draft law on child protection was adopted by the National Assembly and by the Senate. The draft includes several provisions relevant to unaccompanied children. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
France Flag France 2021 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The minister responsible for citizenship issued a circular to define priorities for the integration of newly-arrived migrants and beneficiaries of international protection for 2021. The circular confirmed that the focus remains on integration through employment. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
France Flag France 2021 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection OFII signed a convention with Marseille for the municipality to provide medical services and vaccines against measles, mumps, rubella and hepatitis B for migrants in general, including asylum applicants. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Finland Flag Finland 2021 Legislative Legal representation and assistance Legal assistance and representation Free legal aid was made available to all applicants for international protection during an interview, not only to vulnerable groups. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Finland Flag Finland 2021 Policy Resettlement Resettlement and humanitarian admissions The refugee quota was increased by about 500 refugees, with a total of 1,500 persons to be transferred in 2022, due to the deterioration of the security situation in Afghanistan. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Finland Flag Finland 2021 Legislative Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs The Smart Border package was submitted to the parliament, bringing new technological means of processing at the border, concerning specifically the Aliens Act and other relevant legislative provisions. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Finland Flag Finland 2021 Institutional The Dublin procedure The Dublin procedure The entire staff of the Dublin unit changed and new colleagues received extensive training throughout the year. EUAA Asylum Report 2022