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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 descending Type of development 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 on the situation in the Tigray region in Ethiopia. (The legal position was repealed in 2021 and is no longer in force.) EASO Asylum Report 2021
Sweden Flag Sweden 2020 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The Swedish Migration Agency published a new legal position on the examination of the best interests of the child. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Finland Flag Finland 2020 Policy Interpretation services Interpretation services The Finnish Immigration Service developed a quality assurance system for the interpretation services used during asylum interviews, in the framework of the AMIF-funded Tulppaani project. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Ireland Flag Ireland 2020 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection Based on the findings of the report of the Advisory Group on the Provision of Support including Accommodation to Persons in the International Protection Process, the government would publish a White Paper on the replacement of the Direct Provision System with a new, non-profit international protection accommodation policy. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2020 Policy Access to information Access to information The COA published a new brochure for employers Newcomers on their way to work - Guide for employers, providing information to facilitate the employment of beneficiaries of international protection. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Lithuania Flag Lithuania 2020 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The integration process of beneficiaries of international protection was adjusted. An individual integration plan is proposed to each beneficiary while they are still accommodated at the Refugee Reception Centre. The plan is updated once beneficiaries settle in a municipality in cooperation with the municipality's body in charge of integration. The support services are tailored to each person's specific needs and financial support is defined according to the person's progress and personal efforts EASO Asylum Report 2021
Sweden Flag Sweden 2020 Policy Return of former applicants Return of former applicants The Swedish government tasked several national bodies, including the police and the Swedish Migration Agency, to analyse the factors that prevent the enforcement of a decision on a refusal of entry or return. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Croatia Flag Croatia 2020 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The national authorities concluded standard operating procedures on sexual and gender-based violence with UNHCR and national NGOs towards the end of 2020, aiming to start implementation as soon as possible. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Belgium Flag Belgium 2020 Policy Special procedures to process asylum applications Special procedures to process asylum applications The Council of Ministers adopted the draft royal decree establishing a list of safe countries of origin. The draft did not include any changes to the list of safe countries from the previous year. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Belgium Flag Belgium 2020 Policy Access to procedure icon Access to procedure Applicants had to book an appointment online for their registration between April and October 2020. The first instance tribunal of Brussels ruled that this practice was against the law, hence from 30 October 2020 registration in person started again at the arrival centre, without prior appointment. EASO Asylum Report 2021
France Flag France 2020 Policy Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance The National Court of Asylum (CNDA) signed an agreement with the bar association on the implementation of video hearings. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2020 Legislative Detention Detention during the asylum procedure An amendment to the Aliens Act established a clear legal basis for continuing the detention of a rejected applicant at the border during the appeal phase in the border procedure. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Slovenia Flag Slovenia 2020 Legislative Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance A proposal was put forward and adopted in 2021 to amend the International Protection Act. Among a set of comprehensive changes, for example, sanctions would apply when an applicant does not comply with the duties or obstructs the implementation of the asylum procedure. The amendment also widens the grounds on which an asylum application can be rejected as manifestly unfounded. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2020 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection An amendment to the ordinance on delivering travel documents for foreigners clarified when refugees under a travel ban can still receive an exceptional authorisation to travel to a country falling under that travel ban. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Italy Flag Italy 2020 Legislative Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance The procedure for a decision on the suspensive effect of an appeal in the second instance has to be taken by the court in a collegial decision. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Italy Flag Italy 2020 Legislative Return of former applicants Return of former applicants The list of circumstances in which protection against refoulement applies was extended. In addition to cases where a foreigner is at risk of being subjected to torture in the country of origin, the list includes cases where a person may be subjected to inhuman or degrading treatment and where there is a risk of a violation of the right to respect for private and family life. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Luxembourg Flag Luxembourg 2020 Legislative The Dublin procedure The Dublin procedure A draft law would modify the remedy system available for the The Dublin procedure to ensure the efficiency of the procedure, while keeping legal guarantees at the maximum level. It would modify and align the time limits and methods of appeal. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Germany Flag Germany 2020 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection The Act on Tolerated Status related to Education and Employment of 8 July 2019 entered into force on 1 January 2020. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Greece Flag Greece 2020 Legislative Detention Detention during the asylum procedure Children's protective custody was abolished. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Hungary Flag Hungary 2020 Legislative Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance Under Asylum Law, Article 15, the threshold to exclude a person from subsidiary protection became lower: instead of violating national security, it is enough if the person's stay in the country endangers national security. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Austria Flag Austria 2020 Legislative Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The scope of the term family was widened. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Bulgaria Flag Bulgaria 2020 Legislative Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The Law on Asylum and Refugees was amended to address shortcomings in the identification, legal representation and age assessment procedure for unaccompanied children. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Estonia Flag Estonia 2020 Legislative Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The amendment of the Act on Granting International Protection to Aliens allows the PBGB to request assistance from EASO and to be involved in the processing of an asylum application in the territory of another state, based on an international agreement or an EU act. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Germany Flag Germany 2020 Institutional Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The Franco-German Parliamentary Assembly created a new joint working group on migration, asylum and integration. EASO Asylum Report 2021
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 on the assessment of applications from Afghan citizens, based on revised country of origin information. The security situation was assessed to be largely unchanged and the legal position includes slight adjustments. EASO Asylum Report 2021