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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 ascending Thematic area Development Source
Slovakia Flag Slovakia 2021 Policy Return of former applicants Return of former applicants A new strategic document on migration policy was adopted, with an emphasis on voluntary returns rather than forced returns. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Croatia Flag Croatia 2020 Policy Resettlement Resettlement and humanitarian admissions The AMIF-funded project, Establishment of a resettlement mechanism began its implementation in 2017. Until now, two study visits on resettlement programmes have been carried out. During 2020, a short video story was filmed about the integration process of a Syrian family who arrived to Croatia as a group of resettled persons from Turkey. The project also includes the development of a mobile application which provides information on the resettlement programme, arrival and daily life in Croatia. This activity is in its completion phase. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Sweden Flag Sweden 2021 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The Swedish Migration Agency published a new legal position on derived protection status. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Greece Flag Greece 2020 Policy Access to procedure icon Access to procedure In the framework of the Consolidated Government Policy Plan 2021, the Prime Minister announced among the main projects related to asylum and migration the establishment of an innovative closed controlled structures on the island and inland with multiple levels of security. EASO Asylum Report 2021
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
Czech Flag Czech Republic 2020 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The 14 Regional Integration Centres in Czechia continued their work in 2020 and their funding was secured for 2021. EASO Asylum Report 2021
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
Lithuania Flag Lithuania 2019 Policy Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Training on working with unaccompanied minors was offered to reception centre staff. EASO Asylum Report 2020
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
Sweden Flag Sweden 2019 Policy Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Since 1 January 2019, Sweden does not recognise the validity of child marriages from abroad, so the agency updated its standards for handling cases related to married child applicants and developed relevant information material in collaboration with the National Board of Health and Welfare. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Norway Flag Norway 2019 Policy Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups The authorities in Norway launched the website, Asylbarn, dedicated specifically for children in the asylum procedure. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Belgium Flag Belgium 2019 Policy Access to information Access to information Fedasil launched a multi-lingual information platform for applicants for international protection, www.fedasilinfo.be, accessible only from Belgium and available in 12 languages. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Finland Flag Finland 2019 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance A survey commissioned by the Ministry of the Interior in 2018 was finalised, examining the asylum procedure as a whole (including the practices of the administrative courts) and cooperation between the different authorities. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Germany Flag Germany 2019 Policy Country of origin information Country of origin information BAMF launched a two-year training campaign offering workshops on the Top 10 countries of origin. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Belgium Flag Belgium 2019 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection Fedasil and the Red Cross established an agreement with the Flemish Integration and Civic Integration Agency to notify the public of the opening of any new reception centre and the agency would appoint a liaison officer to support the local administration in addressing residents. EASO Asylum Report 2020
France Flag France 2019 Policy Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance The possibility to lodge appeals electronically to the CNDA was introduced. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2019 Policy Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups The IND launched a special project and hired additional staff to reduce the backlog in applications from unaccompanied minors and shorten the overall length of the asylum procedure. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Belgium Flag Belgium 2021 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection A new feature of the online web application, Match-IT, was rolled out to document social aspects of an applicant. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Croatia Flag Croatia 2021 Policy Return of former applicants Return of former applicants AMIF funds have been allocated for the implementation of the project "Informatisation of work and work processes in the Detention Centre for Foreigners", which aims to establish an electronic database of accommodated foreigners and enable video calls and conversations to take place between foreigners and their diplomatic and consular missions in and outside of Croatia. EUAA Asylum Report 2022