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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 2020 Legislative Detention Detention during the asylum procedure Children's protective custody was abolished. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Greece Flag Greece 2020 Legislative Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection A Ministerial Decision amended the framework of the ESTIA II programme for the accommodation of applicants for international protection. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Greece Flag Greece 2020 Policy Legal representation and assistance Legal assistance and representation The Greek Asylum Service launched a call to extend the Register of Lawyers providing legal aid to applicants for international protection EASO Asylum Report 2021
Germany Flag Germany 2020 Policy Access to procedure icon Access to procedure The Federal Ministry of the Interior, Building and Community submitted to the Federal Cabinet its evaluation report on the Data Exchange Improvement Act, which was adopted in 2016 and introduced a comprehensive and standardised registration of applicants in the Central Registry of Foreigners (AZR). EASO Asylum Report 2021
Germany Flag Germany 2020 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection The German Act on the Deployment of Social Services Providers was adopted, which provides aid, for example, for language course providers to help mitigate the effect of the pandemic and prevent bankruptcy. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Germany Flag Germany 2020 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The BAMF launched a new digital information platform, offering information on integration services. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Germany Flag Germany 2020 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection Following the amendments from 2019, which require adult applicants to live in an initial reception centre for a maximum of 18 months (extendable to 24 months) instead of the previously-applicable maximum of 6 months, German reception centres started to adapt their reception infrastructure and staff numbers. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Germany Flag Germany 2020 Legislative Detention Detention during the asylum procedure A draft law introduces the additional preparatory detention (Erg?nzende Vorbereitungshaft) for persons awaiting removal, if they pose a serious risk to others' lives or for significant interests of internal security. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Germany Flag Germany 2020 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The federal government published a report on the situation of unaccompanied foreign minors in Germany. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Germany Flag Germany 2020 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection New AnkER facilities were opened. In 2020, the model has been implemented in 8 of 16 federal states. 7 AnkER facilities have been set up in the state of Bavaria, 1 AnkER facility in each of the states of Saxony and Saarland. In addition to that, seven 'functionally-equivalent facilities' exist nationwide. The functioning of these facilities was evaluated and the results were published in February 2021. 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
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
France Flag France 2020 Legislative Special procedures to process asylum applications Special procedures to process asylum applications The validity period of the asylum application certificate was extended to 10 months for applicants in the regular procedure and 6 months for applicants in the accelerated procedure. These can then be renewed in periods of 6 months. EASO Asylum Report 2021
France Flag France 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
France Flag France 2020 Institutional Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The position of the Minister Delegate for Citizenship was created under the Minister of the Interior, responsible for asylum and integration EASO Asylum Report 2021
France Flag France 2020 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The General Directorate for Foreigners in France launched a telephone support centre for employees of the local orientation platforms (SPADA) and reception centres. EASO Asylum Report 2021
France Flag France 2020 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The Ministry of the Interior posted several IT tools online to support language learning and social orientation for newcomers. EASO Asylum Report 2021
France Flag France 2020 Legislative Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure A decree amended the terms of state-financing related to the reception of persons declaring to be unaccompanied children. EASO Asylum Report 2021
France Flag France 2020 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection A draft law was presented to the National Assembly, which would prohibit the regularisation of foreigners in irregular situations, such as former applicants. EASO Asylum Report 2021
France Flag France 2020 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The French National Assembly drafted a report evaluating labour market integration policies of applicants and refugees. EASO Asylum Report 2021
France Flag France 2020 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The Ministry of the Interior published an updated guide for applicants for international protection. EASO Asylum Report 2021
France Flag France 2020 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance Applicants residing in Brittany and New Aquitaine have access to all the documents OFPRA sends them since 15 July 2020. This pilot implements the legislative amendments from 2018 and is foreseen to be extended gradually to the whole territory. EASO Asylum Report 2021
France Flag France 2020 Legislative Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The Ministry of the Interior provided instructions to the prefectures on the early examination of residence permit requests of unaccompanied minors under the care of departmental child care services. The objective is to ensure that rights - in particular work permits related to vocational education programmes - do not immediately cease when the minor reaches adulthood. EASO Asylum Report 2021
France Flag France 2020 Policy Content of protection Content of protection An instruction on family reunification provided guidance on processing incomplete or inadmissible family reunification requests in an effort to reduce processing times and decrease the number of disputes. EASO Asylum Report 2021
France Flag France 2020 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The Ministry of the Interior published its National plan for the reception of applicants and the integration of refugees for 2021-2023, aiming to create 4,500 additional reception places in 2021. EASO Asylum Report 2021