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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 Sort descending Source
Sweden Flag Sweden 2020 Legislative Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection A new governmental project is planned to be implemented in Sweden in 2021, obliging applicants to attend a one-day information session about the host society. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Lithuania Flag Lithuania 2019 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection A new ground was added to withdraw subsidiary protection: when there is a serious ground that the person’s stay in the country would represent a threat to national security or the community. LT LEG 01 2019
Croatia Flag Croatia 2020 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection A new health care project was set up with AMIF funding, in cooperation with Medecins du Monde, to tackle the needs of applicants who have been in transit in Bosnia and Herzegovina and who suffer from chronic illnesses or disabilities. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Croatia Flag Croatia 2020 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection A new health care project was set up with AMIF funding, in cooperation with the Ministry of Health and Medecins du Monde. The purpose of the project is the protection of health and prevention of disease among asylum applicants through improved access to initial check-ups and medical consultations in reception centres. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Iceland Flag Iceland 2021 Policy Information provision on the asylum procedure Information provision on the asylum procedure A new information hub was launched, newiniceland.is, which provides information in eight languages through online counsellors and telephone interpretation in additional languages. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Norway Flag Norway 2021 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection A new Integration Act entered into force in January 2021, putting more emphasis on training participants in the introduction programme (mostly refugees) on the skills required by Norwegian employers or needed to qualify for further education. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Greece Flag Greece 2022 Policy Content of protection Content of protection A new integration strategy for applicants and beneficiaries of international protection was launched for consultation. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Belgium Flag Belgium 2021 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection A new IT system was launched in the arrival centre in Brussels to document residents in accommodation. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Greece Flag Greece 2020 Legislative Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection A new law outlined the development of information systems in reception structures and clarified the end of material reception conditions for recognised beneficiaries of international protection. EASO Asylum Report 2021
France Flag France 2022 Legislative Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure A new law was adopted on child protection, including the requirement for child welfare services to inform unaccompanied minors about the possibility to apply for international protection and the support which is available for them. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Sweden Flag Sweden 2022 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance A new legal position (RS/089/2021) was published on the examination of protection needs for citizens from Afghanistan, in particular on the situation of women and girls. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Sweden Flag Sweden 2020 Policy Return of former applicants Return of former applicants A new legal position was issued to provide guidance on the assessment of the right to private and family life in the application of the temporary law, and specifically when assessing whether a decision on a foreigner's return infringes the right prescribed in Article 8. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Malta Flag Malta 2021 Legislative Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs A new legal provision notes that only the International Protection Agency can designate a country as a safe country of origin, and it must be included in the Schedule to the International Protection Act. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Slovakia Flag Slovakia 2022 Legislative The Dublin procedure The Dublin procedure A new legal provision was adopted to provide for the suspension of a transfer decision when a third-country national under the Dublin procedure absconds. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Czech Flag Czech Republic 2020 Legislative Statelessness in the context of asylum Statelessness in the context of asylum A new legislative proposal was presented to the Parliament, which includes among other aspects of the asylum procedure, the establishment of a statelessness determination procedure. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2020 Policy Resettlement Resettlement and humanitarian admissions A new multiannual resettlement policy framework for 2020-2023 was established in the Netherlands, including a commitment to resettling 2,000 refugees in 4 years. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Italy Flag Italy 2021 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure A new national coordination board dedicated to unaccompanied children was established, with its first meeting foreseen for spring 2022. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
France Flag France 2022 Institutional Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance A new OFPRA branch office was established in Mayotte for the lodging of applications for international protection in the territory. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Germany Flag Germany 2019 Legislative Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection A new paragraph was added in the Asylum Act (Article 44(2a)), underlining that federal states are obliged to provide reception conditions ensuring the protection of women and other vulnerable applicants. DE LEG 03 2019
Ireland Flag Ireland 2019 Policy Resettlement Resettlement and humanitarian admissions A new phase of the Irish Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP) was announced by the Department of Justice and Equality. EASO Asylum Report 2020
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
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2021 Policy Content of protection Content of protection A new policy was launched to naturalise approximately 8,000-10,000 persons who were regularised earlier, the so-called RANOV permit holders. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Poland Flag Poland 2021 Legislative Access to procedure icon Access to procedure A new procedure was introduced to issue a decision to leave the territory when a foreigner is intercepted immediately after illegal crossing the EU’s external border. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Greece Flag Greece 2020 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance A new programme Project North was launched in Northern Greece at the end of September 2020 to speed up asylum procedures and conclude pending cases by 2021 in order to alleviate the pressure on accommodation structures. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Lithuania Flag Lithuania 2020 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection A new project on alternative accommodation was under development in Lithuania with AMIF co-funding, which would include all reception services. EASO Asylum Report 2021