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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
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2021 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The COA significantly increased the number of reception places. It expressed several times the urgent need for more places. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2021 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The task force managing the asylum backlog was integrated into the IND. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2021 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The policy was adjusted on the assessment of the cases of persons from Turkey, who are active in politics, journalism or human rights. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2021 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance A decision and departure moratorium was issued for Afghan nationals and ethnic Tigrayans from Ethiopia. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2021 Policy The Dublin procedure The Dublin procedure New work instructions were published on when and how a case officer should request advice from the Medical Advisory Office to assess an applicant’s aptitude to travel. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2021 Policy Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs The simplified procedure (Track 2), equivalent to the accelerated procedure, was extended to other categories of applicants. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2021 Policy Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs The list of safe countries of origin was entirely revised following a decision of the Council of State. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2021 Policy Access to procedure icon Access to procedure The control boards (regietafel) moved to the next implementation phase and continued to ensure that all information is available on the specific individual cases, before they entered the phase of the regular procedure. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2021 Policy Access to procedure icon Access to procedure The registration process was reorganised and separate streams were set up in specific locations for Afghan evacuees and for persons arriving through family reunification. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Italy Flag Italy 2021 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The Department of Civil Liberties and Migration published an operational handbook on the identification and reception of unaccompanied children. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Lithuania Flag Lithuania 2021 Policy Interpretation services Interpretation services The Ministry of the Interior signed a memorandum of understanding with the Red Cross to organise translation services in various dialects, share their expertise with social workers working with migrants, and act as intermediaries between municipal communities and government representatives to ensure effective communication with illegal migrants. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Lithuania Flag Lithuania 2021 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection After the declaration of the state of emergency all centres were transformed to provide accommodation for applicants under the accelerated procedure, with strict limitations on freedom of movement. Filming, photographing and sound recordings were prohibited in accommodation centres, access to the facilities was restricted, and gatherings in centres were limited. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Latvia Flag Latvia 2021 Policy Return of former applicants Return of former applicants The Ombudsperson concluded aiming to improve the mechanism for monitoring the forced removal of third-country nationals to ensure compliance with Directive 2008/115/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2008. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Latvia Flag Latvia 2021 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The government adopted in February 2021 a general policy planning document entitled “Guidelines for the Development of a Cohesive and Civically Active Society for 2021-2027”, followed by an action plan, outlining activities also for the integration of foreigners. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Latvia Flag Latvia 2021 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The Ministry of Education and Science prepared a report on applicant children’s education, informing the Cabinet of Ministers of the challenges and potential solutions in light of the increased number of applicant children in the country. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Latvia Flag Latvia 2021 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection To increase reception capacity, a second temporary reception facility was opened with a capacity of 400 persons and two AMIF-funded projects were ongoing to temporarily increase reception places. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Latvia Flag Latvia 2021 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance Asylum authorities considered that there was no need to provide the personal interview if the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs had proof to grant refugee status. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Latvia Flag Latvia 2021 Policy Access to procedure icon Access to procedure The Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs in Latvia committed to introduce improvements to the registration system by December 2021. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Latvia Flag Latvia 2021 Policy Access to procedure icon Access to procedure A state of emergency was declared in August 2021. The Cabinet of Ministers authorised the State Border Guard, the National Armed Forces and the State Police to order any person illegally crossing the border from Belarus to return to the country from which they have crossed and to take the necessary measures to enforce the order. During the emergency phase, asylum applications were accepted only outside the areas under the state of emergency. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Italy Flag Italy 2021 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure UNHCR and the Italian National Commission for Asylum published new guidelines for the identification of victims of trafficking in an effort to standardise the procedure across territorial commissions. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Italy Flag Italy 2021 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The Ministry of the Interior published a circular informing prefectures about the possibility of regularisation on the basis of transforming undeclared work to regular employment. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Italy Flag Italy 2021 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The Italian government shared clarifications on the process of and the requirements for converting the permit of an unaccompanied minor to a work permit. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Italy Flag Italy 2021 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The Ministry of the Interior published a circular clarifying that the special permit based on the principle of non-refoulement can be requested directly from the police (questura). EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Italy Flag Italy 2021 Policy Resettlement Resettlement and humanitarian admissions A new protocol for the protection of 500 individuals from Libya was signed between the Department of the Civil Liberties and Immigration under the Italian Ministry of the Interior, the Sant' Egidio community and the Federazione Chiese Evangeliche Italiane (FCEI). EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Italy Flag Italy 2021 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The Ministry of the Interior issued a decree modifying previous tender specifications by increasing the per capita amount awarded to managing organisations of reception facilities in order to cover psychological support, social and local guidance, and language courses. EUAA Asylum Report 2022