|
Luxembourg |
2021 |
Legislative |
|
Content of protection |
An amended law entered into force in June 2021 allowing beneficiaries of international protection to apply for family reunification with facilitated conditions for 6 months from being granted the status. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2022 |
|
Luxembourg |
2021 |
Legislative |
|
Return of former applicants |
Amendments were introduced to the amended Immigration Law of 2008 to ensure a more effective management of the removal of third-country nationals who are illegally residing in Luxembourg. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2022 |
|
Malta |
2021 |
Legislative |
|
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 |
|
Malta |
2021 |
Legislative |
|
Reception of applicants for international protection |
Amendments to the Maltese Reception Regulations provided a more comprehensive transposition of the provisions in the recast Reception Directive on material reception conditions for vulnerable applicants. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2022 |
|
Malta |
2021 |
Legislative |
|
Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure |
The Minor Protection (Alternative Care) Act was amended in 2021 to avoid the potential conflict of interest that was embedded in the previous practice, when social workers and guardians belonged to the same institution. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2022 |
|
Netherlands |
2021 |
Legislative |
|
Access to procedure |
The initial interview was dropped (combined with the application interview). During the application interview, applicants are for a brief statement on the reasons for seeking asylum. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2022 |
|
Netherlands |
2021 |
Legislative |
|
Processing asylum applications at first instance |
The length of the regular procedure was reduced to 6 days instead of 8 days, with the possibility to extend it by 3 days for complex cases. The possibilities to omit the rest and preparation period (RVT) were extended. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2022 |
|
Netherlands |
2021 |
Legislative |
|
Statelessness in the context of asylum |
The Statelessness Determination Procedure Act was discussed by the parliament. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2022 |
|
Netherlands |
2021 |
Legislative |
|
Content of protection |
The new Civic Integration Law entered into force on 1 January 2022. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2022 |
|
Norway |
2021 |
Legislative |
|
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 |
|
Norway |
2021 |
Legislative |
|
Content of protection |
An amendment to the Norwegian Social Services Act came into force which requires third-country nationals older than 30 years with insufficient Norwegian knowledge to participate in language training as a condition to receive financial support. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2022 |
|
Poland |
2021 |
Legislative |
|
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 |
|
Romania |
2021 |
Legislative |
|
Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance |
Law No 114/2021 was adopted to digitalise the second instance procedure and allow for remote hearings due to the COVID-19 pandemic. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2022 |
|
Slovakia |
2021 |
Legislative |
|
Legal assistance and representation |
A draft amendment to the Asylum Act and other related acts was adopted and put to public consultation, listing services available to asylum applicants. The amendments are expected to enter into force in June 2022. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2022 |
|
Slovakia |
2021 |
Legislative |
|
Content of protection |
A draft amendment to the Asylum Act and other related acts was adopted and put to public consultation, defining and regulating the initial integration of beneficiaries of international protection. The amendments are expected to enter into force in June 2022. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2022 |
|
Slovenia |
2021 |
Legislative |
|
The Dublin procedure |
Amendments to the International Protection Act (IPA) clarified that applicants awaiting a transfer to another country under the Dublin III Regulation have the same reception rights as other applicants until their transfer. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2022 |
|
Austria |
2022 |
Legislative |
|
Content of protection |
New rules on orientation courses entered into force, including the extension of the obligatory orientation course from 1 to 3 days and the inclusion of modules on gender equality, antisemitism and the importance of voluntary work. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2023 |
|
Belgium |
2022 |
Legislative |
|
Statelessness in the context of asylum |
Amendments to the Nationality Code clarified that recognition as a stateless person was not required to grant Belgian nationality to a child born in Belgium without a nationality. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2023 |
|
Belgium |
2022 |
Legislative |
|
Statelessness in the context of asylum |
The government pledged to introduce a new legal status for stateless persons which would give them the right to legally reside in Belgium if they cannot return to their country of habitual residence. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2023 |
|
Belgium |
2022 |
Legislative |
|
Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance |
CALL launched a digital tool on 1 March 2022, entitled J-BOX, to exchange procedural documents electronically instead of using registered mail. The use of the tool became mandatory in appeals for accelerated and urgent measures. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2023 |
|
Belgium |
2022 |
Legislative |
|
Processing asylum applications at first instance |
A legal amendment explicitly allowed the CGRS to organise interviews through videoconference for applicants for international protection. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2023 |
|
Belgium |
2022 |
Legislative |
|
Processing asylum applications at first instance |
The Belgian Council of Ministers approved the structure of the new Migration Code. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2023 |
|
Switzerland |
2021 |
Legislative |
|
Return of former applicants |
A number of legislative changes were adopted in the area of asylum and return, including compulsory COVID-19 tests for a person subject to a return, expulsion measure or a Dublin transfer, even against their will. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2022 |
|
Switzerland |
2021 |
Legislative |
|
Legal assistance and representation |
Amendments to LASi provide for access to free legal counselling or representation after an asylum applicant has been transferred to a canton if the services were received while accommodated in a federal centre. The legislative amendment is expected to enter into force in 2022. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2022 |
|
Switzerland |
2021 |
Legislative |
|
Content of protection |
Amendments to the Swiss Federal Act on Foreigners and Integration were adopted, imposing a general travel ban on persons with temporary admission as of 2022. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2022 |