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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 Sort ascending Type of development Thematic area Development Source
Germany Flag Germany 2022 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection The Act on the Acceleration of Asylum Court Proceedings and the Asylum Procedure abandoned the routine revision of the international protection status 3 years after the first final decision. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Iceland Flag Iceland 2022 Legislative Interpretation services Interpretation services A reform of administrative procedures, including asylum procedures, provides for professional interpretation to persons who do not speak Icelandic. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Luxembourg Flag Luxembourg 2022 Legislative Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs The list of safe countries of origin was amended through the Grand-Ducal Regulation of 23 January 2023. Ukraine and Croatia were removed from the list and the name of the Republic of North Macedonia was adapted. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Poland Flag Poland 2022 Legislative Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The special rules on the duration of material reception conditions connected with the COVID-19 pandemic were repealed. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Spain Flag Spain 2022 Legislative Statelessness in the context of asylum Statelessness in the context of asylum A Royal Decree was adopted which guarantees stateless persons access to the national reception system for the duration of the Stateless Determination Procedure. This will ensure that children in the Stateless Determination Procedure have access to education and other integration programmes. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Belgium Flag Belgium 2022 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection 4,000 places were created in the reception system throughout 2022. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Cyprus Flag Cyprus 2022 Policy Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance The rules of procedures of the Administrative Court for International Protection (IPAC) were amended making the applicant's presence before the court mandatory, whether in person or represented by a lawyer, without which the appeal could be rejected, except in situations of force majeure. Applicants or their lawyer now have a maximum of 10 minutes to present their supporting arguments, unless extended by the court when deemed necessary. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
France Flag France 2022 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The Ministry of the Interior published an instruction in April 2022 requesting the prefects to harmonise practices related to victims who were trafficked for sexual exploitation. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Ireland Flag Ireland 2022 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The International Protection Office implemented a revised asylum application procedure. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Lithuania Flag Lithuania 2022 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The Migration Department introduced measures to address the high-level of staff turnover. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2022 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection Managing applicants with disruptive behaviour remained a priority, and a National Coordinator for Managing Disruption was established to coordinate among different stakeholders and ensure consistency across various measures. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Poland Flag Poland 2022 Policy Content of protection Content of protection Integration centres for foreigners were opened in two provinces in March 2022 as a part of the project “Building structures for the integration of foreigners in Poland - Stage II – piloting Foreigners Integration Centres”. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Sweden Flag Sweden 2022 Policy Detention Detention during the asylum procedure As part of the Swedish Migration Agency policy to increase detention capacity, a new detention centre with 114 places was opened in Mölndal. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2022 Policy Return of former applicants Return of former applicants The Federal Council modified the assessment for fitness to travel of persons who are returned or expelled. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Austria Flag Austria 2022 Legislative Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs Ukraine was removed from the list of safe countries of origin. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Denmark Flag Denmark 2022 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection Legislative amendments proposed to deport foreigners who are sentenced to an unconditional prison sentence, regardless of the duration of their stay in the country. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Germany Flag Germany 2022 Legislative Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance The German parliament adopted a bill allowing for the Federal Administrative Court to decide also on the general asylum situation as it pertains to the situation in the country of origin or destination. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Greece Flag Greece 2022 Legislative Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure A National Registry for the Protection of Unaccompanied Minors was created to track the situation and adapt policies, decision-making, reception and other services accordingly. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Lithuania Flag Lithuania 2022 Legislative Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The concept for a new reception and accommodation model (the idea of creating a new model) was approved in Lithuania, and the Ministry of the Interior started the preparations for the necessary legislation. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Norway Flag Norway 2022 Legislative Interpretation services Interpretation services The Interpretation Act entered into force, obliging public bodies to use a qualified interpreter. It stipulates the requirement of professional conduct, including the duty of confidentiality, by interpreters. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Slovenia Flag Slovenia 2022 Legislative Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs The list of safe countries of origin was revised. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Belgium Flag Belgium 2022 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance Certain categories of applicants were prioritised, including those in the reception system or from countries with high recognition rates, where a decision could be taken based on evidence in the file. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Croatia Flag Croatia 2022 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The government adopted a decision to develop the National Plan for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings 2022-2027. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
France Flag France 2022 Policy Information provision on the asylum procedure Information provision on the asylum procedure OFPRA launched a new website to improve access to information. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Iceland Flag Iceland 2022 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The parliament adopted a resolution for the implementation of an action plan for immigration issues for 2022-2025. Based on the resolution, a steering group was established to formulate a comprehensive integration strategy, with a focus on labour market integration. EUAA Asylum Report 2023