Skip to main content

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 Sort ascending Development Source
Belgium Flag Belgium 2022 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The CGRS allocated 32 new staff members to work on applications launched by unaccompanied minors. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Denmark Flag Denmark 2022 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The Danish Immigration Services launched a tender and opened a reception centre for applicants with special needs, including those suffering from mental and physical disabilities, mental illnesses, trauma or substance abuse. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Germany Flag Germany 2022 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure BAMF published a methodology for the identification of vulnerable applicants. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2022 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure New, simplified information material was prepared for illiterate persons and persons who cannot read and write in the Latin alphabet. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Sweden Flag Sweden 2022 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The description of the age assessment method followed by the Swedish National Board of Forensic Medicine was updated to make the process more detailed and transparent, minimise risks and interpret the margin of errors and factors affecting the statistical model. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Finland Flag Finland 2021 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The national Action Plan against Trafficking in Human Beings was adopted. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Romania Flag Romania 2021 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure New standard operating procedures were developed in Romania on the identification, needs assessment, assistance and referral of vulnerable persons. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Spain Flag Spain 2022 Legislative Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The Spanish Ministry of Justice approved a preliminary draft of a new law on age assessments. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Spain Flag Spain 2021 Legislative Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure Organic Law 8/2021 was introduced to clarify the principles of the age assessment procedure, including standards and consent for medical tests, procedures to follow in case the age cannot be established and respect for the child's dignity. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Croatia Flag Croatia 2021 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The Ministry of the Interior developed standard operating procedures to prevent and address sexual- and gender-based violence in reception centres, in cooperation with UNHCR, Médecins du Monde, the Red Cross and the Croatian Law Centre. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Sweden Flag Sweden 2020 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The Swedish Migration Agency updated its legal position on the implementation of decisions related to unaccompanied children. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2021 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure New, simplified information material was prepared for illiterate persons and persons who cannot read and write in the Latin alphabet. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Sweden Flag Sweden 2021 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The Swedish Migration Agency issued a new legal position to clarify that municipalities and regions are entitled to be reimbursed for the care of unaccompanied children from the moment they express their wish to apply for asylum. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
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
Slovenia Flag Slovenia 2021 Legislative Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure Authorities can request an age assessment already when an asylum application is made, instead of when it is lodged. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Bulgaria Flag Bulgaria 2021 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure Safe zones for unaccompanied children needed to be restructured. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Sweden Flag Sweden 2021 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The Swedish Migration Agency updated its legal position on the medical examination of applicants invoking physical or psychological harm to support their asylum claim. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
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
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
Austria Flag Austria 2020 Legislative Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The BFA Procedures Law and the Asylum Law were temporarily amended until 31 December 2020, so that unaccompanied minors can be transferred directly to a regional directorate or field office to launch an asylum application, without passing through a first reception centre. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Norway Flag Norway 2022 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The national budget was revised to employ more experts working with children in reception facilities, following the increasing number of arrivals from Ukraine. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Bulgaria Flag Bulgaria 2021 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The State Agency for Refugees updated its standard operating procedures for preventing and responding to sexual- or gender-based violence within the asylum procedure and the new procedures were implemented in cooperation with UNHCR and the State Agency for Child Protection EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Ireland Flag Ireland 2021 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) piloted a vulnerability assessment process throughout 2021. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Italy Flag Italy 2021 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The Ministry of the Interior signed agreements with UNICEF to monitor reception conditions for unaccompanied children, with Terre des Hommes for psychological and psychosocial assistance from disembarkation to first reception, and with Save the Children for the provision of targeted support to unaccompanied children. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Greece Flag Greece 2020 Institutional Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The Special Secretariat for the protection of unaccompanied and separated minors was appointed as the competent authority for the protection of unaccompanied children. EASO Asylum Report 2021