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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 Sort ascending Development Source
Finland Flag Finland 2022 Legislative Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure Law No 1294/2022 was adopted to improve the identification and referral of victims of trafficking and their right to services and assistance, irrespective of the progress of criminal proceedings. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Norway Flag Norway 2020 Legislative Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure According to the amended Immigration Regulations, the UDI and UNE are given access to obtain necessary information from the child welfare service for the purpose of case processing. EASO Asylum Report 2021
France Flag France 2020 Legislative Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The Ministry of the Interior provided instructions to the prefectures on the early examination of residence permit requests of unaccompanied minors under the care of departmental child care services. The objective is to ensure that rights - in particular work permits related to vocational education programmes - do not immediately cease when the minor reaches adulthood. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Bulgaria Flag Bulgaria 2022 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure A coordination mechanism was approved to facilitate communication among the authorities and organisations working with unaccompanied and separated children. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Finland Flag Finland 2020 Legislative Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure A working group has been set up to draw up a new act to assist victims of human trafficking. The working group's mandate runs until the end of 2022. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Austria Flag Austria 2021 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The Austrian Federal Ministry of Justice established a Commission on the Best Interests of the Child in February 2021, tasked to review the legal framework and practices related to children in the asylum procedure. The Federal Ministry of the Interior conducted an internal review as well, concluding that many of the recommendations were already being applied or were on the way to implementation, and suggesting new measures. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Italy Flag Italy 2021 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure A working group was established to better coordinate mechanisms for the identification of and support to applicants with special needs and vulnerabilities. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Germany Flag Germany 2020 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The federal government published a report on the situation of unaccompanied foreign minors in Germany. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Bulgaria Flag Bulgaria 2020 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The State Agency for Refugees started to apply EASO standards to identify vulnerable applicants, and it established two safe zones for unaccompanied children in the reception centre in Sofia, which are operated by the IOM. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Slovakia Flag Slovakia 2021 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure A resolution was adopted to outline the national action plans for combating trafficking in human beings, according to the 2020 recommendations from GRETA. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Italy Flag Italy 2022 Legislative Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure A presidential decree was adopted clarifying that the authorities need to examine the conversion of unaccompanied children’s residence permits on a case-by-case basis when they reach adulthood. Residence permits based on integration can be issued until the age of 21. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Germany Flag Germany 2022 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure BAMF reviewed and clarified its internal instructions regarding procedures involving LGBTIQ applicants. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Ireland Flag Ireland 2022 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The Third National Strategy on Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence identified migrants, undocumented migrants, refugees and international protection applicants as requiring additional inclusion measures to address domestic sexual and gender-based violence. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2022 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The Netherlands Forensic Institute changed its practice based on a recent literature review, and since October 2022, applicants with a mature collarbone are considered to be at least 18 years old, instead of 20 years. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Sweden Flag Sweden 2022 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The legal position was updated on a child’s age assessment for family reunification with recent CJEU case law. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Finland Flag Finland 2021 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The Finnish Immigration Service initiated a new practice which allows applicant children younger than 12 years old to be heard more frequently, ensuring that the bests interests of the child are taken into account effectively and systematically in the asylum procedure. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Slovenia Flag Slovenia 2020 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The Government Office for the Care and Integration of Migrants, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Labor, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, the Police, the Ministry of Justice, 11 participating NGOs and UNHCR signed the revised standard operational procedures for the prevention and action in cases of sexual and gender-based violence against persons treated under the provisions of the International Protection Act. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Greece Flag Greece 2020 Legislative Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The establishment of locally-competent Units for the Protection of Unaccompanied Minors in EKKA are planned according to a new law. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Finland Flag Finland 2021 Institutional Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The Finnish Immigration Service became entirely responsible for providing guidance on, planning and monitoring the guardianship of unaccompanied children in 2020, and this new arrangement started to be implemented in 2021. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Iceland Flag Iceland 2021 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The Directorate of Immigration was developing new standard operating procedures for applicants with disabilities and mental health issues. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2021 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure As of 1 November 2021, the care of unaccompanied minors aged over 17.5 years was taken over by the COA and the minors were accommodated in regular reception places. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Spain Flag Spain 2021 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure A protocol was approved to establish common criteria for professionals who work with applicants and beneficiaries of international protection to detect and prevent gender-based violence in reception. 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 assessing the best interests of the child. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Poland Flag Poland 2022 Legislative Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The Special Act was adopted to increase the penalty for trafficking in human beings to imprisonment from 10 to 15 years or 25 years. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Cyprus Flag Cyprus 2022 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure A Memorandum of Cooperation was signed between the police and the Social Welfare Service on the referral, handling, protection and briefing of potential and recognised victims of trafficking. EUAA Asylum Report 2023