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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 descending Development Source
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2021 Policy Resettlement Resettlement and humanitarian admissions Resettled refugees were temporarily hosted in cantonal reception facilities due to a lack of accommodation in Swiss federal reception centres. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Ireland Flag Ireland 2019 Policy Resettlement Resettlement and humanitarian admissions The Department of Justice and Equality launched a community sponsorship programme. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Sweden Flag Sweden 2021 Legislative Resettlement Resettlement and humanitarian admissions A number of amendments to the regulatory framework concerning resettlement were adopted to enable greater flexibility in acute situations, such as the Afghanistan situation. According to a government decision, the requirement that a person must be in a third country to be eligible for resettlement was temporarily removed. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Germany Flag Germany 2022 Policy Resettlement Resettlement and humanitarian admissions After a 3-year pilot, the Neustart im Team (NesT) programme for community sponsorship was consolidated. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Spain Flag Spain 2022 Legislative Resettlement Resettlement and humanitarian admissions The government approved the National Resettlement Programme for 2023 which includes the resettlement of 1,200 refugees. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Portugal Flag Portugal 2021 Policy Resettlement Resettlement and humanitarian admissions Around 200 refugees, who were evacuated from Afghanistan, were received as the government pledged to receive Afghan nationals on humanitarian admission grounds. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Finland Flag Finland 2020 Policy Resettlement Resettlement and humanitarian admissions The Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Employment and the Economy commissioned a joint study on the community sponsorship model to evaluate its feasibility within the Finnish context. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Ireland Flag Ireland 2019 Policy Resettlement Resettlement and humanitarian admissions A new phase of the Irish Refugee Protection Programme (IRPP) was announced by the Department of Justice and Equality. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Slovenia Flag Slovenia 2021 Policy Resettlement Resettlement and humanitarian admissions A pre-departure orientation programme was introduced which replaced the 3-month introductory activities post-arrival. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Germany Flag Germany 2021 Policy Resettlement Resettlement and humanitarian admissions The German Academic Exchange Service launched new scholarship programmes for refugees from Cameron, Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal, with funding from the German Foreign Office. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2020 Policy Resettlement Resettlement and humanitarian admissions A new multiannual resettlement policy framework for 2020-2023 was established in the Netherlands, including a commitment to resettling 2,000 refugees in 4 years. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Croatia Flag Croatia 2020 Policy Resettlement Resettlement and humanitarian admissions The AMIF-funded project, Establishment of a resettlement mechanism began its implementation in 2017. Until now, two study visits on resettlement programmes have been carried out. During 2020, a short video story was filmed about the integration process of a Syrian family who arrived to Croatia as a group of resettled persons from Turkey. The project also includes the development of a mobile application which provides information on the resettlement programme, arrival and daily life in Croatia. This activity is in its completion phase. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Belgium Flag Belgium 2022 Policy Resettlement Resettlement and humanitarian admissions The government pledged to resettle 500 refugees and to admit 125 people under humanitarian admission programmes. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Germany Flag Germany 2022 Policy Resettlement Resettlement and humanitarian admissions Germany launched a new programme at the federal level to admit 1,000 vulnerable Afghan nationals per month. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2022 Policy Resettlement Resettlement and humanitarian admissions The government decided to temporarily pause resettlement selections out of Turkey. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Sweden Flag Sweden 2022 Policy Resettlement Resettlement and humanitarian admissions Following a decision of the new Swedish parliament, the annual refugee quota was reduced from 5,000 to 900 resettled refugees for 2023. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
France Flag France 2019 Policy Resettlement Resettlement and humanitarian admissions The Humanitarian Corridors programme continued operating. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Finland Flag Finland 2021 Policy Resettlement Resettlement and humanitarian admissions The refugee quota was increased by about 500 refugees, with a total of 1,500 persons to be transferred in 2022, due to the deterioration of the security situation in Afghanistan. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Belgium Flag Belgium 2020 Policy Resettlement Resettlement and humanitarian admissions A new community sponsorship programme was activated and the first families arrived to Belgium through this programme at the end of 2020. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2021 Policy Resettlement Resettlement and humanitarian admissions Humanitarian admission was pledged for 3,159 Afghans in 2021 and 2022. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2022 Policy Resettlement Resettlement and humanitarian admissions Resettlement was temporarily suspended due to the influx of displaced persons from Ukraine.. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Luxembourg Flag Luxembourg 2021 Policy Resettlement Resettlement and humanitarian admissions The government pledged to receive 90 Afghan nationals at risk, including girls, women, former judges and human rights activists during 2021 and 2022. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Sweden Flag Sweden 2020 Policy Return of former applicants Return of former applicants The Swedish Migration Agency published a new legal position on practical obstacles to the implementation and enforcement of returns. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Sweden Flag Sweden 2019 Policy Return of former applicants Return of former applicants The Swedish Migration Agency published a legal comment on Sudan leading to the temporary suspension of returns to the country. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Luxembourg Flag Luxembourg 2019 Legislative Return of former applicants Return of former applicants An interdisciplinary commission was established to evaluate the best interests of unaccompanied minors in return decisions. LU LEG 03 2019