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 Sort ascending Year Type of development Thematic area Development Source
Spain Flag Spain 2021 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The Ministry of Home Affair’s Sub-Secretariat instructed the Asylum and Refugee Office to prioritise applications submitted in Ceuta and Melilla due to a high influx of arrivals, as well as the applications for Afghan nationals who were evacuated. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Spain Flag Spain 2019 Legislative Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The instruction granted the right to work for working-age unaccompanied minors. ES LEG 02 2019
Spain Flag Spain 2022 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration signed a memorandum with the Spanish Olympic Committee to promote sports in the reception system. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Spain Flag Spain 2019 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The number of staff working on asylum was increased. EASO Asylum Report 2020
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
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
Spain Flag Spain 2021 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The sponsor in Spain must now begin the family reunification procedure, not the family member in the country of origin. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Spain Flag Spain 2021 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection Following new instructions, only recognised beneficiaries of international protection can be referred to the second phase of the national reception system. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Spain Flag Spain 2021 Institutional Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The Secretary of State for Migration and the International Protection and Humanitarian Assistance Programmes were reorganised under the same General Directorate, and a new General Sub-Directorate was created for Migratory Analysis. The Executive Commission of the Inter-ministerial Commission of Retributions reorganised tasks between different departments within the Spanish Office of Asylum (Ministry of Home Affairs). A new Sub-Directorate of International Protection and three new heads of department were established. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Spain Flag Spain 2022 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The government decided to increase the migration budged for 2022 by 29% with the allocation of additional funds aiming to improve reception conditions of applicants for international and temporary protection and migrants. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Spain Flag Spain 2021 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The National Strategic Plan against Human Trafficking for 2021-2023 was adopted. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Spain Flag Spain 2022 Legislative Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure Spain’s Council of Ministers adopted a draft bill on trafficking and exploitation which focuses on prevention, assistance and the protection of victims by guaranteeing a series of rights and support measures. A national referral mechanism for potential trafficking victims will also be created. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Spain Flag Spain 2021 Legislative Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure A Royal Decree was introduced to facilitate the process of granting residence and work permits for unaccompanied children in Spain. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Spain Flag Spain 2021 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The Ministry of Universities issued a new decree on the recognition procedure for foreign degrees and shortened the procedure to 6 months EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Spain Flag Spain 2020 Legislative Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure In 2020, the Secretary of State for Migration introduced changes granting access to work permits for unaccompanied children aged older than 16 years. In addition, the government announced a reform allowing permission to stay based on their integration path rather than on their participation in the labour market. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Spain Flag Spain 2022 Legislative Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection Royal Decree 220/2022 of 29 March 2022 was adopted, approving the regulation governing the reception system. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Spain Flag Spain 2019 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance Case-handling guidelines were issued, for example based on gender, credibility and assessment of medical reports. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Spain Flag Spain 2021 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection An increase in the national budget was announced to upgrade the reception system, in line with the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Spain Flag Spain 2020 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The State Secretary for Migration signed new instructions in December 2020, noting that only recognised beneficiaries of international protection can be referred to the second phase of the national reception system as of 2021. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Slovenia Flag Slovenia 2020 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance Additional staff were hired to tackle the pending backlog of cases and shorten delays in the asylum procedure. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Slovenia Flag Slovenia 2021 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure New national action plans were adopted for combating trafficking in human beings. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Slovenia Flag Slovenia 2021 Legislative Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Amendments to the International Protection Act (IPA) introduced the right to appeal a decision of the Administrative Court before the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court must decide on the appeal within 30 days. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
Slovenia Flag Slovenia 2021 Legislative Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs The time limit to lodge an appeal before the Administrative Court against a decision issued in the accelerated procedure was reduced from 8 days to 3 days. EUAA Asylum Report 2022
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
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