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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
Greece Flag Greece 2022 Legislative Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure Law No 4960/2022 aims to establish a uniform national guardianship system for unaccompanied migrant children. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Lithuania Flag Lithuania 2022 Legislative Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance The right to appeal directly to the Vilnius Regional Administrative Court and thereafter to the Supreme Administrative Court was reinstated in Lithuania. The preliminary stage of disputing a Migration Department decision before the Migration Department Commission was abolished. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Norway Flag Norway 2022 Legislative Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection New regulations entered into force on determining the benefits for residents in asylum reception centres. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Slovenia Flag Slovenia 2022 Legislative Access to procedure icon Access to procedure The rules were amended on the procedure for foreigners who wish to apply for international protection and on the procedure for accepting applications for international protection in order to streamline them. Foreigners must be informed about the possibility of applying for international protection when there is an indication of such a need. The written statement presenting the reasons for the application for international protection is no longer required in the preliminary procedure. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Belgium Flag Belgium 2022 Policy Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs The list of safe countries of origin was reviewed, but no changes were introduced. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Croatia Flag Croatia 2022 Policy Legal representation and assistance Legal assistance and representation The Ministry of the Interior signed a contract with the Croatian Law Centre to carry out an AMIF-funded project, entitled ""Legal guidance in the process of awarding international protection"". EUAA Asylum Report 2023
France Flag France 2022 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The Inter-Ministerial Information Note of 18 November 2022 includes good practices on the first assessment of health needs of people claiming to be minors during the temporary emergency reception period. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Iceland Flag Iceland 2022 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection A new arrival centre was opened in Reykjavík, offering all services from registration by the police to reception interviews, first health inspection and a needs assessment for permanent housing. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Italy Flag Italy 2022 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The new National Plan for the Integration of Beneficiaries of International Protection 2022-2024 was adopted. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2022 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance A moratorium on decisions and returns was in place for political opponents from Sudan between 24 February and 24 August 2022. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2022 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure As a temporary measure, prolonged until September 2023, unaccompanied minors aged 17 years and 9 months and older were placed in regular asylum reception centres (azc), without special support since November 2022. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Sweden Flag Sweden 2022 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance A new legal position (RS/089/2021) was published on the examination of protection needs for citizens from Afghanistan, in particular on the situation of women and girls. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Switzerland Flag Switzerland 2022 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection Switzerland significantly increased the number of accommodation places for asylum applicants and persons in need of temporary protection. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Portugal Flag Portugal 2022 Institutional Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The Ministry of Home Affairs announced the creation of a new asylum and migration agency. In addition, the Immigration and Border Service (SEF) will be restructured. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Cyprus Flag Cyprus 2022 Legislative Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs The list of safe countries of origin was revised and Ukraine was removed from the list. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Finland Flag Finland 2022 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection The government put a legislative proposal to consultation on the comprehensive reform of integration. The new system would increase the responsibility of municipalities in the integration process. The programme would include an exam in the Finnish or Swedish language. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Greece Flag Greece 2022 Legislative Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance A bill proposed to oblige the Asylum Service to obtain a health care professional’s advice for an applicant’s ability to be interviewed. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Latvia Flag Latvia 2022 Legislative Access to procedure icon Access to procedure The state of emergency was extended at the Latvian-Belarusian border. Applicants can only submit applications for international protection at official border crossing points or detention facilities. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2022 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection The New Civic Integration Law entered into force, where newcomers under an integration obligation are guided through the process by municipalities. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Slovakia Flag Slovakia 2022 Legislative Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The waiting period for applicants to access the labour market was shortened from 9 to 6 months. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Belgium Flag Belgium 2022 Policy Access to procedure icon Access to procedure The registration process was reorganised, and applicants were required to report again directly to the Immigration Office in the Pacheco building instead of the arrival centre. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Bulgaria Flag Bulgaria 2022 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance Staff training objectives for 2022 were postponed due to the influx of displaced persons from Ukraine. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Finland Flag Finland 2022 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The Finnish Immigration Service announced in March 2023 that it had gathered sufficient, updated country information from Afghanistan on the security situation of different provinces and had been able to start making decisions for all Afghan applicants. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Greece Flag Greece 2022 Policy Content of protection Content of protection A new integration strategy for applicants and beneficiaries of international protection was launched for consultation. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Italy Flag Italy 2022 Policy Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Clerks were deployed to support judges assigned to the specialised section on migration, with the objective of reducing the backlog at second instance. EUAA Asylum Report 2023