The European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) has released its Annual Training Report for 2022. In a year when EU+ countries received almost 1 million asylum applications, the Agency trained over 7,160 national officials working on asylum and reception matters. In some cases, training extended to civil society as part of the EU response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Agency’s training services were critical to implementing the never-before-used Temporary Protection Directive and helped ensure that over 4 million Ukrainians received consistent levels of safety, wherever they registered.

The increased need for, and importance of, specialised training on international protection is highlighted in the EUAA’s Annual Training Report for 2022. During that year, the Agency reports that 7,163 officials working in EU+ and non-EU countries received training on asylum, reception and temporary protection matters. Of those officials, many participated in several sessions bringing the overall participation rate to almost 12,900.

EUAA training supports officials from national asylum and reception authorities in quickly assessing, and effectively processing asylum requests lodged in the EU+. The latter numbered almost 1 million in 2022, and were 31% higher in the first quarter of 2023 compared to the same period last year. Training becomes even more critical in times of administrative pressure ; indeed, the Agency’s training services were critical to helping EU Member States implement the Temporary Protection Directive and provide a harmonised response to the protection needs of over 4 million displaced Ukrainians.

The Annual Training Report provides insight into the many facets of the Agency’s work in this context. In 2022, training highlights included:

• Permanent support: The Agency provided training throughout the Union, with officials from Belgium, Germany, Finland, the Netherlands, and Sweden making the most active use of the European Training Curriculum, in collaboration with national administrations.
• Operational support: Almost 4,500 officials benefited from training, as a capacity-building measure, in 12 of the 13 EU countries where the EUAA was deployed. Pre-deployment training was also provided to the EUAA Asylum Support Teams to ensure they were prepared to provide operational and technical assistance in countries facing disproportionate pressure.
• EUAA response to Ukraine: The activation of the Temporary Protection Directive drove an exponential increase in the number of training sessions delivered by the EUAA. Focus was placed on providing information and communicating with persons experiencing trauma, as well as with children. Trainers also focused on identifying vulnerable groups or victims of trafficking.

The EUAA’s Training and Professional Development Centre is preparing to undergo a licensing and accreditation process, so that the EUAA can offer professionals working in international protection the opportunity to build towards gaining a qualification related to asylum and reception matters.