|
Ireland |
2023 |
Policy |
|
Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups |
The Irish Ministry of Justice launched a third national action plan on human trafficking, which aims to provide victims with protection from removal and to increase awareness and the use of cultural mediators. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Ireland |
2023 |
Legislative |
|
Processing asylum applications at first instance |
A number of acts in the statute relating to immigration, including legislation on international protection, were amended in 2023 to allow for electronic immigration notices. Previously, immigration notices were generally only possible through the postal service. These amendments support efforts to modernise Ireland’s immigration system. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Ireland |
2023 |
Policy |
|
Processing asylum applications at first instance |
The Minister for Justice published the International Protection Modernisation Programme 2023-2024, which includes recommendations on the development of IT systems, exploring the use of robotic process automation to replace manual data entry tasks, and the wider use of video-conferencing for interviews. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Ireland |
2023 |
Policy |
|
Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups |
A revised national referral mechanism for victims of human trafficking aimed to establish clear definitions for identification and to clarify the rights of trafficking victims. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Iceland |
2023 |
Legislative |
|
Special procedures to assess protection needs |
According to amendments to the Aliens Act, the decision to reject an asylum application as inadmissible is now automatically appealed to the Immigration Appeals Board (in Dublin-cases, cases when the applicant already received international protection in another country or has a connection to another country (safe third country) that it can be considered reasonable that they stay there), unless the applicant specifically expresses the intention not to appeal the decision. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Iceland |
2023 |
Legislative |
|
Special procedures to assess protection needs |
Subsequent applications can now be dismissed, unless new information is available that increases the applicant’s probability of being recognised as a beneficiary of international protection. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Iceland |
2023 |
Legislative |
|
Special procedures to assess protection needs |
The Aliens Act was amended to provide clearer definitions of what constitutes delays in case processing attributable to applicants. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Iceland |
2023 |
Legislative |
|
Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups |
Legislative amendments require the minister in Iceland to establish a regulation on the assessment of the interests of a child who have applied for international protection, but a residence permit on humanitarian consideration may still be granted. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Iceland |
2023 |
Policy |
|
Access to information |
A new web application was launched to provide information to asylum applicants. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Iceland |
2023 |
Institutional |
|
Processing asylum applications at first instance |
Training was provided to ensure the continued professional development of staff working in international protection. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Iceland |
2023 |
Legislative |
|
Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance |
Appeals on the rejection of a subsequent application are decided by the Chairperson or Vice-Chairperson of the Appeals Board instead of a panel of committee members. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Iceland |
2023 |
Legislative |
|
Reception of applicants for international protection |
Amendments to the law specified that applicants with a final rejection retain their reception rights for a maximum 30 days after the administrative decision becomes final. Several exemptions exist to this rule. In addition, the police may authorise to postpone the termination of the rights in certain cases. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Iceland |
2023 |
Legislative |
|
Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups |
The Icelandic Law on Foreigners now specifies that authorities are obliged to take into account the minority of an applicant in the assessment of an application for international protection if the child turned 18 after arriving in the country. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Hungary |
2023 |
Legislative |
|
Access to procedure |
The embassy procedure continued to be implemented, despite the CJEU ruling considering the legislation in breach of EU law. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Greece |
2023 |
Policy |
|
Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups |
To accelerate the transfer of unaccompanied minors from the Greek islands to the mainland, dermatological and tuberculosis examinations prior to the departure were discontinued. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Greece |
2023 |
Institutional |
|
The Dublin procedure |
A dedicated policy sub-division was created within the Dublin Unit, which was tasked to provide advice on the interpretation of the relevant legal framework and suggest improvements to the procedure. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Greece |
2023 |
Institutional |
|
Access to procedure |
The Ministry of Migration and Asylum upgraded the Asylum Service’s unified information system for reception and asylum to “Alkyoni II”. The upgrade facilitated several services for asylum seekers and refugees in multilingual and digital formats, such as registering applications, booking interviews and submitting documents. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Greece |
2023 |
Policy |
|
Access to information |
The asylum authority’s website was enhanced to make content accessible to persons with disabilities, such as dyslexia and visual impairments. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Greece |
2023 |
Institutional |
|
Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups |
The Special Secretariat for the Protection of Unaccompanied Minors within the Ministry of Migration and Asylum was abolished and replaced by the General Secretariat of Vulnerable Citizens and Institutional Protection. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Greece |
2023 |
Institutional |
|
The Dublin procedure |
The Dublin Unit undertook a mapping of internal workflows and standard operating procedures to establish a standardised workflow. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Greece |
2023 |
Legislative |
|
Legal assistance and representation |
The government adopted a decision which defines practical aspects of the Asylum Code, in particular access to free legal aid in the appeals procedure, the functioning of the Registry of Lawyers, lawyers’ tasks, obligations and payment. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Greece |
2023 |
Institutional |
|
Content of protection |
A new helpdesk for the social integration of beneficiaries of international protection was launched by the Directorate of Social Integration of the Ministry of Migration and Asylum. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Germany |
2023 |
Policy |
|
The Dublin procedure |
The Dublin unit adapted to the increased workload by adjusting its workflows and prioritising certain tasks and cases. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Germany |
2023 |
Policy |
|
Reception of applicants for international protection |
Plans were announced to extend the scheme of applicants' payment cards at the federal level. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Germany |
2023 |
Policy |
|
The Dublin procedure |
The Dublin unit initiated an IT project which aims to support the workflow of outgoing requests and transfer procedures. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |