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 Development Source
Finland Flag Finland 2023 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The Finnish Immigration Service carried out a study on the use of a transcription tool which produces minutes of the interview through speech-to-text. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Finland Flag Finland 2023 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The municipal model for reception was terminated at the end of 2023 because the reception system was expanded. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Finland Flag Finland 2023 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection Newly-tendered reception units for children started operating in November 2023. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Estonia Flag Estonia 2023 Policy Access to procedure icon Access to procedure The Police and Border Guard Board (PBGB) signed a cooperation agreement with UNHCR in August 2023, which aims to ensure that the treatment of refugees arriving in Estonia complies with all applicable rights. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Estonia Flag Estonia 2023 Policy Content of protection Content of protection A refugee employability programme was launched to welcome beneficiaries of international protection who want to access the labour market or change jobs. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Estonia Flag Estonia 2023 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The Ministry of Culture published a draft regulation which outlines the conditions for Estonian language courses for beneficiaries of international protection. Beneficiaries of international protection who fail to fulfil the commitments made when registering for language courses must assume the costs. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Denmark Flag Denmark 2023 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The policy on women and girls from Afghanistan was changed so that they can be generally granted asylum on the basis of their gender as they are victims of discriminatory legislation. The policy does not apply automatically, as an individual examination of an applicant’s case still takes place. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Denmark Flag Denmark 2023 Institutional Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The Office for Reception of Asylum Seekers was moved to the Centre for Asylum of the Danish Immigration Service on 1 January 2024. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Denmark Flag Denmark 2023 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection The Special Act for Persons having Assisted Danish Authorities in Afghanistan was extended until 30 November 2025. The act was adopted in 2021 and initially granted a 2-year residence permit for Afghans who qualified. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Denmark Flag Denmark 2023 Legislative Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs The Russian Federation was removed from the list of safe countries of origin. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Denmark Flag Denmark 2023 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The Immigration Service temporarily suspended the processing of applications from stateless Palestinians from Gaza, after the Refugee Appeals Board suspended their cases on 12 October 2023. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Denmark Flag Denmark 2023 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection A new law makes it mandatory for people who receive social support benefits to participate in internships and employment programmes for 37 hours a week. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Czech Flag Czech Republic 2023 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection An amendment of the Act on the Residence of Foreign Nationals introduced reductions in administrative fees for procedures related to the issuance of a residence permit and replacing a damaged, lost or stolen card. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Czech Flag Czech Republic 2023 Legislative Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance An amendment introduced by Act No 173/2023 provides that, when assessing an appeal, the court must also consider new, important facts that have arisen after the administrative decision, if they relate to possible persecution or the threat of serious harm. The court must cancel the administrative decision and return the case to the administrative body for further proceedings if the facts have an effect on the administrative body's decision on the merits. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Czech Flag Czech Republic 2023 Legislative Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance New legislation entered into force in July 2023 aiming to streamline the asylum procedure before administrative authorities and administrative courts. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Czech Flag Czech Republic 2023 Legislative Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs Armenia and the United Kingdom were added to the list of safe countries of origin, while Ukraine was removed. Exceptions were removed for Georgia and Moldova. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Czech Flag Czech Republic 2023 Legislative Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection An amendment introduced by Act No 173/2023 allows for an employee designated by the reception facility operator to prevent an applicant from entering or remove them from the facility if the applicant is under the influence of alcohol or other addictive substances, or if the person is a threat to him/herself or to others, to the property, public order or had already caused harm. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Czech Flag Czech Republic 2023 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection An Amendment of the Act on Asylum clarified what type of travel document are issued to beneficiaries of protection, according to their status. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Czech Flag Czech Republic 2023 Legislative Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Act No 173/2023 amended the Asylum Act to provide a detailed overview of time limits to lodge an appeal. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Czech Flag Czech Republic 2023 Legislative Detention Detention during the asylum procedure Act No 173/2023 introduced changes to the timelines in detention. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Czech Flag Czech Republic 2023 Legislative Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs Legislative amendments transferred the responsibility from the municipal court to the Regional Court in Prague for appeals against decisions on applications made in the transit area of the international airport. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Czech Flag Czech Republic 2023 Legislative Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs Legislative amendments established the possibility for applicants who made an asylum application at the transit area of the international airport to file a cassation complaint with the Supreme Administrative Court is the appeal is rejected by a court of first instance. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Czech Flag Czech Republic 2023 Legislative Access to procedure icon Access to procedure After the amendment to the Act on Asylum, through Act No 173/2023, it is no longer possible for third-country nationals to apply for international protection in hospitals. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Czech Flag Czech Republic 2023 Legislative Statelessness in the context of asylum Statelessness in the context of asylum An amendment of the Act on the Residence of Foreigners went into effect in July 2023. It provides a definition of a stateless person and includes relevant provisions concerning recognition, relevant procedures and the content of protection for stateless persons. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Czech Flag Czech Republic 2023 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance Cases lodged by specific nationalities were decided faster, for example for nationals of Syria, Ukraine and Yemen, with a first instance decision being delivered quickly. EUAA Asylum Report 2024