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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 Type of development Sort ascending Thematic area Development Source
United Kingdom United Kingdom 2019 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The third edition of the Indicators of Integration framework was published. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Netherlands Flag Netherlands 2019 Policy Content of protection Content of protection Municipalities in the Netherlands received an additional EUR 40 million for 2019 and 2020 to become more involved in the counselling of beneficiaries of international protection in their civic integration and language learning. The additional resources also aim to help municipalities orient themselves towards their directing role in the new civic integration system in order to promote a smooth transition to the new system. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Norway Flag Norway 2019 Policy Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups The authorities in Norway launched the website, Asylbarn, dedicated specifically for children in the asylum procedure. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Spain Flag Spain 2019 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance Applications lodged by Venezuelan and other Latin American nationals were prioritised. EASO Asylum Report 2020
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
Sweden Flag Sweden 2019 Policy The Dublin procedure The Dublin procedure The Swedish Migration Agency revised its Dublin tracks by reflecting the estimated handling time of the case and improvements to its IT systems allowed more rapid information exchanges on Dublin cases. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Sweden Flag Sweden 2019 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The “Asylum360” pilot project of 2018 was extended to more regions, combining the accommodation of asylum seekers and the examination of their applications into one continuous process to handle as many cases as possible without interruptions. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Sweden Flag Sweden 2019 Policy Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance The Swedish Migration Agency launched a portal allowing legal counsellors to submit appeals against first instance decisions electronically. Another pilot continued, in cooperation with the Swedish National Courts Administration, to digitally transfer appeals between the agency and the courts. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Finland Flag Finland 2019 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The Finnish Immigration Service developed an online course and exam on Finnish society and values. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Finland Flag Finland 2019 Policy Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups A guide was published for case workers on domestic violence in the context of asylum. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Finland Flag Finland 2019 Policy Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Internal instructions guidelines for case workers were updated to report female genital mutilation or the risk thereof to the police and child protection services. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Finland Flag Finland 2019 Policy Legal representation and assistance Legal assistance and representation The AMIF-funded asylum procedure information provision, ONE project, was concluded, which facilitated access to legal aid from reception centres and to information throughout the whole asylum procedure. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Finland Flag Finland 2019 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance A survey commissioned by the Ministry of the Interior in 2018 was finalised, examining the asylum procedure as a whole (including the practices of the administrative courts) and cooperation between the different authorities. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Finland Flag Finland 2019 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The implementation of the new, revisited monitoring programme of the national reception system was started. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Finland Flag Finland 2019 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The AMIF-funded OSAKA project was finalised, focusing on the assessment and recognition of previous education, work experiences and skills. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Finland Flag Finland 2019 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The AMIF-funded TERTTU project came to an end, after developing a health examination protocol for assessing applicants' health, well-being and health care needs in the arrival stage. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Finland Flag Finland 2019 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The position of crisis and family counsellor was introduced in reception centres. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Finland Flag Finland 2019 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The AMIF-funded PSYYKE project was launched to train reception staff on mental health work and draft a mental health work manual for the reception system. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Finland Flag Finland 2019 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The Finnish Immigration Service gave reception centres several operating guidelines, including on health care services, work and study activities. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Germany Flag Germany 2019 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance BAMF amended its quality assurance system so that some quality assurance employees rotate among the different branch offices to bring more homogeneity in decisions. EASO Asylum Report 2020
France Flag France 2019 Policy Return of former applicants Return of former applicants Three new centres for DRAPs (dispositifs de préparation de l’aide au retour) were opened. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Germany Flag Germany 2019 Policy Interpretation services Interpretation services A special team of interpreters was recruited for quality assurance to develop and implement further improvements and to train BAMF employees on communicating with applicants through an interpreter. EASO Asylum Report 2020
France Flag France 2019 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection Withdrawal cards have been replaced by payment cards, on which the asylum applicant receives at the beginning of each month the allowance entitlement. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Germany Flag Germany 2019 Policy Country of origin information Country of origin information BAMF launched a two-year training campaign offering workshops on the Top 10 countries of origin. EASO Asylum Report 2020
Cyprus Flag Cyprus 2019 Policy Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Development of a screening system for vulnerable applicants was developed in the First Reception Centre “Pournara”, with the tool waiting to be implemented in practice. EASO Asylum Report 2020