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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 Thematic area Development Source
Czech Flag Czech Republic 2022 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The Ministry of the Interior launched a mapping project on the situation of child trafficking and created ""Human Trafficking Indicators Cards"" to help professionals better identify possible victims of human trafficking. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Cyprus Flag Cyprus 2022 Policy Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs The time limit for the International Protection Administrative Court to issue a decision on an appeal is 7 days from the registration of the appeal with the court. An appeal against such decisions must be lodged within 10 days from the notification. If the challenged decision is a detention order, the IPAC must issue its decision within 2 days. 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
Cyprus Flag Cyprus 2022 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The asylum services prioritised applications submitted in detention and at police stations. Due to an increase of the number of applicants from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and from other African countries, Cyprus examined these applications with priority. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Cyprus Flag Cyprus 2022 Policy Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance The rules of procedures of the Administrative Court for International Protection (IPAC) were amended making the applicant's presence before the court mandatory, whether in person or represented by a lawyer, without which the appeal could be rejected, except in situations of force majeure. Applicants or their lawyer now have a maximum of 10 minutes to present their supporting arguments, unless extended by the court when deemed necessary. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Cyprus Flag Cyprus 2022 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure A Memorandum of Cooperation was signed between the police and the Social Welfare Service on the referral, handling, protection and briefing of potential and recognised victims of trafficking. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Croatia Flag Croatia 2022 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The government adopted a decision to develop the National Plan for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings 2022-2027. 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
Croatia Flag Croatia 2022 Policy Access to procedure icon Access to procedure In continuation of a previous monitoring mechanism, a new agreement was signed to develop an independent framework to monitor the conduct of police personnel in the Ministry of the Interior who work in the area of irregular migration and international protection. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Bulgaria Flag Bulgaria 2022 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure A coordination mechanism was approved to facilitate communication among the authorities and organisations working with unaccompanied and separated children. 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
Bulgaria Flag Bulgaria 2022 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The State Agency for Refugees `adapted the EUAA quality assessment tool to review first instance decisions and personal interviews. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Bulgaria Flag Bulgaria 2022 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The State Agency for Refugees reviewed internal guidelines and rules and prepared an analysis of national jurisprudence for internal use. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Bulgaria Flag Bulgaria 2022 Legislative Access to procedure icon Access to procedure The government adopted amendments to the ordinance regulating coordination between the asylum and police (border and immigration) administrations when implementing the Dublin III Regulation. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Bulgaria Flag Bulgaria 2022 Legislative The Dublin procedure The Dublin procedure The government adopted amendments to the ordinance regulating the coordination between the asylum and police (border and immigration) administrations when implementing the Dublin III Regulation. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Belgium Flag Belgium 2022 Institutional Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance Efforts to recruit staff for the Immigration Office, CGRS and Fedasil continued throughout 2022. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Belgium Flag Belgium 2022 Legislative Statelessness in the context of asylum Statelessness in the context of asylum Amendments to the Nationality Code clarified that recognition as a stateless person was not required to grant Belgian nationality to a child born in Belgium without a nationality. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Belgium Flag Belgium 2022 Legislative Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The Belgian Council of Ministers approved the structure of the new Migration Code. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Belgium Flag Belgium 2022 Legislative Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance A legal amendment explicitly allowed the CGRS to organise interviews through videoconference for applicants for international protection. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Belgium Flag Belgium 2022 Legislative Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance CALL launched a digital tool on 1 March 2022, entitled J-BOX, to exchange procedural documents electronically instead of using registered mail. The use of the tool became mandatory in appeals for accelerated and urgent measures. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Belgium Flag Belgium 2022 Legislative Statelessness in the context of asylum Statelessness in the context of asylum The government pledged to introduce a new legal status for stateless persons which would give them the right to legally reside in Belgium if they cannot return to their country of habitual residence. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Belgium Flag Belgium 2022 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection Integration programmes for newcomers became mandatory in Brussels, including for beneficiaries of international protection. EUAA Asylum Report 2023
Belgium Flag Belgium 2022 Institutional Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The State Secretary for Asylum and Migration announced that it considered plans to merge the Immigration Office, the CGRS and Fedasil. 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
Belgium Flag Belgium 2022 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection The government announced its intention to create a separate right of residence through family reunification for parents of children who are recognised beneficiaries of international protection. EUAA Asylum Report 2023