|
Italy |
2023 |
Legislative |
|
Reception of applicants for international protection |
Law No 50/2023 foresees that, to alleviate pressure on hotspots, foreigners can be transferred to similar facilities on the national territory to undergo identification and registration. When government reception centres are full, the prefect may identify temporary reception facilities. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Italy |
2023 |
Legislative |
|
Reception of applicants for international protection |
Law No 50/2023 allows for the derogation of certain laws to facilitate the opening and operating of hotspots and government reception centres. It also allows the Italian Red Cross to manage the Lampedusa hotspot. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Italy |
2023 |
Legislative |
|
Reception of applicants for international protection |
The criteria to redistribute applicants among Italian regions was revised. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Italy |
2023 |
Legislative |
|
Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance |
Law No 50/2023 provided that for appeals registered before 31 December 2021 and still pending, a motion may be presented by the lawyer to prioritise the assessment of the right to special protection before the assessment of the right to international protection. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Italy |
2023 |
Legislative |
|
Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance |
Law No 50/2023 provided that, before filing an appeal, lawyers may access the video recording of the applicant’s hearing before the Territorial Commission. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Italy |
2023 |
Legislative |
|
Processing asylum applications at first instance |
Law No 50/2003 introduced the possibility to address staff shortages in the determining authority by using officers of the local prefecture. The law requires new staff to be adequately trained. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Italy |
2023 |
Legislative |
|
Special procedures to assess protection needs |
Amendments specified that a subsequent application may only be considered admissible if external circumstances prevented the applicant from submitting new elements earlier. The applicant must explain and prove the reasons for the delay. The suspensive effect of an appeal is no longer automatic when a first subsequent application has been considered as inadmissible or a negative decision was issued on the merits. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Italy |
2023 |
Legislative |
|
Special procedures to assess protection needs |
Côte d’Ivoire, Georgia, Nigeria and The Gambia were added to the list of safe third countries by Decree of 17 March 2023. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Italy |
2023 |
Legislative |
|
Special procedures to assess protection needs |
Law No 50/2023 allows for the accelerated processing of applications at the border or transit zones for applicants coming from safe third countries or who attempted to evade border checks. These applicants may also be detained at the border. The authorities must decide on their application within 7 days. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Italy |
2023 |
Legislative |
|
Access to procedure |
The penalty for human trafficking was increased and a new crime of “death or injury as a consequence of crimes in the field of illegal immigration” was introduced. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Italy |
2023 |
Legislative |
|
Access to procedure |
Italy and Albania concluded a protocol on strengthening cooperation in migration matters. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Italy |
2023 |
Policy |
|
Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups |
The national referral mechanism was updated for the identification, assistance and protection of victims of human trafficking and exploitation. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Italy |
2023 |
Policy |
|
Special procedures to assess protection needs |
The establishment of a first centre for accelerated returns at the border was announced for applicants arriving from safe countries of origin. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Italy |
2023 |
Policy |
|
Interpretation services |
The National Commission for the Right to Asylum (NAC), in cooperation with UNHCR and the EUAA, produced a handbook for interpreters. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Italy |
2023 |
Policy |
|
Resettlement and humanitarian admissions |
The Ministry of the Interior, Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation signed a new memorandum of understanding with the National Institute for the Promotion of the Health of Migrant Populations (INMP), UNHCR, the Community of Saints Egidio, Federation of Evangelical Churches and ARCI to resettle 1,500 refugees living in Libya over a 3-year period. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Italy |
2023 |
Policy |
|
The Dublin procedure |
The Dublin unit started working on an IT solution to improve the workflow of outgoing transfers and transfer decision appeals. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Italy |
2023 |
Policy |
|
Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups |
The Ministry of the Interior issued guidance on the identification, referral and support to applicants with special needs in an effort to harmonise territorial practices. |
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 |
|
Content of protection |
The government decided to extend the suspension of the Council of Europe’s Agreement on the Abolition of Visas for Refugees for an additional 12 months. |
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 |
|
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 |
Policy |
|
Processing asylum applications at first instance |
The International Protection Office hired additional staff (200 new staff and 160 panel members) to address the backlog of applications. |
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 |
|
Access to information |
The International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) published a leaflet on Internet safety which was targeted at both staff and parents of children who are housed in accommodation centres. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Ireland |
2023 |
Policy |
|
Processing asylum applications at first instance |
The Department of Justice introduced new operating plans so that applicants from safe countries of origin will receive decisions within 3 months instead of the current 17-24 months. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |