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
Bulgaria Flag Bulgaria 2024 Legislative Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs For the first time since joining the EU a safe country of origin list and a safe third country list were adopted in 2024. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Bulgaria Flag Bulgaria 2024 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The rules for reception facilities were amended with an order of the Chairperson of SAR which temporarily introduced new curfew hours and a monitoring protocol when a resident does not comply with the rules. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Bulgaria Flag Bulgaria 2024 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The State Agency for Refugees completed a project funded by the Norwegian Financial Mechanism that focused on capacity-building through training, staff exchanges and the development of guidance material. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Bulgaria Flag Bulgaria 2024 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The State Agency for Refugees developed and started implementing a digitalisation project approved for support by DG REFORM. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Bulgaria Flag Bulgaria 2024 Institutional Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The State Agency for Refugees implemented an operational support project financed by AMIF, which aimed to strengthen the administrative capacity of the organisation with additional staff and technical maintenance of reception facilities. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Bulgaria Flag Bulgaria 2024 Legislative Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection Through amendments to the Ministry of the Interior Act, the Ministry of the Interior became responsible for the protection and security of reception centres which are administered by the State Agency for Refugees. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Bulgaria Flag Bulgaria 2024 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The State Agency for Refugees launched the process to develop a comprehensive reception strategy, with EUAA support. It focuses on enhanced cooperation with various stakeholders and aims to provide integration perspectives for beneficiaries of international protection. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Bulgaria Flag Bulgaria 2024 Policy Interpretation services Interpretation services The internal rules of the State Agency for Refugees were updated. They now include templates for the invitations for interviews with translations into the most common languages of asylum seekers. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Belgium Flag Belgium 2024 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection The Law on Family Reunification was amended. Parents of an accompanied minor with international protection now have the right to reunite with their child, and stateless persons are entitled to the same rights as beneficiaries of international protection in family reunification. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Belgium Flag Belgium 2024 Legislative The Dublin procedure The Dublin procedure The Proactive Return Policy Law was passed to increase the efficiency of Dublin transfers, among other objectives. It created special Dublin places in reception and legally embedded specific aspects related to the Dublin procedure, such as: the responsibility for taking a decision to extend the time limit to transfer an applicant, the duty to cooperate of the applicant in the transfer process, proactive coaching in individual case management in take back or take charge procedures, the concept of absconding and the list of preventive measures and less coercive measures for detention. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Belgium Flag Belgium 2024 Policy Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance The Council for Alien Law Litigation increased its capacity by assigning asylum appeals to judges and legal professionals who previously worked only on migration appeals. A training programme was developed for this purpose. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Belgium Flag Belgium 2024 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons implemented an action plan for cases by Palestinian to ensure a decision is taken within 21 months of the submission. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Belgium Flag Belgium 2024 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons finalised and evaluated its project (Tabula Rasa) on increasing the efficiency and quality in its workflow. Based on the lessons learnt, a new project (Prisma) was launched. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Belgium Flag Belgium 2024 Legislative Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups The Proactive Return Policy Law legally anchored the ban on detaining children. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Belgium Flag Belgium 2024 Legislative Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection A new Royal Decree established mechanisms to ensure that occupants of a reception centre who have a professional income contribute to material aid and introduced sanctions for those who refuse to do so. It also seeks to establish a clear and equitable contribution framework that encourages residents to declare their income. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Belgium Flag Belgium 2024 Legislative Statelessness in the context of asylum Statelessness in the context of asylum The law providing for a specific residence on the grounds of statelessness came into force. It establishes a procedure for applications for an admission to stay. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Belgium Flag Belgium 2024 Policy Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups The Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons decided to change the frequency of the ‘Female Genital Mutilation follow-up’. Parents will no longer receive a letter every year, but every 3 years, asking them to send a medical certificate proving that their daughter has not undergone FGM/C. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Belgium Flag Belgium 2024 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons suspended the notification of decisions granting or refusing subsidiary protection for applicants from Lebanon. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Belgium Flag Belgium 2024 Legislative Return of former applicants Return of former applicants The Proactive Return Policy Law was passed to increase the efficiency of returns. It introduced a duty to cooperate in the return process, created special return places in reception, and expanded the list of competent authorities. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Belgium Flag Belgium 2024 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons suspended the processing of applications submitted by Syrian nationals. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Belgium Flag Belgium 2024 Policy Resettlement Resettlement and humanitarian admissions After a 2-year suspension, Belgium resumed its resettlement programme, resettling 470 refugees. In July 2024, the program was put on hold again. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Belgium Flag Belgium 2024 Legislative Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups The healthcare regulatory framework was amended so that it is no longer necessary to wait for the appointment of a guardian to activate the right to health insurance of unaccompanied minors. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Belgium Flag Belgium 2024 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection The Council of Ministers has legally implemented a digitalisation project to ease the administrative burden and improve access to healthcare for applicants. Legal amendments were made to allow for the personal data of applicants to be processed electronically. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Belgium Flag Belgium 2024 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance A fast-track procedure was implemented for applicants from Georgia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Moldova, Western Balkan countries and those who have a protection status in another Member State. This prioritisation would reduce processing times. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Belgium Flag Belgium 2024 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons established a new policy on applicants from Somalia, underlining the importance of determining the actual origin and previous places of residence to assess a real fear of persecution and risk of serious harm. EUAA Asylum Report 2025