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
Sweden Flag Sweden 2023 Policy Resettlement Resettlement and humanitarian admissions Sweden pledged to receive 100 people over a 2-year period under humanitarian admissions. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Sweden Flag Sweden 2023 Policy Resettlement Resettlement and humanitarian admissions The authorities considerably reduced its annual quote for resettlements for 2023 and pledged to receive 900 refugees. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Sweden Flag Sweden 2023 Legislative Country of origin information Country of origin information A new legal position was published on the protection needs of nationals from Yemen. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Sweden Flag Sweden 2023 Policy Resettlement Resettlement and humanitarian admissions The authorities introduced integration criteria for the assessment of cases within resettlement. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Spain Flag Spain 2023 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection Authorities continued to work to increase reception capacity under the network of reception centres under the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration (centres for international protection, centros de acogida de proteccion internacional, CAPI). Several humanitarian assistance centres were opened throughout 2023, and works started for the operalisation of more centres in 2024. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Spain Flag Spain 2023 Policy The Dublin procedure The Dublin procedure A new asylum database was deployed in 2023, which is also applicable for Dublin cases, and in 2024 the unit plans to adapt the Dublin forms for it. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Spain Flag Spain 2023 Legislative Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection A new regulation was adopted on sanctions for breaching the house rules in reception facilities. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Spain Flag Spain 2023 Institutional Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The Spanish Directorate General responsible for reception changed its name to the General Directorate for the Management of International and Temporary Protection Reception Systems (DGGSAPIT) to reflect its responsibility for managing reception centres for persons with temporary protection. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Spain Flag Spain 2023 Institutional Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance By Royal Decree No 1009/2023 of 5 December 2023, the structure of the new Directorate-General for International Protection was established. It will include the Asylum and Refugee Office. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Spain Flag Spain 2023 Policy Resettlement Resettlement and humanitarian admissions The Spanish government committed to receive 3,400 people under humanitarian admission programmes for 2024 and 2025, in addition to the yearly quota of 1,200 places under resettlement programmes. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Spain Flag Spain 2023 Policy Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups The Spanish Secretary of State for Migration and UNHCR announced the extension of the action protocol on gender-based violence to humanitarian reception centres and temporary reception centres (CETI) in Ceuta and Melilla. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Spain Flag Spain 2023 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The Spanish State Secretary for Migration signed an agreement with the group of companies Tragsa and other third sector entities to facilitate access to the labour market for migrants arriving mainly from Central and South America, with job offers mainly sent to beneficiaries of international protection. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Slovenia Flag Slovenia 2023 Legislative Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection A decree providing appropriate accommodation, care and treatment for unaccompanied minors was adopted in October 2023, which established a dedicated reception facility and accommodation centre. The decree became operational in April 2024. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Slovenia Flag Slovenia 2023 Legislative Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection Amendments to the Act Amending the Employment, Self-Employment and Work of Foreigners Act enables asylum seekers the right to access the labour market after 3 months. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Slovenia Flag Slovenia 2023 Legislative Statelessness in the context of asylum Statelessness in the context of asylum The government announced accession to the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Slovenia Flag Slovenia 2023 Policy Access to information Access to information The Ministry of the Interior developed a support tool on information provision within the asylum procedure in several languages. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Slovenia Flag Slovenia 2023 Policy Content of protection Content of protection An integration strategy was adopted for foreigners who are not EU citizens. The strategy defines knowledge of the Slovenian language as a pre-condition for successful integration and suggests measures for the efficient implementation of language courses. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Slovakia Flag Slovakia 2023 Legislative Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Changes to the court system came into effect in June 2023. Three new administrative courts were created in Bratislava, Banská Bystrica and Košice. Two of them – the administrative courts in Bratislava and Košice – have jurisdiction over administrative actions in asylum, detention and administrative expulsion matters. The Supreme Administrative Court is competent to decide on cassation against rulings of these specialised administrative courts. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Romania Flag Romania 2023 Legislative Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance Emergency Ordinance No 35/2023 was approved to provide for the participation of EUAA experts in the registration and assessment of asylum applications. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Romania Flag Romania 2023 Legislative Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance Emergency Ordinance No 35/2023 was approved to provide that the General Inspectorate for Immigration will issue a negative decision on international protection jointly with a return decision. The legislation also provides a third-country national's right to remain in Romania until the asylum procedure is completed and for 15 days after the procedure is finalised, and clarifies that applicants benefit from their rights until the procedure is finalised. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Portugal Flag Portugal 2023 Institutional Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The new Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum (AIMA) started operating on 29 October 2023, taking over some of the competences of the Immigration and Border Service (SEF), with the separation of police and administrative functions. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Portugal Flag Portugal 2023 Legislative Statelessness in the context of asylum Statelessness in the context of asylum Parliament passed a law in August 2023 that defines a stateless person and recognises that people who meet the criteria of the 1954 Convention are entitled to both stateless status and a travel document. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Norway Flag Norway 2023 Policy Country of origin information Country of origin information Landinfo conducted fact-finding missions with other COI units. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Norway Flag Norway 2023 Policy Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance The Ministry of Justice and Emergency Preparedness amended the Immigration Regulations in September 2023 to strengthen the right to a hearing before the UNE in specific cases. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Norway Flag Norway 2023 Policy Access to information Access to information The UDI awarded a 4-year contract to Caritas Norway to provide information and guidance to newly-arrived asylum seekers as of 1 June 2023. EUAA Asylum Report 2024