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
Iceland Flag Iceland 2024 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection According to amendments to the Act on Foreigners, a residence permit based on additional protection may only be renewed if the conditions for protection are still met. Consequently, a new assessment of the situation in the country of origin must be made before a decision on renewal is taken. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Iceland Flag Iceland 2024 Legislative Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance An amendment to the Act on Foreigners introduced the possibility of dismissing a subsequent (‘repeated’ in Iceland) application if no new grounds or evidence exist to lead to an increased probability of a previous application to be accepted. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Iceland Flag Iceland 2024 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection An amendment to the Act on Foreigners shortened the validity period of residence permits connected to protection statuses. Residence permits for refugees, stateless persons and quota refugees are now valid for 3 years instead of 4. Permits for additional protection are valid for 2 years. Permits for family reunification with a refugee can be extended for 3 years but cannot exceed the duration of the principal permit. Humanitarian residence permits are renewed annually, rather than every 2 years. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Iceland Flag Iceland 2024 Institutional Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance The Appeals Board hired new lawyers, case officers and specialised staff to handle the increased case load more efficiently. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Iceland Flag Iceland 2024 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection An amendment to the Act on Foreigners established that family reunification for holders of subsidiary protection can only be submitted after the status has been renewed once. Exceptions may be granted for urgent care considerations. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Iceland Flag Iceland 2024 Legislative Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance An amendment to the Act on Foreigners changed the prioritisation of cases so that cases nearing the time limit for processing are reviewed first and those which already passed the deadline are processed later. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Iceland Flag Iceland 2024 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection An amendment to the Act on Foreigners added adopted children to the list of those entitled to protection on the basis of family reunification. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Iceland Flag Iceland 2024 Institutional Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Members of the Immigration Appeals Board are no longer appointed part-time. The board will consist of three full-time members, and the chairperson and vice-chairperson have the authority to rule on their own in certain cases. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Iceland Flag Iceland 2024 Legislative Return of former applicants Return of former applicants The government amended the regulation on financial assistance for voluntary returns. Those who request assistance before a decision is reached at the appeal stage can receive a higher additional grant than those who request assistance after a decision is reached at the appeal stage. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Hungary Flag Hungary 2024 Legislative Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The embassy procedure remained in place and was codified in a Government Decree, which changed the legal basis of the measure from epidemiological reasons to a crisis situation due to the war in Ukraine. A minor amendment was made to the regulation on exceptions to the embassy procedure. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Greece Flag Greece 2024 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection To ease the burden on local health services and hospitals, the IOM was mandated to provide primary health services and psychosocial care to applicants through the Hippocrates programme. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Greece Flag Greece 2024 Policy Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups A memorandum of cooperation was signed between the Ministry of Immigration and Asylum, UNHCR and the University of Western Attica (PADA) to coordinate efforts in the field of child protection. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Greece Flag Greece 2024 Policy Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups New Asylum Units for Vulnerable Groups were created in Attica and Thessaloniki to receive and assess applications for international protection submitted by persons with vulnerabilities. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Greece Flag Greece 2024 Legislative Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Different Joint Ministerial Decisions established 20 Independent Appeals Committees within the Appeals Authority, specified their composition, and regulated practical matters of their functioning, such as the process and the criteria for the selection of their members, the renewal of their term, the possibility for substitution of members, and the administrative support provided to them. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Greece Flag Greece 2024 Policy Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups A new project FORTIFY was launched to strengthen the protection for and prevention of delinquency in unaccompanied minor applicants. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Greece Flag Greece 2024 Policy Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups The Mentors Group, comprising former unaccompanied children who act as role models for their peers, launched a video series called ‘Learning with Mentors’ to provide information in a simple language on various aspects of integration. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Greece Flag Greece 2024 Legislative Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs The national list of safe countries of origin was updated to include Angola and Moldova. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Greece Flag Greece 2024 Legislative Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups A Joint Ministerial Decision amended the framework for operations of semi-independent living apartments for unaccompanied minors. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Greece Flag Greece 2024 Legislative Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups The director of the Asylum Service issued a decision to clarify that the asylum applicant’s card for unaccompanied minors is valid for a year (except for exemptions provided by law) and can be renewed by the guardian without the presence of the minor. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Greece Flag Greece 2024 Policy Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Under the National Strategy for the Protection of Unaccompanied Minors, a new complementary support mechanism was launched (Pyxida–Compass). It aims to create five specialised service centres, focusing on mental health, legal assistance and support against school dropout. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Greece Flag Greece 2024 Policy Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups The Ministry of Immigration and Asylum launched a 24/7 hotline to assist unaccompanied children who are homeless or living in precarious conditions. They are then transferred to a safe accommodation and provided various services. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Greece Flag Greece 2024 Legislative Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups A Joint Ministerial Decision amended the framework for operations and licensing of reception centres for unaccompanied minors. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Greece Flag Greece 2024 Policy Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups In May 2024, a new centre for applicants with vulnerabilities opened in Athens, with the assistance of funding from Norway and Switzerland. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Greece Flag Greece 2024 Policy Content of protection Content of protection A task force on integration was launched, following a proposal by the European Commission. EUAA Asylum Report 2025
Greece Flag Greece 2024 Policy The Dublin procedure The Dublin procedure The Greek Asylum Service implemented a wide-scale pilot project on take back requests in the Dublin procedure. EUAA Asylum Report 2025