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 Czechia 2023 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance Cases lodged by specific nationalities were decided faster, for example for nationals of Syria, Ukraine and Yemen, with a first instance decision being delivered quickly. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Czech Flag Czechia 2023 Legislative Access to procedure icon Access to procedure After the amendment to the Act on Asylum, through Act No 173/2023, it is no longer possible for third-country nationals to apply for international protection in hospitals. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Czech Flag Czechia 2023 Legislative Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs Legislative amendments transferred the responsibility from the municipal court to the Regional Court in Prague for appeals against decisions on applications made in the transit area of the international airport. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Czech Flag Czechia 2023 Legislative Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs Legislative amendments established the possibility for applicants who made an asylum application at the transit area of the international airport to file a cassation complaint with the Supreme Administrative Court is the appeal is rejected by a court of first instance. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Czech Flag Czechia 2023 Legislative Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs Armenia and the United Kingdom were added to the list of safe countries of origin, while Ukraine was removed. Exceptions were removed for Georgia and Moldova. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Czech Flag Czechia 2023 Legislative Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance New legislation entered into force in July 2023 aiming to streamline the asylum procedure before administrative authorities and administrative courts. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Czech Flag Czechia 2023 Legislative Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Act No 173/2023 amended the Asylum Act to provide a detailed overview of time limits to lodge an appeal. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Czech Flag Czechia 2023 Legislative Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance An amendment introduced by Act No 173/2023 provides that, when assessing an appeal, the court must also consider new, important facts that have arisen after the administrative decision, if they relate to possible persecution or the threat of serious harm. The court must cancel the administrative decision and return the case to the administrative body for further proceedings if the facts have an effect on the administrative body's decision on the merits. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Czech Flag Czechia 2023 Legislative Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection An amendment introduced by Act No 173/2023 allows for an employee designated by the reception facility operator to prevent an applicant from entering or remove them from the facility if the applicant is under the influence of alcohol or other addictive substances, or if the person is a threat to him/herself or to others, to the property, public order or had already caused harm. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Czech Flag Czechia 2023 Legislative Detention Detention during the asylum procedure Act No 173/2023 introduced changes to the timelines in detention. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Czech Flag Czechia 2023 Legislative Statelessness in the context of asylum Statelessness in the context of asylum An amendment of the Act on the Residence of Foreigners went into effect in July 2023. It provides a definition of a stateless person and includes relevant provisions concerning recognition, relevant procedures and the content of protection for stateless persons. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Czech Flag Czechia 2023 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection According to an amendment of the Act on the Residence of Foreign Nationals, third-country nationals whose application for international protection was rejected can no longer acquire a permanent residence permit by having lived in the country for 4 years. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Czech Flag Czechia 2023 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection An Amendment of the Act on Asylum clarified what type of travel document are issued to beneficiaries of protection, according to their status. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Czech Flag Czechia 2023 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection An amendment of the Act on the Residence of Foreign Nationals introduced reductions in administrative fees for procedures related to the issuance of a residence permit and replacing a damaged, lost or stolen card. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Cyprus Flag Cyprus 2023 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The expansion of the centre in Kofinou was planned. The Pournara First Reception Centre was upgraded to include new prefabricated housing units and equipment. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Cyprus Flag Cyprus 2023 Legislative Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The Ministry of the Interior published a draft bill proposing to establish a Deputy Ministry of Migration and Asylum. This would result in one institutions being responsible for creating and implementing an integrated strategy for migration and asylum. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Cyprus Flag Cyprus 2023 Legislative Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups The law was amended to state that asylum seekers who do not consent to the medical examination for an age assessment are presumed to be adults. However, they can submit additional information at any stage of the process to establish their minority and can request the medical examination at a later stage, which cannot be disregarded by the Asylum Service. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Cyprus Flag Cyprus 2023 Legislative Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups A bill proposal on guardianship and fostering children was approved by the Council of Ministers to enhance protection and support for children in the care of the Social Welfare Services. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Cyprus Flag Cyprus 2023 Policy Access to information Access to information An information kiosk was set up in Pournara where applicants can seek information on the status of their file and ask questions about the asylum procedure in general. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Cyprus Flag Cyprus 2023 Institutional Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The Asylum Service planned to hire additional staff to address the backlog of applications, reduce processing times and speed up the examination procedure. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Cyprus Flag Cyprus 2023 Institutional Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The Asylum Service planned to hire additional staff handling subsequent applications to eliminate a backlog of approximately 1,000 cases. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Cyprus Flag Cyprus 2023 Policy Access to information Access to information The authorities launched an information campaign in Nigeria warning about the realities of the journey and arrival in Cyprus. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Cyprus Flag Cyprus 2023 Policy Detention Detention during the asylum procedure The expansion of the capacity of the pre-departure detention centre in Limnes was planned as part of an overall plan to manage migration. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Croatia Flag Croatia 2023 Legislative Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Amendments to the Law on International and Temporary Protection specified that the guardian is obliged to start family tracing as soon as possible for an unaccompanied child. In addition, confidentiality must be respected when managing information on a child and the family in order not to jeopardise the child’s safety. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Croatia Flag Croatia 2023 Legislative Legal representation and assistance Legal assistance and representation The Law on International and Temporary Protection was amended to introduce two new obligations related to visits and communication of the detained asylum seekers with legal advisers, UNHCR, family members and the right to orally receive information on legal aid in a language the applicant can understand, when such information cannot be provided in writing. EUAA Asylum Report 2024