07
Rights of beneficiaries of international protection for inclusion and integration
Content of protection refers to the rights to which beneficiaries of a form of protection are entitled in the country of asylum, as well as the associated obligations. Protection is granted when applicants receive a positive decision granting refugee or subsidiary protection status (also referred to as EU-harmonised statuses). The recognition rate refers to the number of positive outcomes as a percentage of the total number of decisions on applications for international protection. While national forms of protection do grant a protection status to third-country nationals, those statuses – which are not harmonised across EU+ countries – are typically not included in the calculation of the recognition rate.
In 2025, the recognition rate for international protection decreased significantly from 42% in 2024 to 29%. This decline was plausibly a function – at least in part – of the suspension of decision-making for Syrian applicants who accounted for a large share of positive decisions in recent years. In addition, around 56% of decisions were issued to nationals of countries with a low recognition rate. Considering the 69 citizenships which were issued at least 1,000 decisions in 2025, 42 had a recognition rate of less than 20%.
Nationals of Türkiye, Venezuela, Bangladesh and Colombia (in descending order) received one-third of all negative decisions. However, Venezuelans and Colombians were often granted a national form of protection or shifted for a different residence type. Recognition rates were high for nationals from extreme- and high-conflict countries, ranging between 70%-90% for applicants from Sudan, Mali, Haiti, Ukraine and Myanmar/Burma (in descending order).
EU+ countries continued to limit arrivals through family reunification as a way to ease pressure on asylum and reception systems, and sometimes on national and municipal social systems. In recent years, UNHCR, other international organisations, think tanks, academia and civil society organisations have repeatedly warned about the potential negative impact of stricter rules for family reunification on the integration of beneficiaries of international protection.
EU+ countries continued to focus on integrating beneficiaries by launching new strategies and measures for access to the labour market and education. Despite these initiatives, beneficiaries of international protection still faced barriers across EU+ countries when trying to learn the language, enrol in education or search for a job, while challenges in accessing housing continued to impact integration prospects. Civil society organisations continued to play a key role in the effective integration of beneficiaries by delivering a range of services to this end.
Box 1. Temporary protection for displaced persons
from Ukraine
At the end of 2025, approximately 4.5 million individuals were under temporary protection across EU+ countries. This figure has remained relatively stable since early 2023 and continues to significantly contribute to the overall number of people in Europe with protection needs. Relative to population size, Czechia, Poland and Slovakia hosted the most displaced Ukrainians per capita (see Figure 3).
During the fourth year since Russia’s invasion, EU+ countries continued to shift their policies toward long-term solutions, such as offering opportunities to transition to an alternative national residence permit. In parallel, they continue to promote integration on many levels, including in the labour market and education. ‘Unity Hubs’, established in a number of EU+ countries, provide assistance with employment, language courses, counselling for beneficiaries and, in some cases, support for voluntary returns.
Jurisprudential developments at both the national and EU levels further clarified the interplay between temporary protection and international protection procedures.