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
Hungary Flag Hungary 2023 Legislative Access to procedure icon Access to procedure The embassy procedure continued to be implemented, despite the CJEU ruling considering the legislation in breach of EU law. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Greece Flag Greece 2023 Policy Access to information Access to information The asylum authority’s website was enhanced to make content accessible to persons with disabilities, such as dyslexia and visual impairments. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Greece Flag Greece 2023 Legislative Legal representation and assistance Legal assistance and representation The government adopted a decision which defines practical aspects of the Asylum Code, in particular access to free legal aid in the appeals procedure, the functioning of the Registry of Lawyers, lawyers’ tasks, obligations and payment. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Greece Flag Greece 2023 Institutional Content of protection Content of protection A new helpdesk for the social integration of beneficiaries of international protection was launched by the Directorate of Social Integration of the Ministry of Migration and Asylum. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Greece Flag Greece 2023 Institutional The Dublin procedure The Dublin procedure A dedicated policy sub-division was created within the Dublin Unit, which was tasked to provide advice on the interpretation of the relevant legal framework and suggest improvements to the procedure. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Greece Flag Greece 2023 Institutional The Dublin procedure The Dublin procedure The Dublin Unit undertook a mapping of internal workflows and standard operating procedures to establish a standardised workflow. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Greece Flag Greece 2023 Institutional Access to procedure icon Access to procedure The Ministry of Migration and Asylum upgraded the Asylum Service’s unified information system for reception and asylum to “Alkyoni II”. The upgrade facilitated several services for asylum seekers and refugees in multilingual and digital formats, such as registering applications, booking interviews and submitting documents. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Greece Flag Greece 2023 Institutional Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups The Special Secretariat for the Protection of Unaccompanied Minors within the Ministry of Migration and Asylum was abolished and replaced by the General Secretariat of Vulnerable Citizens and Institutional Protection. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Greece Flag Greece 2023 Policy Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups To accelerate the transfer of unaccompanied minors from the Greek islands to the mainland, dermatological and tuberculosis examinations prior to the departure were discontinued. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Germany Flag Germany 2023 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection Plans were announced to extend the scheme of applicants' payment cards at the federal level. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Germany Flag Germany 2023 Policy Resettlement Resettlement and humanitarian admissions After its 3-year pilot phase, the Neustart im Team (NesT) programme became permanent. ETM Libya was moved from Niger to Rwanda. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Germany Flag Germany 2023 Policy The Dublin procedure The Dublin procedure The Dublin unit initiated an IT project which aims to support the workflow of outgoing requests and transfer procedures. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Germany Flag Germany 2023 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance The federal government and federal states agreed on speeding up asylum procedures by ensuring that all asylum applications are filed within 2 weeks and a BAMF hearing must be held within 4 weeks. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Germany Flag Germany 2023 Legislative Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups The reform of the Guardianship and Care Law came into effect. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Germany Flag Germany 2023 Policy Country of origin information Country of origin information The “Country Analysis Model 2030” was created to strengthen cooperation with all stakeholders involved in the international protection procedure and to expand cooperation with academia, civil society organisations and the public. This also led to an increase in publicly accessible products as part of a realignment of the product portfolio. In addition, fact-finding missions were resumed. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Germany Flag Germany 2023 Legislative Special procedures to assess protection needs Special procedures to assess protection needs Georgia and Moldova were added to the list of safe countries of origin. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Germany Flag Germany 2023 Legislative Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection All applicants can have access to the BAMF language programme, regardless of their prospects for being recognised. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Germany Flag Germany 2023 Legislative Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Providers of counselling sessions can transmit the personal data of an applicant to the authorities if it arises during the discussion that the person is in need of special procedural guarantees or has special needs in reception, provided the applicant consents to this transfer of information. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Germany Flag Germany 2023 Policy The Dublin procedure The Dublin procedure The Dublin unit adapted to the increased workload by adjusting its workflows and prioritising certain tasks and cases. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Germany Flag Germany 2023 Policy Interpretation services Interpretation services Language experts carried out random quality checks of interpretation and translation services in the asylum procedure. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Germany Flag Germany 2023 Policy Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups The federal government announced further steps to develop a National Action Plan to Combat Trafficking in Human Beings. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
Germany Flag Germany 2023 Policy Interpretation services Interpretation services The code of ethics for interpreters was updated. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
France Flag France 2023 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The programme “Accompagnement global et individualisé des réfugiés (AGIR)” continued in 2023 and was offered to 26 additional departments. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
France Flag France 2023 Policy The Dublin procedure The Dublin procedure The central Dublin unit produced new guidelines for booking flights and a tool to have a better overview of the different restrictions, in an effort to support local Dublin units and the border police in implementing transfer decisions. EUAA Asylum Report 2024
France Flag France 2023 Legislative Access to procedure icon Access to procedure A new asylum and immigration law was debated, with several proposals suggesting changes and adjustments for a more efficient registration process. The law was promulgated at the beginning of 2024. EUAA Asylum Report 2024