|
Croatia |
2023 |
Legislative |
|
Reception of applicants for international protection |
The Law on International and Temporary Protection was amended to reduce the waiting period to access the labour market for applicants for international protection from 6 to 3 months. Applicants need to request a work permit, which is delivered within 1 month, and if they conclude a work contract, they must inform the reception facility within 15 days. Once the applicant status ceases, the work permit must be returned within 15 days. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Croatia |
2023 |
Legislative |
|
Reception of applicants for international protection |
The Law on International and Temporary Protection was amended to extend applicants' access to medical care beyond emergency situations, upon a doctor's recommendation. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Croatia |
2023 |
Legislative |
|
Detention during the asylum procedure |
The Law on International and Temporary Protection was amended to introduce new grounds for applying restrictions on the movement of applicants, including multiple consecutive attempts to leave the country during an asylum procedure. The decision on the restriction is regularly reviewed by the administrative court if it lasts longer than 1 month and if there is a change in circumstances that may affect the legality of the decision. The court also reviews the decision upon request by the applicant. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Croatia |
2023 |
Legislative |
|
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 |
|
Croatia |
2023 |
Legislative |
|
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 |
2023 |
Policy |
|
Processing asylum applications at first instance |
The Ministry of Internal Affairs updated the project on the Independent Monitoring Mechanism for the Protection of Fundamental Human Rights, which will continue to observe the actions of police officers of the ministry who work on border protection, illegal migration and international protection. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Croatia |
2023 |
Policy |
|
Reception of applicants for international protection |
The authorities started planning the opening of new reception centres in 2024, including one near the border and under the management of the border police. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Bulgaria |
2023 |
Legislative |
|
Processing asylum applications at first instance |
The authorities adopted a circular for the implementation of the accelerated procedure, pending the amendment of the Law on Asylum and Refugees. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Bulgaria |
2023 |
Legislative |
|
Processing asylum applications at first instance |
Legislation is being amended to enable a negative decision on international protection and a return decision to be issued jointly. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Bulgaria |
2023 |
Legislative |
|
Interpretation services |
National legislation on asylum was amended to allow EUAA interpreters to support the registration and assessment of applications for international protection. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Bulgaria |
2023 |
Policy |
|
Processing asylum applications at first instance |
A draft concept note to establish a database was developed with the aim of digitalising the asylum system. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Bulgaria |
2023 |
Policy |
|
Reception of applicants for international protection |
A third safe zone for unaccompanied minors fleeing Ukraine was being constructed in the Harmanli reception centre. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Bulgaria |
2023 |
Policy |
|
Access to information |
The State Agency for Refugees presented a video of social services available to unaccompanied minors. The video was produced by UNHCR and is available in Arabic, Bulgarian, Dari, English and Pashto. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Bulgaria |
2023 |
Policy |
|
Special procedures to assess protection needs |
Authorities proposed the adoption of a new methodology for age assessments, following EUAA guidelines. The methodology is planned to be piloted from March 2024. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Bulgaria |
2023 |
Policy |
|
Processing asylum applications at first instance |
Authorities started preparations for the adoption of two lists with designated safe countries of origin and safe third countries. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Bulgaria |
2023 |
Policy |
|
The Dublin procedure |
Staff members in the Dublin unit were assigned specific tasks to avoid each officer following up on all aspects of the Dublin procedure. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Bulgaria |
2023 |
Policy |
|
Content of protection |
The State Agency for Refugees issued new instructions on the family reunification procedure for beneficiaries of international protection, noting that both the submission of the family reunification request and the subsequent registration of the family members must be carried out in the same registration and reception centre where the decision to grant international protection was issued. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Belgium |
2023 |
Legislative |
|
Special procedures to assess protection needs |
Georgia was removed from the list of safe countries of origin. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Belgium |
2023 |
Legislative |
|
The Dublin procedure |
The Council of Ministers approved a reform package on the migration model. It would codify in national law that the Immigration Office can extend the timeline for a Dublin transfer from 6 to 12 months when the applicant is detained in a penal institution, and to 18 months when the person has absconded. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Belgium |
2023 |
Legislative |
|
Reception of applicants for international protection |
The Council of Ministers approved a royal decree which obliges applicants who work to contribute to reception costs. In addition, applicants who are in a stable and sustainable professional situation with high salaries can be asked to leave the reception network. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Belgium |
2023 |
Legislative |
|
Statelessness in the context of asylum |
The Council of Ministers approved a draft legislation which would become law in early 2024, setting up a specific procedure and a specific legal right to stay for stateless people, provided they have involuntarily lost their nationality, cannot obtain or retrieve one, and prove they cannot receive a residence permit in any another country. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Belgium |
2023 |
Policy |
|
Processing asylum applications at first instance |
The CGRS published a new policy in January 2024 on the security situation in Somalia to guide the assessment of applications for international protection. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Belgium |
2023 |
Policy |
|
Resettlement and humanitarian admissions |
Alongside the Community Sponsorship Programme, which has been running in Belgium since 2020, Fedasil launched an initiative in 2023 to find new partners to provide reception support, including housing, to resettled refugees. Various partnerships were signed in 2023, and the process of finding new partners continued in 2024. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Belgium |
2023 |
Policy |
|
Processing asylum applications at first instance |
The pilot project ‘Tabula Rasa’ was launched to maximise the number of decisions and eliminate the backlog. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |
|
Belgium |
2023 |
Policy |
|
Interpretation services |
The code of ethics for interpreters was updated. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2024 |