News

A formal signing ceremony of the updated Operational Plan took place on the margins of the EUAA Management Board meeting of 29 September 2025 by the EUAA Executive Director, Ms. Nina GREGORI and Vice-President of the BAMF, Dr. Michael GRIESBECK.

The EUAA will expand the Agency’s presence in Germany. The Agency’s ongoing support will shift from assisting Dublin-related processes, to supporting efforts to address the backlog of pending asylum applications. This will enable the German authorities to redirect their resources and focus on implementing the Pact on Migration and Asylum.

The European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) and the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) have signed an amended Operational Plan through which the Agency will revise its targeted support to the German national authorities, with a significantly reinforced and longer-term operational presence.

“The Pact on Migration and Asylum brings a major change in the rules on handling asylum applications. At the same time, Member States still need to manage backlogs which have accumulated over the years. I very much welcome that Germany is seeking EUAA support to handle immediate operational needs, while their national authorities focus on the changes needed to make the Pact a success”, said Ms. Nina GREGORI, the Executive Director of the EUAA.

“The BAMF continues to face major challenges in the area of asylum due to the massive influx of refugees in recent years. Nevertheless, in order to simultaneously implement the important procedural changes agreed upon at the EU level within the framework of the new CEAS, the support provided to BAMF by EUAA is a valuable contribution for Germany,” said Dr. Michael GRIESBECK, the Vice-President of the BAMF.

While, according to the EUAA’s latest data, the asylum applications in Germany decreased by 43 % in the first half of 2025, the number of cases pending a decision at first instance has been increasing since 2022, as Germany has for over ten years been the recipient of the most asylum applications in the EU+. This backlog stood at 144 000 pending cases at the end July 2025. The EUAA’s support aims to help reduce this backlog prior to the entry into application of the new Asylum Procedure Regulation, thereby pre-empting a possible need to process applications under two different sets of rules.1

The initial EUAA's support in the Dublin area has been very successful. Thanks to its active support, 60 % of pending Dublin take back requests have since been proceeded. Due to this success, support in this area will now be phased out by the end of 2025. Under the new Operational Plan, which is valid until 2027, the Agency will provide operational support in processing new and existing applications and, in addition to that, support with project and change management processes by coordinating national Working Groups focused on workflows, tools and coordination mechanisms related to the ongoing implementation of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum.

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  Regulation (EU) 2024/1348 […] establishing a common procedure for international protection in the Union […] enters into application on 12 June 2026. Applications lodged prior to that date continue to be processed under rules stemming from Directive 2013/32/EU.