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
Sweden Flag Sweden 2020 Legislative Access to procedure icon Access to procedure The Swedish Migration Agency, the police and Swedish diplomatic missions abroad were also given the right to process sensitive data, as described by the Aliens Data Act, and to test and develop existing IT systems for managing the personal data of third-country nationals, for example to participate in international cooperation. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Sweden Flag Sweden 2020 Legislative Special procedures to process asylum applications Special procedures to process asylum applications The Swedish Parliament adopted the government's proposal from December 2020 to incorporate the rules on safe countries of origin in the Aliens Act. The new rules allow the Swedish Migration Agency to consider an application manifestly unfounded if the applicant comes from a country included in the list. The amendments enter into force on 1 May 2021. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Sweden Flag Sweden 2020 Legislative Special procedures to process asylum applications Special procedures to process asylum applications The Swedish Migration Agency proposed 8 countries to be considered safe countries of origin: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Chile, Kosovo, Mongolia, Northern Macedonia, Serbia and USA. The new list is foreseen to enter into force on 1 May 2021. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Sweden Flag Sweden 2020 Legislative Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The so-called EBO rules entered into force on 1 July 2020. According to these rules, applicants are no longer entitled to a daily allowance if they choose to reside in specific areas with high rates of immigrants and socio-economic challenges (32 municipalities listed in 2020, revised to 23 municipalities as of 1 January 2021). EASO Asylum Report 2021
Sweden Flag Sweden 2020 Legislative Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection A new governmental project is planned to be implemented in Sweden in 2021, obliging applicants to attend a one-day information session about the host society. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Sweden Flag Sweden 2020 Legislative Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure Changes to the national legislation introduce a departure ban for children who are at risk of being taken abroad for marriage or female genital mutilation. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Spain Flag Spain 2020 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The State Secretary for Migration signed new instructions in December 2020, noting that only recognised beneficiaries of international protection can be referred to the second phase of the national reception system as of 2021. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Spain Flag Spain 2020 Legislative Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure In 2020, the Secretary of State for Migration introduced changes granting access to work permits for unaccompanied children aged older than 16 years. In addition, the government announced a reform allowing permission to stay based on their integration path rather than on their participation in the labour market. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Slovenia Flag Slovenia 2020 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The Government Office for the Care and Integration of Migrants, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Labor, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, the Police, the Ministry of Justice, 11 participating NGOs and UNHCR signed the revised standard operational procedures for the prevention and action in cases of sexual and gender-based violence against persons treated under the provisions of the International Protection Act. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Slovenia Flag Slovenia 2020 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance Additional staff were hired to tackle the pending backlog of cases and shorten delays in the asylum procedure. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Slovenia Flag Slovenia 2020 Institutional Access to information Access to information The Ministry of the Interior took over the information provision sessions, after the expiry of a contract with an NGO who was previously charged with this task. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Slovenia Flag Slovenia 2020 Legislative Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance A proposal was put forward and adopted in 2021 to amend the International Protection Act. Among a set of comprehensive changes, for example, sanctions would apply when an applicant does not comply with the duties or obstructs the implementation of the asylum procedure. The amendment also widens the grounds on which an asylum application can be rejected as manifestly unfounded. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Romania Flag Romania 2020 Policy Detention Detention during the asylum procedure The regulation on accommodation centres for foreigners taken into public custody was amended and a new chapter was added to regulate the General Inspectorate for Immigration's use of personal data. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Romania Flag Romania 2020 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The Ministry of the Interior organised a?public debate on the draft Government Decision for approval of the National Strategy on Immigration for 2020-2023. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Romania Flag Romania 2020 Policy Content of protection Content of protection New methodological norms were published for the implementation of the 2019 amendments of the Integration Act. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Romania Flag Romania 2020 Policy Resettlement Resettlement and humanitarian admissions A new Emergency Transit Centre was opened in Timisoara providing temporary accommodation for beneficiaries of international protection waiting to be resettled to a third country. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Romania Flag Romania 2020 Policy Special procedures to process asylum applications Special procedures to process asylum applications Depending on the claims made and documentation available, authorities prioritised applicants from Algeria, Bangladesh, India, Morocco, Pakistan and Tunisia. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Portugal Flag Portugal 2020 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The Council of Ministers in Portugal adopted a resolution establishing a single system for the reception and integration of beneficiaries of international protection. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Portugal Flag Portugal 2020 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection A provisional regularisation process was launched in Portugal, settling the situation of around 365,000 foreigners, including asylum applicants. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Norway Flag Norway 2020 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The MOT-system was introduced for reception administration, and it is planned to be further developed in 2021. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Norway Flag Norway 2020 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The UDI provided special guidelines to all reception centres on preparing for school education. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Norway Flag Norway 2020 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection One-year-old children in reception centres were included in the financing scheme of free, full-time care in kindergarten. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Norway Flag Norway 2020 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The Directorate for Integration and Diversity, in cooperation with municipalities, carried out for the first time a survey on the experiences of participants in the introduction programme. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Norway Flag Norway 2020 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The Directorate for Integration and Diversit published a report on municipality expenditure on supporting the integration of refugees. EASO Asylum Report 2021
Norway Flag Norway 2020 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure An internal review of 54 return cases from 2019 took place in the Immigration Appeals Board (UNE) in order to examine how UNE assesses what is in the best interests of the child in return cases. EASO Asylum Report 2021