|
Belgium |
2025 |
Legislative |
|
Reception of applicants for international protection |
Amendments to the Reception Act allow Fedasil to limit material reception conditions when a minor applies for international protection after the parents have already applied for international protection in the child's name. In February 2026, the Constitutional Court suspended the application of this provision and referred several preliminary questions to the CJEU to clarify their compatibility with EU law. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2026 |
|
Belgium |
2025 |
Policy |
|
Reception of applicants for international protection |
Fedasil designed a series of ‘Digital Skills’ modules to strengthen the digital autonomy of applicants and facilitate their integration, in collaboration with Ghent University and with the support of AMIF. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2026 |
|
Belgium |
2025 |
Legislative |
|
Reception of applicants for international protection |
Legislative amendments ensured that reception conditions are limited to the provision of material support in reception centres. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2026 |
|
Belgium |
2025 |
Policy |
|
Reception of applicants for international protection |
The project Being a Child in a Reception Centre concluded in 2025. As part of this project, a tool was launched to support authorities in gathering applicant children’s experiences on their stay in reception. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2026 |
|
Belgium |
2025 |
Policy |
|
Processing asylum applications at second or higher instance |
CALL launched a project in the framework of the Technical Support Instrument (TSI) to pilot the use of an AI-powered search system to retrieve information faster. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2026 |
|
Belgium |
2025 |
Legislative |
|
Reception of applicants for international protection |
Amendments to the Reception Act enabled Fedasil to limit material reception conditions for applicants with a final decision on a previous application in another Member State, after their application is rejected as inadmissible. In February 2026, the Constitutional Court suspended the application of this provision and referred several preliminary questions to the CJEU to clarify their compatibility with EU law. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2026 |
|
Belgium |
2025 |
Legislative |
|
Special procedures to assess protection needs |
The list of safe countries was amended: Morocco was added to the list, while India and Moldova were removed. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2026 |
|
Belgium |
2025 |
Legislative |
|
Special procedures to assess protection needs |
An application for international protection submitted by a foreigner who has already received a final decision on a previous application in another EU Member State is now registered and considered as a subsequent application. In February 2026, the Constitutional Court suspended the application of this provision and referred several preliminary questions to the CJEU to clarify their compatibility with EU law. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2026 |
|
Belgium |
2025 |
Policy |
|
Reception of applicants for international protection |
Fedasil converted places for unaccompanied minors to family places. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2026 |
|
Belgium |
2025 |
Policy |
|
Reception of applicants for international protection |
The PATH project was implemented to assist beneficiaries of international protection to transition from reception to sustainable housing. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2026 |
|
Belgium |
2025 |
Legislative |
|
Content of protection |
New family reunification rules entered into force in August 2025, reducing the period of exemption from material conditions for refugees to 6 months, removing the exemption for beneficiaries of subsidiary protection and establishing a 2-year waiting period for this group, and raising the minimum age to apply for family reunification with a partner to 21 years. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2026 |
|
Belgium |
2025 |
Policy |
|
Processing asylum applications at first instance |
The CGRS continued with the implementation of the fast-track procedure, which allows the organisation to take a quicker final decision for applicants with a first application with a low chance of being granted international protection. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2026 |
|
Belgium |
2025 |
Legislative |
|
Processing asylum applications at first instance |
The period within which an applicant may provide a reason for being absent from a personal interview was reduced from 15 to 8 days. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2026 |
|
Austria |
2025 |
Policy |
|
Return of former applicants |
Focus continued on returns, and the first removal since 2011 was carried out to Syria and to Afghanistan since 2021. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2026 |
|
Austria |
2025 |
Policy |
|
Processing asylum applications at first instance |
As part of the national budget consolidation efforts, the budget framework for the asylum sector for 2025–2029 was realigned with overall fiscal priorities. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2026 |
|
Austria |
2025 |
Institutional |
|
Processing asylum applications at first instance |
Responsibilities within the BFA were reallocated, and the organisation’s structure was adjusted to these changes. Separate thematic units were brought together under new departments. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2026 |
|
Austria |
2025 |
Legislative |
|
Content of protection |
The legal basis was created to allow the national council to halt family reunification for beneficiaries of international protection, which it did in July 2025 for an initial period of 6 months, subsequently extended until September 2026. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2026 |
|
Poland |
2024 |
Policy |
|
Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups |
The Office for Foreigners implemented a new questionnaire to obtain children’s opinion on the quality of their current care and educational situation. The aim is to assess the child’s best interests. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2025 |
|
Poland |
2024 |
Policy |
|
Access to procedure |
In March, the Border Guard established intervention teams in the border with Belarus to conduct migrant search and rescue operations. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2025 |
|
Poland |
2024 |
Legislative |
|
Access to procedure |
The Council of Ministers adopted a package of 4 draft laws amending the Act on Granting Protection to Foreigners. They introduced the possibility of temporarily limiting the right to lodge an asylum application except for vulnerable applicants (i.e. pregnant women, unaccompanied minors and people who require special treatment) and included additional grounds to withdraw refugee status. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2025 |
|
Poland |
2024 |
Legislative |
|
Access to procedure |
The Ministry of the Interior passed a decree to create a buffer zone at the border with Belarus, aiming to prevent illegal entries. It included a temporary ban on staying in a specific area adjacent to the border zone. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2025 |
|
Poland |
2024 |
Policy |
|
Content of protection |
At the request of the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy and considering the success of a pilot project from 2021 to 2023, new Foreigners’ Integration Centres (CIC) were opened with AMIF funding and will continue to multiply with the same model of one-stop-shop. They provide standardised services to newly arrived migrants, promote active participation and involvement of foreigners in the social and cultural life of Poland and serve as cooperation platforms between local authorities, the government, and NGOs. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2025 |
|
Poland |
2024 |
Policy |
|
Access to procedure |
The Prime Minister announced a government strategy to regain control over migration and limit the illegal crossing of Polish borders. It includes a proposal to allow for a temporary and territorial suspension of the right to request asylum in the event of a high influx of persons. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2025 |
|
Poland |
2024 |
Policy |
|
Access to information |
The Office for Foreigners opened a hotline to provide information on the international protection procedure. It also launched a mobile application in 5 languages for the same purpose. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2025 |
|
Poland |
2024 |
Policy |
|
Unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups |
The Office for Foreigners updated the existing “Policy for the protection of children against abuse in centres for foreigners run by the Office for Foreigners”. It includes protection standards and guidelines for officers in reception centres. An e-learning platform intended for all employees was developed, which includes the course on the policy. All newly employed and permanent employees of the office are obliged to undergo training, which ends with a final test and the issuance of a certificate. |
EUAA Asylum Report 2025 |