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
Spain Flag Spain 2025 Institutional Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The Sub-Directorate General of Infrastructure for Migration, which is responsible for the infrastructure of reception centres and monitors construction work in the centres, was moved under the General Directorate of Humanitarian Assistance and the International Protection Reception System from the General Directorate of International Protection. EUAA Asylum Report 2026
Spain Flag Spain 2025 Policy Access to information Access to information During 2025, reception authorities worked on having more accessible and understandable language in their communications with people in the reception system. Staff also received training to ensure that the guidelines were applied. EUAA Asylum Report 2026
Spain Flag Spain 2025 Policy The Dublin procedure The Dublin procedure The Dublin unit received additional staff and the processing of outgoing requests was resumed. EUAA Asylum Report 2026
Spain Flag Spain 2025 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance A new case management system (LARES) is being developed to facilitate the processing of applications for international protection, implement an electronic, paperless solution and interlink different databases used in the asylum procedure. EUAA Asylum Report 2026
Spain Flag Spain 2025 Policy Interpretation services Interpretation services A working group was created with the participation of different stakeholders to exchange expertise on matters related to the provision of interpretation and to produce resources and tools to be used by applicants and beneficiaries of international protection. EUAA Asylum Report 2026
Spain Flag Spain 2025 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection A new shift system was put in place for a number of staff in reception to be on call during weekends to ensure availability in case of an emergency. EUAA Asylum Report 2026
Spain Flag Spain 2025 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The making and the lodging of an application by unaccompanied minors on the Canary Islands were merged into a single step. Applications by unaccompanied minors throughout the country were prioritised both in terms of lodging and decision-making. EUAA Asylum Report 2026
Spain Flag Spain 2025 Policy Content of protection Content of protection The Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration and La Caixa Foundation renewed their collaboration for the “Tend a hand. Welcome” programme, an initiative designed to facilitate the social integration of beneficiaries of international and temporary protection who are part of the International and Temporary Reception and Protection System (SAPI). The programme aims to place beneficiaries in a home with a Spanish family for at least 6 months. EUAA Asylum Report 2026
Spain Flag Spain 2025 Policy Resettlement Resettlement and humanitarian admissions The government approved measures for the evacuation of children with health conditions from Gaza and their families (200 people), as part of humanitarian admission. EUAA Asylum Report 2026
Spain Flag Spain 2025 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection Following the continued increase in migrant arrivals and the significant change in their profiles, a response plan was implemented in the Balearic Islands to strengthen humanitarian assistance and improve inter-institutional coordination on the islands, through a combination of immediate response actions and medium-term structural measures. EUAA Asylum Report 2026
Spain Flag Spain 2025 Legislative Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure The government approved Royal Decree-Law 2/2025, which establishes the possibility of urgent measures to guarantee the best interests of children and adolescents in extraordinary migration contingencies in Ceuta and the Canary Islands. EUAA Asylum Report 2026
Spain Flag Spain 2025 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection New immigration rules came into force in May 2025 establishing several types of authorisations to stay, each of them on condition that the person applying is not an applicant for international protection. EUAA Asylum Report 2026
Spain Flag Spain 2025 Legislative Content of protection Content of protection The government proposed a new Royal Decree to grant a 1-year-long permit to third-country nationals who have lived in Spainwithout authorisation for at least 5 months before 31 December 2025. Applicants for international protection who have not yet received a decision or had their application rejected can apply for this new permit. EUAA Asylum Report 2026
Slovenia Flag Slovenia 2025 Legislative Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure New rules were adopted on the remuneration and the reimbursement of costs for statutory representatives of unaccompanied children. EUAA Asylum Report 2026
Slovenia Flag Slovenia 2025 Legislative Statelessness in the context of asylum Statelessness in the context of asylum The parliament ratified the Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, which will be followed by amendments to the Citizenship Act. EUAA Asylum Report 2026
Slovenia Flag Slovenia 2025 Policy Resettlement Resettlement and humanitarian admissions The Education Pathway to Slovenia was launched by national authorities and the Euro-Mediterranean University (EMUNI), in cooperation with UNHCR, allowing refugees who have completed their Bachelor’s degree to follow a Master’s degree in the country. EUAA Asylum Report 2026
Slovakia Flag Slovakia 2025 Policy Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection The Mobile Outreach Team of the Migration Office started to provide support and services to applicants living outside of reception facilities, including psychological counselling and support, social counselling, cultural mediation and information provision. EUAA Asylum Report 2026
Slovakia Flag Slovakia 2025 Policy Applicants with special needs Persons with special needs in the asylum procedure Applicant files in the MIGRA information system were supplemented with two new sub-files on vulnerabilities and social documentation. EUAA Asylum Report 2026
Romania Flag Romania 2025 Policy Resettlement Resettlement and humanitarian admissions The government adopted a decision to resettle 300 Eritrean, Sudanese and South Sudanese refugees from Kenya and Egypt during 2026-2027. EUAA Asylum Report 2026
Romania Flag Romania 2025 Legislative Access to procedure icon Access to procedure Law No 84/2025 stipulates impunity for illegal entry or stay by third-country nationals requesting to apply for or being granted a form of protection. The prosecutor and the court will have the power to suspend the criminal prosecution and the judgment and have the right to review such decisions. EUAA Asylum Report 2026
Portugal Flag Portugal 2025 Legislative Access to information Access to information AIMA published on its website a comprehensive set of Frequently Asked Questions on the international protection procedure in Portuguese, English, Ukrainian, Arabic, Mandarin and Hindi. EUAA Asylum Report 2026
Portugal Flag Portugal 2025 Legislative Return of former applicants Return of former applicants A legislative reform was proposed to reshape return procedures by extending and restructuring detention and alternatives to detention. It aims to centralise return responsibilities and reinforce a faster and more coherent system. EUAA Asylum Report 2026
Portugal Flag Portugal 2025 Policy Processing asylum applications at first instance Processing asylum applications at first instance AIMA applied a prioritised case management approach to high?recognition nationalities and applicants arriving through EU relocation, advancing these profiles in the workflow to accelerate protection decisions, support backlog reduction and stabilise processing capacity. EUAA Asylum Report 2026
Portugal Flag Portugal 2025 Legislative Reception of applicants for international protection Reception of applicants for international protection A Common Reception System was developed as an integrated case management mechanism to ensure greater efficiency, predictability and control by authorities over the actual number of available reception places. EUAA Asylum Report 2026
Portugal Flag Portugal 2025 Legislative Interpretation services Interpretation services AIMA was expanding its pool of interpreters to ensure effective communication throughout the asylum procedure, while it has proceeded to develop a translation software in collaboration with a private entity. EUAA Asylum Report 2026