As the go-to source of information on international protection in Europe, the
annual EUAA Asylum Report provides a comprehensive overview of key
developments in asylum in Member States of the European Union, Iceland,
Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland (EU+ countries). All aspects of the
Common European Asylum System (CEAS) are covered by summarising changes
to legislation, policy and practices at the European and national levels. The report
presents selected case law which has shaped the interpretation of European and
national laws, as well as key statistical indicators for the 2023 reference year, which
highlight emerging trends and the effectiveness of asylum systems.
Authors
- Pages
- 321
- Published in
- Malta
Table of Contents
- Foreword 5
- Acknowledgements 6
- Acronyms and abbreviations 7
- Contents 9
- Introduction 15
- Section 1. Global developments in the field of asylum in 2023 17
- 1.1. Global trends in international protection 17
- 1.2. Global Compact on Refugees 20
- 1.3. Climate-induced displacement 21
- 1.4. Global developments on statelessness 22
- 1.5. The Humanitarian-Development-Peace nexus 23
- Section 2. Major developments in asylum in the European Union in 2023 25
- 2.1. Reforming the Common European Asylum System 25
- Box 1. Safeguards for minors and families with children 31
- 2.2. Responding to the arrival of displaced persons from Ukraine 33
- 2.3. Key developments in policies and practices at the EU level 34
- 2.3.1. Asylum and migration on the EU policy agenda 34
- 2.3.2. Migration routes and management of the EU’s external borders 36
- 2.4. External dimension of the EU’s asylum policy 42
- 2.5. Jurisprudence of the Court of Justice of the EU 46
- Section 3. Functioning of the Common European Asylum System 53
- Box 2. Temporary protection for displaced persons from Ukraine 55
- Box 3. Digital innovation in 2023 60
- Section 3.1. Access to procedures 62
- 3.1.1. Access to territory 63
- 3.1.2. Access to the asylum procedure 66
- 3.1.2.1. Access during a state of emergency 66
- 3.1.2.2. Impact of the increase in applications for international protection 68
- 3.1.3. Data on applications for international protection 70
- 3.1.4. Data on relative pressure related to asylum 73
- 3.1.4.1. Asylum applications per capita 74
- 3.1.4.2. Beneficiaries of international protection and rejected asylum seekers per capita 75
- Box 4. The principle of non-refoulement 76
- Section 3.2. The Dublin procedure 80
- 3.2.1. Initiatives for more efficient implementation 81
- 3.2.2. Practical implementation 83
- 3.2.2.1. Impact of the invasion of Ukraine 83
- 3.2.2.2. Cooperation and communication among Member States 83
- 3.2.2.3. Interpreting definitions in the Dublin III Regulation 84
- 3.2.2.4. Time limits 84
- 3.2.2.5. Procedural safeguards and remedies 86
- 3.2.3. Decisions on outgoing Dublin requests 86
- 3.2.3.1. Citizenship of applicants in the Dublin procedure 88
- 3.2.3.2. Acceptance rate for Dublin requests 89
- 3.2.3.3. Decisions on take charge and take back requests 89
- 3.2.4. Use of the sovereignty clause 90
- 3.2.5. Assessing the implementation of transfers to specific countries 90
- 3.2.5.1. Differences in protection policies 90
- 3.2.5.2. Access to the asylum procedure and non-refoulement 91
- 3.2.5.3. Access to and quality of reception conditions in the country responsible for an application 92
- 3.2.5.4. Use of detention 93
- 3.2.6. Implementing Dublin transfers 94
- Section 3.3. Special procedures to assess protection needs 96
- 3.3.1. Border procedures 97
- 3.3.2. Safe country concepts 98
- 3.3.3. Admissibility procedures 99
- Box 5. Case law related to secondary movements in 2023 100
- 3.3.4. Accelerated procedures 100
- 3.3.5. Subsequent applications 101
- Section 3.4. Processing asylum applications at first instance 103
- 3.4.1. Re-organisation of first instance authorities 104
- 3.4.2. Legislative and policy changes 104
- 3.4.3. Case load management and prioritisation policies 105
- 3.4.3.1. New working methods 106
- 3.4.3.2. Prioritisation policies 106
- 3.4.3.3. Additional staff 107
- 3.4.4. Personal interview 107
- 3.4.5. National policies and practices for specific profiles and nationalities 108
- Applicants from Afghanistan 109
- Applicants from Iran 110
- Applicants from Niger and Mali 110
- Palestinian applicants 110
- Applicants from Somalia 110
- Persons displaced from Ukraine 111
- Russian applicants 111
- Sudanese nationals 112
- Applicants with a ‘westernised’ profile 113
- Applicants who claim religious conversion 114
- Applicants who claim persecution due to the risk of forced military recruitment 114
- 3.4.6. Derived right to international protection 115
- 3.4.7. Exclusion from international protection 115
- 3.4.8. Case processing at first instance 116
- 3.4.8.1. Case closures in relation to the number of asylum applications 116
- 3.4.8.2. Number of decisions on first instance applications 118
- 3.4.8.3. Citizenships receiving first instance decisions 119
- 3.4.8.4. Discontinuations after withdrawals 119
- 3.4.8.5. Other closures 119
- 3.4.8.6. Pending cases at first instance 120
- 3.4.9. Quality assurance of first instance procedures and decisions 121
- 3.4.10. Length of the asylum procedure before the determining authorities 122
- 3.4.11. Digitalisation 123
- 3.4.12. The interplay between international protection applications and other procedures 124
- Section 3.5. Processing asylum applications at second or higher instances 125
- 3.5.1. Access to the appeals procedure 126
- 3.5.2. Institutional changes in appeal bodies 127
- 3.5.3. Scope of an appeal in international protection cases 128
- 3.5.4. The right to an oral hearing on appeal 129
- 3.5.5. The possibility to have a same-sex official in the appeal procedure 130
- 3.5.6. Examination of appeals lodged by specific profiles of applicants 130
- 3.5.7. Length of the appeals procedure 131
- Section 3.6. Reception of applicants for international protection 132
- 3.6.1. Organisation and functioning of the reception system 133
- 3.6.1.1. Adapting reception systems 133
- 3.6.1.2. Adjusting reception capacity and impact on reception conditions 136
- 3.6.2. Entitlement to material reception conditions 141
- 3.6.3. Applicants’ daily life 144
- 3.6.3.1. House rules and measures for disruptive applicants 144
- 3.6.3.2. Employment 145
- 3.6.3.3. Health 146
- 3.6.3.4. Orientation and education 146
- Section 3.7. Aspects of detention involving asylum applicants and former applicants 147
- 3.7.1. Recourse to detention 148
- 3.7.1.1. Comprehensive changes in detention regimes 148
- 3.7.1.2. Detention at the border and during the initial phase of the asylum procedure 149
- 3.7.1.3. Detention pending a return 152
- 3.7.2. Detention capacity and impact on detention conditions 153
- Section 3.8. Access to information 156
- 3.8.1. Let’s Speak Asylum portal 157
- 3.8.2. Information on the asylum procedure 158
- 3.8.2.1. Enhanced availability and accessibility of information 158
- 3.8.2.2. Existing challenges 161
- 3.8.2.3. Case law related to the provision of information 163
- Section 3.9. Legal assistance and representation 164
- 3.9.1. Access to legal aid during the first instance procedure 164
- 3.9.2. Access to legal aid during appeals 167
- 3.9.3. Legal aid at the borders or in detention 168
- 3.9.4. Supporting lawyers working on international protection cases 170
- 3.9.5. Continued legal assistance following an international protection procedure 171
- 3.9.6. Specific aspects of providing legal aid for displaced persons from Ukraine 171
- Section 3.10. Interpretation services 173
- 3.10.1. Access to interpretation 174
- 3.10.1.1. Improving access 174
- 3.10.1.2. Challenges in providing interpretation 174
- 3.10.2. Quality of interpretation 175
- 3.10.2.1. Enhancing quality 175
- 3.10.2.2. Raising the standards for interpretation services 176
- Section 3.11. Country of origin information 177
- 3.11.1. Improving methodologies and practices 177
- 3.11.2. Collaborating on accurate information 178
- 3.11.3. Increasing access to COI 179
- 3.11.4. Regions of focus 179
- 3.11.4.1. Medical country of origin information (MedCOI) 180
- 3.11.4.2. COI and the LGBTIQ community 181
- 3.11.4.3. Jurisprudence on COI 181
- Section 3.12. Statelessness in the context of asylum 182
- 3.12.1. Changing legislation and improving the situation of stateless asylum seekers and refugees 183
- 3.12.2. Stateless Palestinians 186
- 3.12.3. COI and statelessness 186
- Section 3.13. Content of protection 187
- 3.13.1 Granting international protection: Recognition rates at first instance 188
- 3.13.1.1. Breakdown by citizenship 189
- 3.13.1.2. Breakdown by country 190
- 3.13.1.3. Divergence in recognition rates 191
- 3.13.2. Building perspectives: Legal status and family reunification 192
- 3.13.2.1. National forms of protection 192
- 3.13.2.2. Review, cessation and revocation of international protection 193
- 3.13.2.3. Family reunification 194
- 3.13.3. Integration plans and their evaluation 197
- 3.13.3.1. Developing and updating integration strategies 197
- 3.13.3.2. Fostering cooperation among stakeholders 198
- 3.13.4. Supporting integration 199
- 3.13.4.1. Daily life and administrative procedures 199
- 3.13.4.2. Education and language learning 201
- 3.13.4.3. Employment 202
- 3.13.4.4. Housing 203
- Section 3.14. Resettlement and humanitarian admissions 205
- 3.14.1. National commitments for resettlement and humanitarian admissions 205
- 3.14.1.1. Annual pledging exercise 206
- 3.14.1.2. Implementing pledges 207
- 3.14.1.2.1. Data on resettlement activities in 2023 207
- 3.14.1.2.2. National developments and challenges 209
- 3.14.2. Complementary pathways for admission 210
- Community sponsorship programmes 212
- Section 4. Children and people with special needs in the asylum procedure 213
- 4.1. Comprehensive approaches to identify and support applicants with special needs 214
- 4.2. Protecting women and girls 215
- 4.3. Applicants with disabilities and special health needs 218
- 4.3.1. Identification of disabilities 218
- 4.3.2. Provision of information 219
- 4.3.3. Special procedural safeguards 219
- 4.3.4. Mental health conditions and needs in the asylum procedure 220
- 4.4. Providing protection and support to applicants with diverse SOGIESC 221
- 4.4.1. Case law related to SOGIESC applicants 223
- 4.5. Identifying and supporting victims of human trafficking 225
- 4.6. Children going through the asylum procedure 229
- 4.6.1. Data on unaccompanied minors 229
- 4.6.1.1. Applications for international protection by self-claimed unaccompanied minors 229
- 4.6.1.2. Citizenship of self-claimed unaccompanied minors 230
- 4.6.2. Legal representation for asylum-seeking children 231
- 4.6.3. Assessing the age of an applicant claiming to be a child 232
- 4.6.4. Rights of the child during the asylum procedure 233
- 4.6.5. Children in the reception system 234
- 4.6.6. Future perspectives for applicant children 237
- Box 6. Return of former applicants 239
- Section 5. EUAA support in 2023 242
- 5.1. Asylum knowledge 243
- 5.2. Training and professional development 245
- 5.3. Operational and technical assistance 246
- 5.3.1. Assessment of EUAA operational support in 2023 247
- 5.4. Third-country support 249
- 5.4.1. Assessment of the EUAA’s third country support in 2023 251
- 5.5. Protection of fundamental rights 251
- 5.6. Consultative forum and civil society organisations 252
- 5.7. Monitoring the implementation of CEAS 253
- 5.8. EUAA Presidency of the JHA Agencies Network 2023 253
- Concluding remarks 256
- References 258
- Reader’s guide 309
- Legal basis 309
- Qualitative information 309
- Quantitative information 310
- Accompanying products to the Asylum Report 2024 311
- Annex. Statistical tables 312
- Table A1. Number of asylum applicants in EU+ countries by reporting country and main citizenships, 2022-2023 312
- Table A2. Number of decisions at first instance in EU+ countries by reporting country and main citizenships, 2022-2023 313
- Table A3. Number of decisions granting refugee status at first instance in EU+ countries by reporting country and main citizenships, 2022-2023 314
- Table A4. Number of decisions granting subsidiary protection at first instance in EU+ countries by reporting country and main citizenships, 2022-2023 315
- Table A5. Recognition rate at first instance for selected citizenships (Top 30), 2022-2023 316
- Table A6. Withdrawn applications in EU+ countries by reporting country and main citizenships, 2022-2023 317
- Table A7. Pending cases at the end of the year in EU+ countries by reporting country and main citizenships, 2022-2023 318
- Table A8. Resettled persons in EU+ countries by reporting country and main citizenships, 2022-2023 319