In August 2021, a temporary suspension of decisions for applicants from Afghanistan was decided. At the beginning of October, this suspension was extended to 15 November 2021. Like other EU countries, we did not have all the necessary information about the situation in Afghanistan.
In the meantime, we have collected more information.
By the end of January 2022, the temporary suspension of the assessment of the subsidiary protection status will be lifted. From February onwards, decisions will again be taken for Afghan applications in which a personal interview has already taken place but for which no decision has yet been taken.
The current policy will remain in place for the next few weeks:
The processing of applications (the organisation of personal interviews) will continue as usual.
The following decisions can be taken:
- granting of refugee status;
- decisions of inadmissibility for persons with a protection status in another EU member state.
Are suspended as a general rule:
- the assessment of subsidiary protection status. This concerns the following decisions:
- granting of subsidiary protection status;
- refusal of refugee status and subsidiary protection status.
- the notification of inadmissibility decisions for subsequent applications. In the case of subsequent applications, each case is checked on the presence of relevant new elements. If such elements are present, a decision of admissibility will be taken. However, for the time being, no decisions of inadmissibility will be notified.