The Croatian Law Centre prepared the National Report on the Asylum System for 2023 as part of the project “Access to the territory of the Republic of Croatia – legal support and capacity building”, which is financially supported by UNHCR.
We highlight the most important events that marked the system of asylum and temporary protection in 2023, both at the national and European level, while more detailed information you may find in the report itself:
- After three years of negotiations, the European Parliament and Council reached a political agreement on the Pact on Migration and Asylum in December 2023. Final adoption of the Pact followed in spring 2024 after European Parliament’s adoption on 10 April and the Council’s adoption on 14 May.
- Starting 1 January 2023, Croatia joined the Schengen area and Eurozone. This led to changes in border crossings, including the removal of internal land and sea border controls with Croatia. Croatia now applies Schengen acquis provisions from Council Decision (EU) 2022/2451 in its interactions with other Member States.
- In September 2023, the European Council announced an extension of temporary protection for persons displaced from Ukraine, prolonging it from 4 March 2024 to 4 March 2025. Consequently, the Croatian Government implemented this decision, extending the duration of temporary protection until 4 March 2025.
- The Act on Amendments to the Act on International and Temporary Protection came into effect on 1 April 2023, representing a significant update in the national legal framework for both international and temporary protection.
- In 2023, the Republic of Croatia experienced a significant 37% increase in irregular entries compared to 2022. Additionally, there was a rise in the number of applicants for international protection compared to the previous year by 429%. A total of 68,114 individuals expressed their intention to apply for international protection. Regarding pushbacks, the Ombudswoman’s report for 2023 indicates a significant decrease in the number of filed complaints, continuing the trend observed in 2022, although with some increase towards the end of the year. Additionally, data from the Danish Refugee Council show that the number of reported pushbacks decreased by 4% in 2023 compared to 2022.
- Despite the large number of applicants for international protection recorded in 2023, the perception of Croatia as a transit country persisted, with 97% of applicants for international protection choosing to continue their journey to other European states. Notably, only 2.6% of the total applicants for international protection ultimately lodged an asylum application in Croatia, while numbers for 2022 show that altogether 21% of applicants lodged an application after expressing their intention to seek asylum.
- Regarding procedures conducted in compliance with the Regulation (EU) No. 604/2013 for establishing the criteria and mechanisms for determining the member state responsible for examining an application for international protection lodged in one of the member states by a third-country national or a stateless person (Dublin Regulation), in relation to the incoming transfers implemented, there was an increase of 437% compared to the year 2022, while outgoing transfers increased by 1100% compared to the year before.
- In 2023, only 50 individuals were granted asylum and two were granted subsidiary protection. When comparing the numbers of granted international protection statuses in 2022 and 2023, without taking into account the total number of applicants for international protection, it is evident that the number of granted international protection statuses in 2023 is 147% higher, than in previous year. Even though the recognition rate got higher than in the year before, it remains below the European average of 43%.
- Administrative courts had 13.5% more proceedings in administrative disputes regarding appeals in refugee status determination procedures compared to previous year. Number of High Administrative Court second instance appeals in those cases decreased by 10.5%.
- In 2023, there was a 154.5% increase in the number of children expressing an intention to seek international protection compared to 2022. Of the 12,150 children, 1,516 were unaccompanied, representing a 242% increase from the previous year.
- Within the system of temporary protection a significant decrease in the number of applications was noticed during last year, more precisely 75% less applications were submitted, with 4,956 persons who applied for temporary protection, in comparison to 2022 when 19,885 persons applied.
- The acceptance rate for applications submitted in both years was quite similar, 98% out of submitted applications in 2022 were approved, while for the applications submitted in 2023 that proportion was 95%.
- Figures regarding unaccompanied children show that by 31 December 2023, 534 children arrived in Croatia from Ukraine unaccompanied by a parent. However, the vast majority of these children recorded as unaccompanied indeed arrived with an adult caregiver, an arrangement formalised soon after their arrival, with the recognition of the caregiver as their guardian.
- In 2023, a slight increase, compared to 2022, in the number of persons granted temporary protection who decided to stay in a private arrangement was recorded. Only 6% were accommodated in reception and collective accommodation centres, 11% in a private accommodation subsidised by the State and 83% in a self-financed private accommodation, while the numbers for 2022 record 8% in reception and collective accommodation centres, 15% in a private accommodation subsidised by the State and 77% in a self-financed private accommodation.
- Civil society and international organisations implemented numerous activities aimed at improving the existing system, increasing the availability of services for individuals and their empowerment, expanding cooperation between the organisations themselves, raising public awareness and strengthening capacities of the key stakeholders. Furthermore, national authorities continued to develop the migration and international protection system in accordance with the acquis.
The Croatian Law Centre has been actively engaged in the Croatian asylum system since 2003 as an implementing partner of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Croatia (UNHCR) and systematically monitors the legislation and its application in practice in the field of asylum, on the basis of which, since 2010, national reports on the asylum system have been made. The report includes publicly available data and data submitted to the CLC by various public bodies, international organizations and civil society organizations, including data from the competent ministries submitted to the UNHCR.
The report is currently available in English.