EU Agency for Asylum - EUAA

This June, the EUAA brought together Member States through their designated National Contact Points to the Operational and Technical Assistance (OTA‑NCP) Network to strengthen cooperation on asylum and reception support across the EU🇪🇺

The OTA-NCP Network connects EU Member States and the EUAA to exchange on the Agency’s operational and technical assistance in the field of asylum and reception.

Two key meetings took place:
📌 Technical Working Group (17 June): Focused on governance, planning, and future developments of the Network.
📌 Operational and Technical Assistance National Contact Points Plenary Meeting (18-19 June): Brought together Member States and the EUAA to discuss operational updates with a focus on strengthened governance as well as on improving the planning and coordination of operational and technical assistance.

Strengthening alignment with EU asylum standards and preparing for the future implementation of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum were the key topics of the EUAA workshop with Western Balkan partners, earlier this month.

Discussions covered key elements of the new framework, including border procedures, access to asylum, legal counselling, and accelerated procedures. The aim was to support practical understanding and preparedness across the region as part of the EU accession process.

The EUAA considers the workshop to mark the beginning of a longer process of sharing experiences, practices, and lessons learned with Western Balkans partners.

These discussions took place during a regional workshop in Malta on the Asylum Procedure Regulation (APR), held under the Bosnia and Herzegovina Presidency-in-Office of the Migration, Asylum and Refugee Regional Initiative (MARRI).

EUAA staff gathered this week to mark two important milestones: the entry into application of the Pact on Migration and Asylum 🇪🇺 last week and the Agency’s15th anniversary this year 🎉

As part of the EU’s whole-of-route approach to migration and asylum, the EUAA works with partner countries in the Southern Neighbourhood to help strengthen asylum capacity, build expertise and promote protection standards along key migration routes.

This week, the third activity under the Regional Protection Support for the Southern Neighbourhood (RPSN) project brought together 50 practitioners from North African partner countries and EU Member States in The Hague 🇳🇱, with the support of the Dutch Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) and the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND).

Over three days, participants exchanged experiences and practical approaches into identifying and responding to the needs of vulnerable applicants for international protection, with a focus on referral mechanisms, special reception needs and procedural safeguards.

Why does this matter?💡

Early identification of vulnerabilities is essential to ensuring that applicants receive the support, safeguards and reception conditions they need throughout the asylum process. By strengthening capacities and facilitating cooperation between practitioners across Europe and North Africa, the activity contributes to more effective, protection-sensitive and rights-based asylum systems.

📘 The EUAA Quarterly Overview of Asylum Case Law is now available.

This publication includes recent asylum-related judgments from the Court of Justice of the European Union, the European Court of Human Rights, and national courts, covering the period March to May 2026.

This overview covers:
🔹Detention in the context of return and cooperation arrangement
🔹Reception conditions and capacity constraints
🔹Family reunification for transgender refugees
🔹Assessment of security situations in Afghanistan, Lebanon, Pakistan, Iran, South Sudan, Syria, and Sudan

The overview supports legal practitioners and policymakers by providing a clearer understanding of evolving asylum case law and the application of asylum standards across Europe.

Read more: https://www.euaa.europa.eu/publications/quarterly-overview-asylum-case-law-10

Today in Malta, the EUAA and the European Union Drugs Agency - EUDA launched a joint training initiative to strengthen the capacity of the reception staff to identify and respond to safety and health risks, including substance use among people seeking international protection. Developed together by the two agencies, the training promotes evidence-based practices, ensuring full respect for fundamental rights.

By working together through the Justice and Home Affairs Agencies’ Network (JHAAN), EU agencies can deliver coordinated and informed support where it is needed most. This collaboration reflects the approach, bringing together expertise from different sectors to help create safer reception environments and more resilient communities across Europe.

Learn more about the JHAAN Presidency and upcoming activities: https://www.euda.europa.eu/activities/jha_en

Today, the EUAA Management Board has unanimously elected Mr. Malcolm Cutajar, Ambassador for Migration and Director General responsible for Migration at Malta’s Ministry of Home Affairs and Security, as Deputy Chair of the Board.

Mr. Malcolm Cutajar's election reflects his extensive experience in migration management. He previously served as Assistant Commissioner at Malta’s Office of the Refugee Commissioner, then as Deputy Chief Executive Officer and later Chief Executive Officer of the International Protection Agency Malta (IPA). In May 2026, he became Malta’s primary representative on the EUAA Management Board.

The EUAA looks forward to working with Mr. Malcolm Cutajar in his new role and to continuing its close cooperation with all Management Board members in support of the Common European Asylum System.

On 30 June, the EUAA’s frontline operational activities in the Netherlands will come to a successful conclusion, marking more than four years of close cooperation with the Dutch authorities.

On 15 June, representatives of the EUAA, the Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security, and the management of the Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) met in The Hague to reflect on the achievements and lasting impact of the Agency’s support. Since May 2022, the EUAA has been actively supporting the national reception system by deploying experts at Ter Apel first-line reception centre and across certain second-line reception centres for unaccompanied children. The support included the design and delivery of psychoeducational activities, case management, development of tools and capacity building, among others.

In addition, in 2024 the Agency implemented a six-month long initiative called Project Expedited Processing Asylum Claims (PEPAC), supporting the national asylum authorities in processing asylum interviews.

In coordination with the authorities, the EUAA is now phasing out its operational support, leaving behind stronger knowledge, enhanced technical expertise and a more sustainable, resilient reception system in the Netherlands.