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EMN inform | International protection

EMN inform: ‘Alternatives to providing housing in kind for applicants for international protection’

11 June 2026

EMN research into alternatives to physical reception accommodation for applicants for international protection in EU Member States and EMN Observer Countries.

Study period – Up to and including October 2025
Participating EU Member States – Austria (AT), Belgium (BE), Bulgaria (BG), Cyprus (CY), Czechia (CZ), Germany (DE), Estonia (EE), Spain (ES), Finland (FI), France (FR), Croatia (HR), Hungary (HU), Ireland (IE), Italy (IT), Lithuania (LT), Luxembourg (LU), Latvia (LV), the Netherlands (NL), Poland (PL), Sweden (SE), Slovenia (SI), Slovakia (SK)
Participating EMN Observer Countries – Norway (NO); Serbia (RS)

Background and scope

  • European standards for the reception of asylum seekers apply in all EU Member States (see the recast Reception Conditions Directive 2013).
  • The European reception conditions cover, amongst other things, housing. Under the Directive, instead of providing housing in the form of reception accommodation, an EU Member State may also offer alternatives, for example in the form of financial allowances.
  • This study examines whether EU Member States and EMN Observer Countries offered alternatives to the provision of housing to asylum seekers between 2020 and 2025. The requirements and circumstances of any alternative arrangements are also addressed.
  • The study aims to highlight innovative solutions in various EU Member States and EMN Observer Countries that comply with the requirements of Directive 2013/33/EU.

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Written By Sandra Murmans