EMN inform: ‘Early integration of applicants for international protection’

EMN study on early integration policies for applicants for international protection in EU Member States and EMN Observer Countries.

Study period – Up to and including February 2026
Participating EU Member States – Austria (AT), Belgium (BE), Bulgaria (BG), Cyprus (CY), Czechia (CZ), Germany (DE), Estonia (EE), Greece (EL), 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 – Serbia (RS); Ukraine (UA)

Background and scope

• According to the mid-term evaluation of the EU Action Plan on Integration and Inclusion 2021–2027, early investment is essential to support the long-term integration of applicants for international protection. Articles 17 and 18 of the Reception Conditions Directive (2024/1346) under the Pact on Migration and Asylum address this, for example by providing early access to the labour market, language courses and vocational training.
• The main change introduced by the Pact is the reduction of the waiting period for access to the labour market from nine to six months (or even earlier) for applicants for international protection whose applications are likely to be successful.
• While integration policies for beneficiaries of international protection are well documented, countries rarely record or monitor integration measures provided during the asylum procedure and reception.
• This study maps policies on the early integration of applicants for international protection. It focuses on measures that promote integration and self-reliance at an early stage, before a final decision on an application for international protection has been taken.

Publications EMN

• EMN inform, ‘Early integration of applicants for international protection’, 31 July 2026
• EMN press release, 'New EMN inform examines early integration of applicants for international protection', 31 July 2026

Publications EMN Netherlands

• Expected in September 2026: two-pager of EMN Netherlands comparing the Dutch policy with the policies of other European countries