EMN study on how EU Member States and EMN Observer Countries distribute accommodation centres for asylum applicants across their territory and how they cooperate with the local community.
EMN study, EMN NL two-pager | International protection
EMN study: ‘Distribution of international protection accommodation centres and relationship management with local communities’
25 September 2025
Study period – Up to February 2025
Participating EU Member States – Austria (AT), Belgium (BE), Bulgaria (BG), Cyprus (CY), Czechia (CZ), Germany (DE), Estonia (EE), Finland (FI), France (FR), Hungary (HU), Ireland (IE), Croatia (HR), Lithuania (LT), Luxembourg (LU), Latvia (LV), Malta (MT), the Netherlands (NL), Poland (PL), Sweden (SE), Slovakia (SK), Slovenia (SI), Spain (ES)
Participating EMN Observer Countries – Serbia (RS)
Background and scope
- In many countries, there are concerns about the settlement of asylum seekers and the (over)burdening of local communities. Distribution policy aims to regulate the distribution of asylum seeker accommodation centres across the territory of a country.
- Distribution policy is not only about the distribution of accommodation centres, but also about the allocation of resources and services. The policy pursued can have a significant influence. For example, if asylum seekers are mainly accommodated in smaller, rural areas, this poses additional challenges for service provision and integration.
- The study maps the distribution policies of EU Member States and EMN Observer Countries.
- The reactions of local stakeholders and community attitudes also influence the policy and the degree of integration. Therefore, the study also examines how the responsible authorities inform and involve local authorities, service providers and the general public before and after the opening of an accommodation centre in their community.
EMN publications
- EMN inform, ‘Distribution of international protection accommodation centres and relationship management with local communities’, September 2025
- EMN press release, ‘New EMN inform examines Distribution of International Protection Accommodation Centres and Relationship Management with Local Communities’, September 2025
EMN Netherlands publications
- EMN Netherlands two-pager, ‘De spreiding van asielopvanglocaties en samenwerking met lokale gemeenschappen’, September 2025
- News item, ‘Many European countries seek to distribute asylum reception, local resistance remains strong’, September 2025
