Malta ended 2023 with a backlog of 833 asylum application cases, The Asylum Information Database (AIDA) report has found.
"In 2023, Malta received a total of 600 new applications (491 first, 76 subsequent and 33 new) whilst it ended the year with a backlog of 833 cases. Of the top five countries of origin with applications in Malta, four are countries experiencing conflict or serious instability: Syria, Sudan, Libya and Ukraine. Of the total 951 decisions taken at First Instance, 488 were taken without a personal interview," the aditus Foundation said about the report.
"The Asylum Information Database (AIDA) is a database managed by the European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE), containing information on asylum procedures, reception conditions, detention and content of international protection across 23 countries. This includes 19 European Union (EU) Member States (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Germany, Spain, France, Greece, Croatia, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Slovenia) and 4 non-EU countries (Switzerland, Serbia, Türkiye, United Kingdom)," the aditus Foundation said.
At 'First Instance'; Malta had an overall protection rate of 27.9% (265 cases) 18 (1.9%) recognised as refugees, 241 (25.3%) granted subsidiary protection and 6 (0.6%) granted Temporary Humanitarian Protection, the aditus Foundation said.
Aditus said that for 'Second Instance' the International Protection Appeals Tribunal had recognised refugee status in 4 cases and granted subsidiary protection in 5 cases of the 595 decisions taken in 2023 of which 587 were decided with no oral hearing. It said that the appeal procedure is estimated to have an average duration of 452 days despite a 2022 judgement on the quality of Malta's accelerated procedure by the European Court of Human Rights.
Aditus explained that Malta maintained the procedure, criticised by practitioners as violating the MS' obligation to provide an effective remedy against all negative decisions. It said that 191 decisions were taken under Malta's accelerated procedure, which resulted in 2 being recognised as refugees, 1 being granted subsidiary protection whilst 188 were rejected.
Aditus said that access to detention centres and to detained asylum-seekers was a key challenge throughout 2023 with all organisations, including UNHCR and IOM, regularly-visiting the centres and boycotted the new Visitors Policy. It said that the NGOs argued that the new policy created unreasonable obstacles to their service-provision and impeded detained persons from obtaining independent information on their situations. It added that whilst the revised Visitors Policy was accepted by the NGOs, they remain concerned that detained applicants are being denied their rights to information and advice with independent monitoring of conditions being "virtually impossible".
Aditus said that The Human Rights Directorate launched a national consultation on Malta's second National Integration Policy and Action Plan with the published public consultation document containing a set of key principles that would underpin the second strategy and action plan, with a further set of questions to guide input. It said that The Malta Refugee Council provided detailed input in the name of its members. Aditus pointed out however that at the time of writing, Malta had not yet adopted the Integration Policy.