10 Positive first instance decisions to applications for international protection per MS

Member States must process applications for international protection in accordance with all the principles and guarantees enshrined in the Asylum Procedures Directive, in particular its Chapters II and III. Once processed, applications for international protection are either granted or rejected, depending on whether the applicant qualifies or not for international protection under the EU Qualification Directive. Applications for international protection may also be declared inadmissible under the conditions enshrined in Article 33 of the Asylum Procedures Directive. Eurostat provides data on positive and negative first instance and final decisions on applications for international protection. First-instance decisions include applications for international protection, authorisations to stay for humanitarian reasons under Member States’ national law and decisions granted to persons who are subject to the Dublin Regulation (Council Regulation 604/2013/EC).It should be noted however that child applicant success rates at first instance differ widely across the Union, ranging from 69 % positive decisions at first instance in Ireland to 17 % positive decisions in Poland and Latvia in 2020, as shown in Figure 10. Only in the latter two Member States and Lithuania are success rates higher for adults than for children seeking international protection.