| Description |
This Synthesis Report presents the main findings of the
2017 EMN Study Approaches to Unaccompanied Minors
Following Status Determination in the EU plus Norway. The
study covers the period 2014-2017, thereby following up
on previous EMN research on unaccompanied minors. It
may serve to inform further the approaches of EU Member
States plus Norway to the protection of unaccompanied
minors following status determination and to inform action on this at EU level.
Aim and scope of the study
The study aims to explore the situation of unaccompanied minors who have been granted a residence
permit or issued a return decision, and in turn, the
approaches established by (Member) States to their integration or (voluntary) return. The study also covers unaccompanied minors who cannot be returned immediately
and may be granted a temporary status, such as tolerated
stay, at least in some (Member) States. Any measures
taken by (Member) States with regard to disappearances
of unaccompanied minors from care facilities and/ or
following a return decision are also covered. The study
further highlights the special situation of those unaccompanied minors who are approaching the age
of 18 years and any transitional arrangements made by
(Member) States to support them. The situation of unaccompanied minors who are still in a status determination
procedure is also covered in some instances. To the extent
possible, the study also presents comparable data on the
scale of unaccompanied minors in the (Member) States at
present, as well as over time (2014-2017), supplementing
it with national statistics where available.
Scale of unaccompanied
minors in the EU
It is difficult to assess the scale of unaccompanied
minors in the EU. On the one hand, the number of unaccompanied minors seeking asylum in the EU increased
dramatically in 2015, reaching a total of 99 995 minors
(an increase of 315% in comparison to the previous year),
before returning to 31 975 in 2017. Germany, Sweden,
Italy, Austria and Hungary received the highest numbers of minors applying for asylum in the EU over the
2014-2017 period. The majority of these minors were
boys (89%). Most of them were between the ages of
16 and 17 years (65%), with only a small proportion
being less than 14 years old. The main countries of origin
of these minors in 2017 were Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq,
Eritrea and Somalia.
On the other hand, the number of unaccompanied minors
who arrived in the EU and did not seek asylum is unknown
– though limited data based on estimates in six (Member)
States of minors in this situation suggests that their number is at least 48 591 over the 2014-2017 period. There
is a general lack of comprehensive and comparable data
on the numbers of and outcomes both for non-asylum
seeking unaccompanied minors, and those minors seeking
asylum in the EU.
Statuses typically granted
to unaccompanied minors
by (Member) States
The majority of unaccompanied minors arriving in
(Member) States are granted refugee status or subsidiary protection, and (Member) States provide (temporary)
residence permits once a positive decision on the application has been taken.
Many (Member) States further grant national alternative
or temporary statuses to unaccompanied minors, which
are specific to each (Member) State, for example, a permit
to stay based on humanitarian or medical reasons, or a
form of individual protection for unaccompanied minors
who have been victims of trafficking.
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