Author
| Name in English | Number of staff as of March 2024 | Ministry responsible | Is there any political interference possible by the responsible Minister with the decision making in individual cases by the determining authority? |
| International Protection Agency (IPA) | 14 | Ministry for Home Affairs, Security and Employment | Yes |
The International Protection Agency (IPA) is the authority responsible for examining and determining applications for international protection at first instance.[1] The IPA is a specialised authority in the field of asylum. However, it falls under the Ministry also responsible for Police, Immigration, Correctional Services and National Security.
According to the IPA, at the end of 2024, the Agency had 14 officials responsible for examining applications, of which nine were also responsible for taking decisions. This is less than previous years, in 2020, the IPA employed 28 staff, among them 19 are caseworkers. Out of these, 5 were in charge of drafting decisions on asylum applications. At the end 2022, IPA had a total staff of 21 persons: 2 conducing first instance interviews and 4 taking decisions or making final recommendations.[2] According to the Home Affairs Ministry, by the end of 2023, the IPA was in the process of recruiting 25 new protection officers, with several already in place by December 2023.[3]
In a report published in July 2021, the National Audit Office noted that the IPA was lacking the capacity to expediently address the high number of outstanding applications for international protection and that EUAA’s input in this regard had been a critical factor to minimise application processing time.[4] The Follow-up Audit Report 2023 welcomed the IPA’s September 2023 call for 25 protection officers.[5]
Malta has received operational support by the EUAA since 2019. The 2022-2024 operational plan was amended in April 2022 and April 2023 to take into account the changes in the operational context and in light of the invasion of Ukraine and the decreased pressure to the Maltese asylum and reception systems.[6] The provided support included registration of asylum applications, vulnerability assessments, and first instance interviews and recommendations. It also included structural components, seeking to support the establishment of protocols, SOPs, and units in various entities.
Malta has received operational support by the EASO/EUAA since 2019. The 2022-2024 operational plan was amended twice in April 2022 and April 2023 to take into account the changes in the operational context, in light of the invasion of Ukraine and the decreased pressure to the Maltese asylum and reception systems.[7] In December 2024, the EUAA and Malta agreed on an operational plan for 2025-2026, with continued support for relocation.[8]
In 2024, the EUAA deployed 32 experts in Malta Operations,[9] mostly temporary agency workers (23). The majority of deployed experts were interim support caseworkers (4), interim support flow management support officers (3), quality assurance experts (3) and other supporting staff (e.g., caseworkers, interim support Dublin procedures assistants and interim support operations officer/field coordination, etc).[10]
As of 11 December 2024, there were a total of 2 EUAA experts in Malta operations, an operations officer and interim support operations officer/field coordination.[11]
In 2024, the EUAA delivered 5 training sessions to a total of 45 local staff members.[12]
[1] Article 4 International Protection Act.
[2] Information provided by the Ministry for Home Affairs via a Freedom of Information Request, on 24 March 2023.
[3] Information provided by Home Affairs Ministry in January 2024.
[4] National Audit Office, Performance Audit: Fulfilling obligations in relation to asylum-seekers, 7 July 2021, available at http://bit.ly/3CT0VeK, 72.
[5] National Audit Office, Follow-up Audit Report 2023, Volume II, November 2023, available at: https://tinyurl.com/3et2zzpr.
[6] EUAA, Operational Plan 2022-2024 agreed by the European Union Agency for Asylum and Malta, April 2023, available at: https://bit.ly/3uVutb7.
[7] EUAA, Operational Plan 2022-2024 agreed by the European Union Agency for Asylum and Malta, April 2023, available at: https://bit.ly/3uVutb7.
[8] EUAA, Operational Plan 2025-2026 agreed by the European Union Agency for Asylum and Malta, December 2024, available here.
[9] EUAA personnel numbers do not include deployed interpreters by the EUAA in support of asylum and reception activities.
[10] Information provided by the EUAA, 14 March 2025. In the figures above, the same persons may have been included under different profiles, if a change of profile took place in the course of 2024.
[11] Information provided by the EUAA, 14 March 2025.
[12] Information provided by the EUAA, 14 March 2025.