The EU Asylum Agency to assist the International Protection Appeals Tribunal with an increasing appeal caseload.
The European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) is an agency of the European Union mandated with supporting Member States in applying the package of EU laws that governs asylum, international protection and reception conditions, known as the Common European Asylum System (CEAS).
The EUAA Regulation allows Member States to request operational support from the Agency when their asylum or reception systems come under pressure.
Ireland has also opted into the relevant instruments of the Pact on Migration and Asylum and is benefiting from significant financial support under the Technical Support Instrument (TSI) to assist in the implementation of the Pact in June 2026.
The Irish government yesterday announced that Ireland has signed an Operational Plan with the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) that aims to assist the International Protection Appeals Tribunal (IPAT) with processing appeals lodged against first instance decisions.
Ireland, like other EU Member States, saw an increase in applicants for international protection over the last years, with numbers increasing from 2,649 in 2021 to 18,561 in 2024. This increase has significantly impacted the appeal system, with around 15,929 cases pending appeal at the end of September 2025. In 2025, as of October 5th, 10,836 International Protection Appeals have been accepted.
This agreement with the EUAA for further supports is seen as a welcome addition and will help to speed up the decision timeframes in the Tribunal, ultimately resulting in reduced time frames for appeals.
Under the agreement, up to 30 EUAA personnel will be deployed to support the Tribunal’s work. This work includes preparing appeal files, conducting research on country-of-origin information and international protection jurisprudence, and providing interpretation in difficult-to-source languages.
The plan will be valid until December 31st 2026 and will allow the Tribunal to make best use of its resources while introducing new structures and processes required under the Pact.
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