Background:

Following up on a previous ad hoc query from Poland, the EMN National Contact Point for Latvia launched this query to determine how Member States plan to revise their age assessment procedures to align with the multidisciplinary approach mandated by Article 25 of Regulation (EU) 2024/1348. This regulation stipulates that when doubts exist regarding an applicant's minority, authorities must undertake a multidisciplinary assessment, including a psychosocial evaluation by qualified professionals, rather than relying solely on physical appearance or medical methods.

Respondents: 

23 EMN Member Countries (included BE) provided a public answer to this ad hoc query. 

Findings:

A preliminary analysis of the results of the ad hoc query shows that:

• The vast majority of responding EMN Member Countries plan to or have already adapted their procedures to ensure compliance with the multidisciplinary requirements of the Pact on Migration and Asylum. This includes AT, BE, BG, HR, CY, EE, FI, DE, EL, IT, LV, LT, LU, MT, NL, SK, and SI. Only a few EMN Member Countries (CZ, HU, ES) do not plan changes, as they consider their existing frameworks already compliant with the multidisciplinary approach. 
   
• BE is establishing a comprehensive new procedure, effective 12 June 2026, which shifts competence for age assessment of asylum applicants to the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS). The BE model follows a clear four-step process: (i)  an initial analysis by the Immigration Office to determine if "manifest doubt" exists, (ii) a face-to-face evaluation interview conducted by a specialised CGRS case worker in the presence of a guardian, (iii) if doubt persists, a multidisciplinary investigation by a committee of three experts (e.g., ethnopsychologists, socio-cultural anthropologists, or pedagogues) who provide independent advice based on the file, (iv) a medical "triple test" is used strictly as a last resort. 

• Several EMN Member Countries are specifically introducing psychosocial assessments as an intermediate step to replace or precede medical testing. In AT, a psychosocial assessment will now be conducted prior to any medical diagnosis. Similarly, DE is recruiting new professionals (psychologists and social workers) to conduct psychosocial interviews, and LU is introducing a psychosocial stage to be completed before deciding if medical exams are necessary. 
   

• Multidisciplinary teams across EMN Member Countries typically involve a diverse range of professionals. In IT, the team includes a pediatrician, a child psychologist or neuropsychiatrist, and a social worker. MT utilises a panel of three professionals, including social workers and counsellors, who use a specific "Age Assessment Tool" updated with support from the EUAA. 
   

• While meetings with applicants are generally face-to-face, the final evaluation is often collective. In LT, social workers, psychologists, and doctors act individually in stages, but an Age Assessment Commission reviews the results collectively after each step to decide if the procedure should continue. FI and DE also emphasise that decisions are taken collectively without giving automatic priority to any single piece of evidence. 

For further details, please read the compilation of answers attached above.