This report is part of the Commission's initiative to further reinforce the Schengen governance through a yearly reporting exercise presenting the state of Schengen, identifying challenges and best practices, as well as priority areas for action. The State of Schengen Report 2023 will serve as basis for political discussions and steer at the Council on 8 June 2023.

Myria has published the first thematic section of its 2023 annual report. This section entitled "Access to the territory" presents the main key figures relating to short and long-stay visas as well as the different reasons and nationalities that stood out in 2022.

Ahead of the Artificial Intelligence Act vote in the European Parliament, a coalition of human rights organisations is calling on EU lawmakers to include provisions in the proposed EU AI Act to protect people from AI surveillance technologies used in migration.

Several major challenges have affected the EU's external borders in recent years, including the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. These multiple challenges impacted figures and trends and urged policy developments which are clearly presented in a briefing released today by the European Parliament. 

Today, the Commission adopted a Communication that presents the strategic framework for European integrated border management (EIBM) for 5 years and a Recommendation to Member States on the mutual recognition of return decisions and expediting returns.

Today the upgraded Schengen Information System (SIS) enters into operation to enhance security and border management in Europe. The renewed SIS is being enhanced to include new categories of alerts, biometrics such as palm prints, fingermarks, and DNA records for missing persons, and additional tools to combat crime and terrorism.

The 2nd European Border Managament Conference was held in Athens on 23 and 24 February 2023. Participating Member States inter alia underlined the importance of effective control of EU's external borders and required legal, financial, operational and technical measures as well as a whole-of-the-route approach to ensure this.

People affected by the earthquake in Turkey and Syria who wish to travel to Belgium to receive support from their families will have their visa application handled faster.

The Commission is proposing two new Regulations to strengthen the use of advanced passenger information. The new rules, that will replace the 2004 API Directive, will enhance external border controls and the fight against serious crime and terrorism within the EU.

On 2 June 2021, the European Commission presented its new Schengen Strategy, which was accompanied by a proposal to revise the Schengen evaluation and monitoring mechanism.

Today, the Commission is expanding on the concept of controlled centres as well as short-term measures that could be taken to improve the processing of migrants being disembarked in the EU, and giving a first outline of the possible way forward for the establishment of regional disembarkation arrangements with third countries.

On the 31st of May and 1st of June, the Bulgarian Contact Point of the EMN - in the framework of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council - organized the EMN Annual Conference. The conference was dedicated to  challenges and success factors in managing migration flows. 

Today, the Belgian Minister of Home Affairs, the Belgian State Secretary for Asylum Policy and Migration met with the British Home Secretary in London to discuss the issue of transit migration.

Today, Frontex published its Risk Analysis for 2018, which concentrates on the scope of Frontex operational activities and, in particular, on irregular migration at the external borders of the EU and Schengen Associated Countries.

The system that will register entry, exit and refusal of entry information of third country nationals crossing the external borders of the Schengen area will come into operation, by 2020 at the latest.

On the 26th of October 2017 the general policy note on asylum and migration of the State Secretary for Asylum and Migration was published. The policy note provides an overview of the main achievements and priorities in the field of asylum and migration.

The European Commission published a mid-term review of what has been achieved so far in delivering the European Agenda on Migration. It also sets out new initiatives from the Commission to address key areas, and identifies where further efforts are needed in the coming months.

In order to preserve and strengthen the Schengen area, the Commission is proposing to update the Schengen Borders Code to adapt the rules for the reintroduction of temporary internal border controls to the current needs to respond to evolving and persistent serious threats to public policy or internal security.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM), published data on recent arrivals in Europe.  Compared with the 273,000 migrants who landed from January through Aug. 27, 2016, about 121,000 arrived during the same period this year. Furthermore, there was no evidence of any migrant dying in the Mediterranean since Aug. 9

Following up on the Commission's Action Plan to support Italy from 4 July, the EU Trust Fund for Africa adopted today a programme worth €46 million to reinforce the integrated migration and border management capacities of the Libyan authorities.

The European Commission is today recommending that Austria, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Norway phase out the temporary controls currently in place at some of their internal Schengen borders over the next six months.

On 18 March 2017, a regulation amending the Schengen borders code was published in the EU Official Journal. The amendment aims to reinforce checks against relevant databases at the external borders.

The Passenger Name Record (PNR) law has been adopted in Parliament in December 2016. It was published in the Belgian Official Gazette on 25 January 2017. On the basis of this law, carriers will be obliged to send data on their passengers travelling from, to, or across Belgium to a central database.