According to the Latest Asylum Trends 2025 published by the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA), EU+ countries received approximately 822.000 applications for international protection in 2025, representing a 19 % decrease compared to 2024. Despite the overall decline, demand for protection remained significant in some groups and countries.

Four years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, Belgium has granted more than 101.500 temporary protection certificates to people fleeing the conflict. Today, around 70.600 of these displaced Ukrainians remain in the country. While the temporary protection scheme has been extended until March 2027, uncertainty remains over what will happen afterwards, raising questions for both the authorities and Ukrainian beneficiaries.

On 19 February 2026, EMN Belgium attended a Mutual Learning Seminar organised by ECRE (European Council on Refugees and Exiles) within the framework of the INNOVATE project, supported by EU funding under the Horizon 2020 programme.Held in Brussels, the seminar brought together experts, civil society representatives and policymakers to assess the state of preparedness across EU Member States for transitioning out of temporary protection under the Temporary Protection Directive, currently extended until March 2027.