On 7 and 8 October, the JHA Council held its 3260th meeting, discussing several topics, including the recent case of Lampedusa, the protection of Syrian refugees and freedom of movement.

Following the UN High-Level Dialogue on International Migration and Development on 3-4 October 2013, the Members of the General Assembly unanimously adopted a Declaration, recognizing the major relevance of international migration for the development of origin, transit and destination countries.

Every month, the Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless persons (CGRS) publishes a document providing the statistics on asylum applications and first instance decisions.

The European Asylum Support Office (EASO) has published its work programme for 2014, putting particular emphasis on the support to Member States' implementation of the recast asylum package and further development of the Early Warning and Preparedness System.

Today, 3 october 2013, the law of 2 June 2013 (published on 23 september 2013) has entered into force. The act amends the Civil Code, the Penal Code, the Judicial Code and the Aliens Act, to strengthen the fight against marriages and legal cohabitations of convenience.

The Migration Policy Institute has published a series of policy briefs that distill the accumulated evidence and experience on eight specific aspects of migration and development, and offer recommendations to policymakers.

On 30 September 2013, the Belgian EMN NCP organized a lunch debate to present and discuss on the outcomes of the recently published study "Attracting highly qualified and qualified third-country nationals". The national television showed up and covered the event in the one o'clock news.

On 30 September, the Belgian Contact Point of the EMN holds a lunchmeeting on attracting highly skilled and skilled third country nationals. A reflection is also launched ​​towards the future regionalization of labor migration policy.

EASO launched the September edition of the EASO newsletter. The newsletter provides an overview of recent EASO activities and outputs.

Today, 30 september, an Inter-Ministerial Conference on the application of the International Convention for the suppression of the traffic in persons and the exploitation of the prostitution of others, by the EU Member States, has taken place in Brussels, at the eve of it's 65th birthday.

As of today, you can access the new official EMN EU website. This move, together with a thorough review of its contents, leads to more visibility and the dissemination to a wider public of the network and of its activities and outputs.

At the Metropolis Conference in Tampere, September 13th, Cecilia Malmström, European Commissioner for Home Affairs, looked back to achievements accomplished and challenges still to be faced by the EU in relation to the Common European Asylum System.

Every month, the Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless persons (CGRS) publishes a document providing the statistics on asylum applications and first instance decisions.

Today the Belgian Contact Point of the EMN meets with representatives from KNOMAD, a World Bank Initiative, that aims to be a global hub of knowledge and policy expertise on migration and development issues. Discover the initiative with us!

The King Baudouin Foundation calls on young researchers, students or graduates to deliver a useful contribution to policy making in the area of migration and integration. Four persons will be rewarded for the work presented!

Today, two Laws which modify the asylum procedure (and the reception & public welfare centers laws) were published in the Belgian Official Gazette. The Royal Decree from 1981 and the Royal Decrees regulating the procedure before the IO and CGRS were also modified and published.

Every month, the Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless persons (CGRS) publishes a document providing the statistics on asylum applications and first instance decisions.

EASO launched the July/August edition of the EASO newsletter. The newsletter provides an overview of recent EASO activities and outputs.

Every month, the Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless persons (CGRS) publishes a document providing the statistics on asylum applications and first instance decisions.

Today, 1 July 2013, the "Law Program" from 28 June 2013 involving a number of changes for foreigners living in Belgium, enters into force. The political agreement on the Law was reached in the framework of discussions on the budget.

The President of the European Parliament, the President of the Council, with the support of the European Commission have just agreed on the Multiannual Financial Framework for the next seven years for the European Union.

At the occasion of the 13th Alliance against Trafficking in Persons Conference in Vienna, discussions focus on inequalities linked with migration and the labour market, that increase vulnerabilities to trafficking.

More than 100.000 asylum seekers were granted protection in EU Member States in 2012. More precisely, protection was granted to 102.700 asylum seekers in 2012, compared with 84.300 in 2011.

On 18-19 June 2013, governments and experts shared experiences in order to identify better ways to engage, enable and enpower diaspora communities and promote them as development actors.

The Irish EMN NCP explored how the economic crisis has affected immigrants, migratory flows and migration policies in Ireland, Europe and the wider international context.