The annual report contains a complete overview of the asylum figures of 2020. It also focuses on the impact of COVID-19, on the functioning of the CGRS and on the international asylum context.

The annual report is available in Dutch and French in an online version and in PDF format.

The European Migration Network invites you to participate in a survey on one of its key products: the EMN Asylum and Migration Glossary.

In the second half of 2021 EMN Belgium will continue to provide input for multiple EMN outputs. This way EMN Belgium tries to contribute to an evidence-based migration and asylum policy in Belgium and the EU and Norway.

On 10 June 2021, the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) published its fundamental rights report that takes stock of the developments regarding fundamental rights in the EU in 2020. Additionally, FRA also published its opinions on these developments and added a synopsis of the evidence supporting these opinions.

Since the first publication of the European Migration Network (EMN) Asylum and Migration Glossary in 2010, it has been a valuable resource for practitioners, policy-makers and researchers in the field of migration and asylum. By harmonising EU asylum and migration terms, the EMN Glossary offers an EU-wide multidisciplinary vocabulary of terms and concepts, translated into over 20 languages. The latest version of July 2020 contains approximately 500 terms.

The year 2020 brought about unforeseen developments in the areas of migration and asylum. The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the number of migrants, asylum applicants and returns, and also acted as a catalyst for development of new digital solutions in asylum and migration management. These new challenges came in addition to persisting ones such as the need to continuously improve migration management systems and ensure the protection of refugees. The Annual Report on Migration and Asylum, published by the European Migration Network (EMN), provides an overview of the key developments in the EU Member States and Norway in 2020.

We are celebrating EMN Day! On 11 June we will launch the Annual Report on Migration & Asylum 2020, discussing ways to make migration management systems more effective and efficient. ? 11:00-13:00 CEST

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.

On 5 May 2021, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe adopted the Action Plan on Protecting Vulnerable Persons in the Context of Migration and Asylum in Europe (2021-2025) to increase cooperation among member states to protect the most vulnerable persons.

The Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS) launched asyluminbelgium.be. This new website provides information in nine languages about the asylum procedure in Belgium, tailored to the needs of asylum seekers. 

Georgia and Moldova have joined the EMN in March 2021 as observers. This will enhance mutual collaboration and understanding on asylum and migration.

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.

In December of this year, the Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons was asked by the Belgian government to carry out an independent enquiry on the fate of the Sudanese nationals who recently returned to their country of origin.

A the beginning of December 2017, the European Commission has published the common "Return Handbook". It provides Member States with common guidelines, best practices and recommendations to be used by Member States' competent authorities when carrying out return-related tasks. 

At the beginning of December 2017, IOM’s Global Migration Data Analysis Centre (GMDAC), jointly with the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) and with the guidance of GMDAC’s Advisory Board, developed the first global Migration Data Portal. The Portal aims to serve as a unique access point to timely and comprehensive migration statistics.

UNHCR is actively working to organize more life-saving refugee evacuations to Niger in the coming weeks and months, and calls for 1,300 resettlement places to be made available by the end of March 2018 for highly vulnerable refugees stranded in Libya.

Today, the Belgian Contact Point of the European Migration Network organized its national conference, which focused on the main developments in the field of migration and asylum that took place in Belgium in 2017.

Today the Commission adopted a new communication requiring immediate action from the EU and Member States to disrupt the modus operandi of traffickers, strengthen victims' rights and intensify EU internal and external efforts to provide a coordinated and consistent response.

Myria launches today the 8th edition of Myriatics. This edition sheds light on immigrations from foreigners to Belgium. It reflects inter alia on the position of EU-28 citizens within total immigrations to Belgium, as well as on the increasing importance of Syria as country of origin of immigrants to Belgium.

On Wednesday afternoon in Brussels, Theo Francken, State Secretary for Asylum Policy and Migration, as well as the President of the Community of Sant'Egidio in Belgium and the representatives of the recognized cults in Belgium launched together a humanitarian corridor to accommodate 150 Syrian asylum seekers in optimal conditions.

Today an amending regulation came into force, establishing a new common design and enhanced security features for residence permit cards in the EU.

The Global Conference on Cities and Migration was held on 16-17 November 2017 in Mechelen, Belgium. Local and regional actors requested to be recognized as key actors in migration management and policy making.

Belgium has made progress in a number of areas to combat human trafficking and has managed a considerable number of convictions of perpetrators. Improvements are expected inter alia to enhance the identification of child victims and prevent the disappearances of unaccompanied children. 

A joint European Migration Network & OECD event exploring the topics of family migration and illegal employment took place in Brussels on 9 November 2017.

As of 2 November 2017, family members of foreign nationals who obtained a long term resident status in another Member State and reside in Belgium will not have to obtain a work permit if the long term residents themselves do not require such a permit.