On 5 December, the Council of the EU adopted unanimously a regulation, introducing a suspension and reciprocity mechanism in the Council Regulation, listing the third countries whose nationals must be in possession of visas to enter the EU.

On 2 December the European Border Surveillance System becomes operational. EUROSUR will make an important contribution to saving lives and will also equip the EU and its Member States with better tools to prevent cross-border crimes and to detect and provide assistance to migrant boats in distress.

Today 2 December 2013, the European Border Surveillance System (EUROSUR) becomes operational. EUROSUR should allow Member States to react much faster to any incidents concerning irregular migration and cross-border crime or relating to a risk to the lives of migrants.

On 26 November 2013 the first edition of the Flemish Migration and Integration Monitor has been presented. The report joins and interprets administrative and statistical data on migratory and integration processes in Flanders.

The Court refined its case-law on the application of the Dublin Regulation, judging on the responsability of a Member State to examine an asylum application, in case of impossible transfer of the applicant.

Today Deloitte announces the results of its 2013-2014 comparative immigration study. It shows that Belgium is one of the most attractive countries for highly skilled foreigners thanks to speed, cost and conditions.

The UN Committee against Torture (CAT) expressed both positive and negative observations on Belgium, following the examination of the third periodic report on Belgium.

On 14 November 2013, Maggie De Block, Annemie Turtelboom and Joëlle Milquet have approved a new measure in the fight against marriages of convenience, that should tackle 'shopping' between municipalities.

On 14 November, Maggie De Block, Annemie Turtelboom and Joëlle Milquet have launched a new campaign in the fight against relations of convenience. Victims are supported and stimulated to actively contribute to fight this phenomenon.

On 14 November, the European Court of Human Rights condemned Belgium in the case of M.D. v Belgium for infringing the right to an effective remedy on short delay, as captured in Article 5 §4 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

On 7 November, the European Court of Justice judged that homosexual applicants for asylum can constitute a particular social group who may be persecuted on account of their sexual orientation.

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.

On 5 and 6 November, the Lithuanian EU Presidency hosted the EMN Annual conference. This edition focussed on the achievements and challenges of EU labour migration and the role of migration in the EU Agenda for Growth.

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

The European Parliament and Council provisionally agreed on a draft directive that will manage temporary legal migration and ensure protection of workers from exploitation.

On 25 October 2013 the Belgian National Contact Point of the European Migration Network organised a conference on the reception of asylum seekers in Belgium and the EU.

Starting from today, 18 October 2013, a new definition of "short stay" and another method of calculating the period of short stay, must be applied by all EU Member States.

Today, 18 October 2013, three international anti-trafficking expert mechanisms called for a global response to fight the transnational scourge of trafficking in persons.

The Members of the European Parliament approved the operating rules of Eurosur, a communication network that enables Member States to share real-time images and data on development at the EU's external borders.

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.