On 26 November 2024, the European Commission launched a new programme to support a Talent Partnership between the EU and Pakistan. The programme, that is funded with EUR 3 million from the EU, will enable the EU, its Member States, and Pakistan to develop a coherent set of actions on labour mobility and skills development.

This conference is dedicated to exploring how to maximize the benefits of external cooperation in the field of migration. A wide range of national and international experts, including policymakers from EU and non-EU countries, practitioners and researchers, will engage in discussions around the challenges and components of effective migration partnerships, exploring opportunities for balanced as well as comprehensive cooperation and innovative approaches.

On 21 October 2024, the European Ombudsman closed her inquiry on respect for human rights in the context of the EU-Tunisia Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). She concluded, inter alia, that the Commission should set out the criteria on which the suspension of contracts due to violations of human rights in the implementation of EU-funded projects in Tunisia would be based. These criteria should be made public.

Fifteen European countries plead with the European Commission to go beyond the New Pact on Migration and Asylum. They push for comprehensive, mutually beneficial and durable partnerships with third countries located along the migratory routes. They also want to inter alia explore solutions aimed at rescuing migrants on the high seas and bringing them to a predetermined place of safety in a partner country outside the EU.

On 2 May 2024, President von der Leyen was with Cypriot President Christodoulides in Beirut to announce a financial package of EUR 1 billion for Lebanon to contribute to the country's socio-economic stability and to migration management. The deal has already received criticism from various quarters.

During the first half of 2024, pivotal policy and political developments in the area of asylum and migration were put on the agenda, including the voting of the New Pact on Migration and Asylum by the European Parliament, and the European elections. At this critical juncture, there is a need for credible evidence, established expertise and open dialogue on the direction and shape of future policymaking. Within this context, MIGNEX is convening a high-level Policy Conference on EU migration and development policy.

At the request of the European Ombudsman, an inquiry was launched into the European Commission's approach to ensuring respect for human rights in the EU-Tunisia Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) “on a strategic and global partnership”. This inquiry follows concerns about the absence of a prior human rights impact assessment in the context of the Memorandum.

In a joint Declaration signed in Cairo on 17 March 2024, the Arab Republic of Egypt and the European Union agreed to elevate their relationship to the level of a strategic and comprehensive partnership. The document identifies specific areas of cooperation, including migration and mobility.

EMN Serbia, which newly joined the European Migration Network as an Observer Country in March 2023, organises its first national conference. The conference will focus on circular migration schemes and diasporas moving back to their countries of origin. 

The Ombudsman is asking whether the Commission conducted a human rights impact assessment before signing the agreement, if periodic reviews will be conducted during implementation, and if there are criteria for suspending funding in case of human rights violations.

The European Migration Network (EMN) Glossary is an essential resource, which offers an EU-wide multidisciplinary vocabulary of approximately 500 terms and concepts related to asylum and migration. Let's focus today on the term "environmentally displaced person" to make sure we have a common understanding and use of the term!

Today EMN Belgium visited Enabel partners to discuss themes and activities of common interest. Both the EMN Belgium team and the Enabel staff members in charge of human mobility and of strategic partnerships look forward to working together even more closely in the future.

The European Migration Network (EMN) Glossary is an essential resource, which offers an EU-wide multidisciplinary vocabulary of approximately 500 terms and concepts related to asylum and migration. Let's focus today on the term "displaced person" to make sure we have a common understanding and use of the term!