At the occasion of the IE EMN NCP conference in Dublin, a wide audience, including national policy makers and experts as well as representatives from the Commission and other NCPs, discussed protection challenges.

On Wednesday 5 December in the European Parliament, key stakeholders, including EU Anti-Trafficking Coordinator, Ms Vassiliadou, will comment on the realities of combating trafficking.

On 29th November in Paris, the French NCP organised a conference on the CEAS. The next day there was a EMN-Cluster Meeting on reception conditions for asylum seekers in the EU: "existing mechanisms and good practices”

The Justice and Home Affairs Council (JHA) achieved a Political Agreement on the Reception Conditions Directive, discussed recent developments in Syria and council conclusions were endorsed concerning the new EU strategy to combat human trafficking.

To mark the 6th EU Anti-Trafficking Day, the Cyprus EU Presidency and the European Commission are organising the conference 'Working together towards the eradication of trafficking in human beings: The Way Forward'

The Belgian Council of Ministers decided to provide a subsidy to finance prefabricated schools in Syrian refugee camps in Turkey. The assistance is provided in the framework of the policy on conflict prevention of Foreign Affairs.

In its latest annual report, published today, the Council of Europe’s anti-trafficking watchdog GRETA (Group of experts on action against trafficking in human beings) urges countries across the continent to step up the fight against human trafficking.

The European Parliament's Committee on Civil Liberties (LIBE) gave the green light to an agreement to recast the Reception Conditions Directive.

The law of January 19, 2012 introduced the concept of a “return track” for asylum seekers, a framework for individual counseling on return, offered by the Federal Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (Fedasil). New instructions implement this return track in the reception centres.

The Belgian Minister of Justice and the State Secretary for Immigration and Asylum have presented a new national action plan to combat trafficking in human beings and human smuggling to the Belgian Council of Ministers.

On 2 May, Representatives of the Parliament of the French community unanimously approved the reform of the reception and education of foreign newcomer children, improving and making "bridging classes" more flexible.

The annual report of the Federal Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (Fedasil) has been launced. Fedasil updates you on the voluntary return program that it runs as well as the reception situation and network in 2011.

On February 17,2012 the law of January 19, 2012: “Law for modification of the legislation regarding the reception of asylum seekers” was published.

Do human rights offer real protection? Does it help victims of human trafficking to define their case as a violation of human rights? Such questions will be examined and debated at the university of Antwerp on 19 January 2012.

The new Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration and for Social Integration, Maggie De Block (Open VLD) presented today her policy paper on reception in the Parliament.