During the Justice and Home Affairs Council on 13 December 2024, Member States agreed on a proposal aimed at bringing their criminal law closer together on issues such as the definition and sanctioning of migrant smuggling. The text will now be used by the Council in “trilogue” negotiations with the European Parliament.

In London, the UK, Germany, France, Netherlands and Belgium, in the presence of the European Commission and its agencies, Europol and Frontex, agreed on a five-point priority plan to tackle irregular migration and migrant smuggling in 2025. Key priorities include targeting illicit financial flows that sustain smuggling networks and tackling organised crime groups' use of social media to recruit and advertise dangerous journeys across Europe and the Channel.

As of 9 December 2024, the Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons will temporarily suspend processing cases of applicants originating from Syria. Planned personal interviews will be cancelled and assessments will be temporarily put on hold.

The Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration has announced that she would use all possible means to reduce the number of applications from persons who already have protection in another EU Member State. She intends to oppose the Council for Aliens Law Litigation's rulings leading to the admissibility of these applications and the recognition of a protected status.

A man suspected of running an operation that supplied small boats and engines to human smugglers who were active in Belgium and northern France was arrested in the Netherlands. The 44-year-old Turkish national faces extradition to Belgium to face charges of human smuggling in the context of the activities of a criminal organisation.

The High-Level Committee on Resettlement and Humanitarian Admission held its first meeting on 7 November 2024. It will help the Commission define the EU’s two-year Plan that will determine the number of refugees to be admitted to the EU, and the countries and regions from which resettlements and humanitarian admissions should take place. 

From 2014 to 2023, Esperanto provided shelter and support to 156 foreign minors victims of human trafficking and/or aggravated smuggling. According to Myria, who analysed the figures, just over half of these 156 young people were victims of sexual exploitation or were forced to commit criminal acts.

Nicole de Moor said that applications relating to 859 persons have already been processed in accelerated procedure since February 2024. In 96 % of cases, applicants were not granted protection status. Ms de Moor wants to focus more on prevention to prevent people who do not need protection from applying for international protection in Belgium.

As of 24 October 2024, the centre for registering applications for international protection is located at rue Belliard 68 in 1000 Brussels. Applications can still be registered in the Pacheco building until Wednesday, 23 October 2024.

On the occasion of European Anti-Trafficking Day, the Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) has warned of the increased risk of human trafficking created by restrictive immigration policies and failure to address the vulnerabilities of migrants and asylum seekers.

On the occasion of European Anti-Trafficking Day on 18 October 2024, PAG-ASA organizes the third Human Trafficking Awareness Week in Brussels. A series of events is planned from 14 October until 18 October to give the wider public the opportunity to learn about the issue, better understand its impact on victims, and gain insight into the Belgian protection procedure.

Before 8 October 2024, public bodies or a public or non-public implementing agency or body of a Member State can apply for funding and submit their proposal to support the implementation of the Global Alliance to Counter Migrant Smuggling and its call to action to strengthen international cooperation on preventing and responding to migrant smuggling.

In a recent judgement in Case C‑134/23, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) clarified that Article 38 of Directive 2013/32/EU does not preclude legislation of a Member State designating a third country as generally safe for certain categories of applicants for international protection, even if that third country has suspended, in general terms and without any prospect of a contrary development, the admission or readmission of those applicants to its territory.

In a recent judgement, the Court of Justice of the European Union concluded that some of the discriminatory measures against women in Afghanistan, namely forced marriage and the lack of protection against gender-based violence and domestic violence, must be classified alone as "acts of persecution" and that other measures, taken as a whole, given their cumulative effect and the fact that they are applied deliberately and systematically, constitute such acts.

The Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGVS) announced on 2 October 2024 that the notification of decisions granting or refusing subsidiary protection status to applicants from Lebanon is suspended until the CGRS has sufficient objective information to assess the security situation in Lebanon.

On 1 October 2024, Nicole de Moor stated that proportionally speaking, more Palestinian applicants for international protection come to Belgium than to other European Member States. She also confirmed that the protection rate for Palestinian applicants had increased in recent years.

The European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) released the latest asylum trends for the first half of 2024. By June 2024, EU countries had received 513.000 applications for international protection. While the figure remained stable compared to the first six months of 2023, some changes occurred at the national level.

The current weather conditions increase the risk that human smugglers will send groups of transmigrants, including small children, out to sea in overcrowded rubber boats, often with inadequate life jackets. To avoid this, the West Coast police zone and the Federal Police require special attention for people who cross the Channel from the Belgian coast to the United Kingdom in small boats.

Before 21 August 2024, public institutions, private non-profit and international organisations may submit an application to receive funding under the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) for a project strengthening the identification, assistance, support, and integration of third-country national victims of trafficking in human beings.

While not a new phenomenon, the exploitation of workers employed in the nail industry has gained increased attention in recent years. Multiple reports point to this sector as being a target of choice for human trafficking and economic exploitation.