On 19-20 March 2015, the Latvian Contact Point of the EMN, under the auspices of the Latvian Presidency of the European Council, organizes the EMN Conference on "Attracting and Retaining Talent in Europe".

On Sunday, 15 March the project on Smart Borders Pilot reached the next milestone - the execution phase – in Lisbon Airport, Portugal.

The European Commission's Directorate General for Migration and Home Affairs has decided to set up a temporary informal expert group on economic migration, and is therefore calling for applications to select members of this group.

On 20 January, the Belgian Association for foreigners’ rights organizes a training on the topic “What protection for seriously ill persons following M’Bodj and Abdida case-law?”.

The last update of reference amounts for the crossing of the external borders has been published in the EU Official Journal on 13 December 2014. Belgium’s requirements are outlined.

This meeting will discuss the dynamics by which migrants get stuck in low-skilled work, and the role of training and employment services in helping them progress in their occupations.

On 11 November 2014, the European Commission has released its 6th bi-annual report on the functioning of the Schengen area covering the period from 1 May to 31 October 2014.

Eurostat published data on first residence permits issued to non-EU nationals. A residence permit represents an authorization issued by the competent authorities of a country allowing third-country national (non-EU citizens) to stay legally on its territory.

The joint European Commission-OECD report on Matching Economic Migration with Labour Market Needs shows that migration and mobility have a key role to play to address demographic decline and skills shortages in the EU.

On 4 September 2014, the Court of Justice of the European Union issued a case-law concerning the interpretation of the Regulations establishing the Schengen Borders Code (2006) and the Visa Code (2009)

2013 statistics on enforcement of immigration legislation have been released by Eurostat in September 2014.

Fragomen organizes a training session to explore the latest information on business immigration into Belgium.

The ICT Directive enters into force today 28 May 2014. Member States shall transpose the Directive by 29 November 2016.

The Commission reports to the European Parliament and the Council on the application of the EU Blue Card Directive. It assesses the attractiveness of the EU Blue Card and examines how measures were enacted in national legislation.

The Commission presented two proposals today to greatly facilitate the procedures for short-stay visitors. Important changes in the visa rules aim to stimulate the European economy and facilitate the lives of travellers towards the EU.

Following the vote in the European Parliament on 5 February 2014, today the Council formally adopted a new Directive on third-country national seasonal workers. Member states will need to transpose the directive within two and a half years after publication in the Official Journal.