On 3 December 2025 in Stockholm, the EMN Sweden Conference will gather stakeholders to discuss labour shortages and international talent attraction. The event will explore EU and national strategies to address these challenges and strengthen Europe’s competitiveness. Policymakers, experts and practitioners will exchange insights, good practices and new research findings.

The EMN Lithuania Conference will explore how labour migration and integration policies can be better aligned to address Europe’s evolving workforce needs. Bringing together policymakers, experts, and practitioners, the event will examine ways to build coherent and sustainable labour migration systems. Discussions will focus on fair treatment, inclusion, and long-term outcomes for migrants. The conference will highlight the importance of linking policy design with practical integration measures across the EU.

On 18 November, the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament reached an agreement on the creation of a platform designed to facilitate the recruitment of non-European workers. The “EU Talent Pool” will connect employers established in the EU with non-EU jobseekers in sectors where Member States face labour shortages. Participation in the Talent Pool will be voluntary for Member States, and the platform will remain free of charge for both jobseekers and employers.

The EMN Slovakia Conference will focus on how Slovakia can develop effective international partnerships to address labour shortages through fair and sustainable migration. The event will bring together policymakers, experts, employers, and migrant organisations from both EU and non-EU countries to share good practices in managing bilateral labour mobility. Key themes include protecting migrant workers, improving coordination, and ensuring that labour migration benefits all parties involved.

From 3 to 7 November 2025, the Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) conducted an evaluation visit to Belgium under the fourth cycle of its monitoring of the Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings. The evaluation focuses on vulnerabilities to trafficking, the measures taken to prevent and detect them, support victims, and sanction perpetrators, with particular attention to the role of information and communication technologies.

The EMN Cyprus National Conference aims to foster dialogue among policymakers, experts, employers, trade unions, and civil society to discuss how sustainable and effective migration policies can support labour market resilience. The event will serve as a platform to exchange experiences, showcase good practices, and develop practical guidance for national and EU-level policymakers.

On 20 October 2025, around 200 Belgian actors and European partners gathered to mark thirty years of the fight against human trafficking in Belgium, highlighting both the strengths of a multidisciplinary and specialised system based on collaboration and information sharing, and the ongoing challenges, such as limited resources, difficulties in securing compensation for victims, the protection of minors, and adapting to emerging forms of trafficking.

From 13 to 18 October, PAG-ASA organises a series of activities in Brussels as part of the Human Trafficking Awareness Week. The events aim to raise awareness of human trafficking, its impact on victims, and the Belgian protection framework. Activities include exhibitions, film screenings, and professional trainings. EMN Belgium attended one of the film screenings, reflecting on forms of labour exploitation and the challenges involved in assisting and upholding the rights of victims.

Over 70 specialists from 26 countries took part in a Europol-supported hackathon aimed at detecting online activities linked to human trafficking. The operation, led by the Netherlands with the support of Germany and the United Kingdom, identified over 30 potential victims and more than 30 suspected perpetrators. The Belgian authorities also took part in this fourth edition of the EMPACT Trafficking in Human Beings Hackathon, which targeted both sexual and labour exploitation online.

This conference aims to facilitate discussion among authorities and experts on labour migration and the response to labour market needs through sustainable and effective migration policies on a national and EU level. Selected institutions and experts will address the labour market trends and workforce needs in Cyprus and the EU, the challenges and opportunities of legal migration pathways for Cyprus, and EU best practices.

Belgian Ministers of Justice and Asylum and Migration, Annelies Verlinden and Anneleen Van Bossuyt, visited Albania and Kosovo on 6–8 October 2025. Their discussions addressed migration management, prison overcrowding, and bilateral cooperation in justice and security. Meetings involved national authorities and highlighted ongoing collaboration between Belgium and the two countries.

This conference will explore three main areas: national policies and victim protection across Member States, strategies to address new forms of trafficking and dismantle criminal networks, and perspectives on international cooperation tools related to security. The event will bring together policymakers, experts, and civil society to discuss these challenges. Participants will also hear about the EU Strategy on combating trafficking in human beings.

On 2 October 2025, EMN France brought together numerous French and European stakeholders to take stock of efforts to combat human trafficking at both national and European levels. The event provided an opportunity to identify emerging forms of trafficking and to examine international cooperation tools such as Common Operational Partnerships and EMPACT-coordinated actions.

The Flemish government has decided that third-country workers – from outside the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland – will follow a mandatory tailored integration trajectory from 2027. The initiative, proposed by Minister Hilde Crevits, will be delivered digitally and can be started in the country of origin or within six months of arrival in Flanders. The programme provides essential information on work, rights and responsibilities, and Flemish norms and values. Certain temporary or seasonal workers, students, and holiday-work participants are excluded.

The Presidency of the Council and European Parliament negotiators have reached a provisional agreement to enhance Europol’s role in supporting Member States against migrant smuggling and human trafficking. The deal focuses on improving information sharing and operational coordination at EU level. A European Centre Against Migrant Smuggling will be established within Europol. The agreement must still be formally approved by both the Council and the European Parliament.

Myria, the Federal Migration Centre, has published a thematic report on economic migration, free movement and students as part of its annual report "Migration in figures and rights 2025". The publication explains trends in labour migration and study-related mobility. It shows that labour migration from outside the EU has slightly decreased, the share of third-country nationals among temporary postings has continued to grow, and student numbers are increasing.

In the first half of 2025, West Flanders saw 72 transit migrants intercepted, a significant decrease compared with previous years. Most were from Ethiopia, while earlier periods involved people from Sudan, Iraq and Vietnam. Authorities cite preventive policing and cross-border controls as key factors.

The European Commission has formally established the Network for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse. This expert group will bring together policymakers, practitioners and researchers to tackle abuse both online and offline. Prevention efforts aim to protect children and address potential offending behaviour. The initiative forms part of the EU Strategy for a more effective fight against child sexual abuse.

The “Blue Heart” is recognised as the international symbol of the fight against human trafficking. On 28 July 2025, the Blue Heart Campaign was launched at Leuven City Hall. EMN Belgium joined local authorities, the three specialised centres for victims of human trafficking, Myria, the UNODC and many other stakeholders on this occasion. The theme of this year is “Human Trafficking is Organized Crime – End the Exploitation”.