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.

The tragedy in Lampedusa prompted an unprecedented call for action by EU leaders and citizens. On 4 December, the Commission proposed ways to increase solidarity and mutual support in order to prevent migrants' death in the Mediterranean.

On 2 December the European Border Surveillance System becomes operational. EUROSUR will make an important contribution to saving lives and will also equip the EU and its Member States with better tools to prevent cross-border crimes and to detect and provide assistance to migrant boats in distress.

This panel debate will bring together experts, policymakers, and social partners involved in the management of labour migration to discuss the various options available to policymakers when trying to design an 'optimally balanced' labour migration policy.

On 19 November 2013, the University of Antwerp organises a day of lectures on "Developments in European, Belgian and Flemish labour migration law". The legal framework has recently been changed at European and national levels.

Today Deloitte announces the results of its 2013-2014 comparative immigration study. It shows that Belgium is one of the most attractive countries for highly skilled foreigners thanks to speed, cost and conditions.

On Wednesday 13 November 2013, Public Policy Exchange will host the 4th Annual International Symposium on Preventing Human Trafficking, in Brussels.

On 5 and 6 November, the Lithuanian EU Presidency hosted the EMN Annual conference. This edition focussed on the achievements and challenges of EU labour migration and the role of migration in the EU Agenda for Growth.

The Annual EMN Conference 2013 will address EU Labour Migration Policy. The Conference "The Agenda for Growth in the EU: Why Migration Matters" will take place in Vilnius, Lithuania.

The European Parliament and Council provisionally agreed on a draft directive that will manage temporary legal migration and ensure protection of workers from exploitation.

Today, 18 October 2013, three international anti-trafficking expert mechanisms called for a global response to fight the transnational scourge of trafficking in persons.

The Belgian National Contact Point of the European Migration Network (EMN) organises a lunchmeeting to present the results of the EMN-study on "Attracting Highly Qualified and Qualified Third-Country Nationals".

On 30 September 2013, the Belgian EMN NCP organized a lunch debate to present and discuss on the outcomes of the recently published study "Attracting highly qualified and qualified third-country nationals". The national television showed up and covered the event in the one o'clock news.

On 30 September, the Belgian Contact Point of the EMN holds a lunchmeeting on attracting highly skilled and skilled third country nationals. A reflection is also launched ​​towards the future regionalization of labor migration policy.

Today, 30 september, an Inter-Ministerial Conference on the application of the International Convention for the suppression of the traffic in persons and the exploitation of the prostitution of others, by the EU Member States, has taken place in Brussels, at the eve of it's 65th birthday.

At the occasion of the 13th Alliance against Trafficking in Persons Conference in Vienna, discussions focus on inequalities linked with migration and the labour market, that increase vulnerabilities to trafficking.