How do other EU Member States, and Georgia, recognise diplomas obtained in third countries? This ad hoc query, that Belgium launched in July 2022, focused on the (i) institutional landscape for diploma recognition throughout Europe, (ii) the role of Public Employment Services in this recognition and (iii) best practices that the responding States wanted to share regarding their diploma recognition practices, specifically in the context of the Ukrainian crisis. 20 countries answered the query.

This ad hoc query mainly collects information on calculation methods used to determine the necessary reception capacity for applicants for international protection and on the flexibility measures developed in case of shortage or surplus. It also examines how EMN Member and Observer Countries organise the outflow of beneficiaries of international protection and rejected applicants for international protection to housing and other forms of accommodation.

What bilateral readmission agreements exist between EU Member States, Norway and third countries to facilitate the return of migrants staying irregularly on the EU territory? This EMN inform aims to map these agreements and understand how they work.

How do Member States regulate the mobility and residence of persons already granted international protection status in another Member State? What are the applicable rules for transfer of responsibility of a beneficiary of international protection?
 

The Country Factsheet provides a brief summary of the main developments in migration and international protection in Belgium in 2021, including the latest statistics.

Do Member States grant access to the labour market to family members of international students and, if so, to which family members and under which conditions? This ad hoc query launched by Belgium shows that policies and practices in this matter still vary among Member States.

What incentives and motives exist that impact a third-country national’s decision to depart voluntarily? This EMN inform focuses on the issue of voluntary departures from EU Member States and Norway, in compliance with - or in anticipation of - a return decision.

This inform provides information related to the implementation of the Temporary Protection Directive, triggered in response to the refugee crisis causes by Russia's invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022. 

What are the challenges migrants face in accessing mental health services, and how are Member States addressing them? This inform maps the policies in place to help legally-residing migrants access mental health services.

The EMN annual report on asylum and migration provides an overview of the major developments in the field of migration and asylum in Belgium and in the EU in 2021.

The 38th edition of the EMN Quarterly (known before as Bulletin) provides up-to-date information on recent migration and international protection policy developments at EU and national level. 

Did Member States suspend decision-making on applications for international protection from Afghan nationals when the Taliban took over the control of Afghanistan in August 2021? This ad hoc query launched by Belgium examines the nature and consequences of such suspension in terms of hearings, protection statuses etc.

Trafficking in human beings is a crime against the victim’s fundamental rights. It can take several forms, such as sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery and servitude-related practices, as well as the removal of organs. This practice is prohibited under numerous EU and international instruments. Yet, persistent demand for sexual services and for low-wage workers employed in manual jobs continues to provide opportunities for traffickers to exploit human beings.

On 25 April 2022, the EMN published its inform on attracting and retaining international researchers, which provides an overview of the means adopted by Member States to enhance attractiveness for international researchers, as well as the main challenges and best practices that they encountered to admit and retain them.  

The use of migration as a weapon of sorts by states and non-state actors for reaching their various goals has increased. The aim of the present study is to raise awareness among readers by creating a conceptual framework for the “weaponization of migration,” a phenomenon that has not been sufficiently studied academically yet.

The 37th edition of the EMN Quarterly (previously named Bulletin) provides up-to-date information on recent migration and international protection policy developments at EU and national level.