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. 

On 5 November, the LIBE Committee questioned Magnus Brunner, the Austrian candidate for the Internal Affairs and Migration portfolio. Brunner committed to speeding up the implementation of some elements of the New Pact on Migration and Asylum and showed himself open to considering new ideas to complement it. He also announced that he would table a new Return Directive and strengthen legal pathways to attract the skills that EU labour markets need. 

Fedasil announced that it can temporarily make use of centres in Bredene (Flanders) and in Theux (Wallonia) to accommodate applicants for international protection until March 2025. Both sites have already been used by Fedasil in the past, each time for a period of a few months. 

France notified that controls would take place at its borders with Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, the Swiss Confederation, Italy, and Spain (land, air, and sea) from 1 November 2024 until 30 April 2024. Similar checks were already underway between 1 May 2024 and 31 October 2024 due to the Olympic and Paralympic Games organised in France during the summer 2024. 

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.

In its overview of national forced return monitoring systems across the EU in 2023, the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) noted that only one EU Member State did not monitor its national forced return operations in 2023. It also highlighted persistent challenges that affect the transparency and effectiveness of monitoring operations.

On 28 October 2024, the European Commission and the Ministry of Interior of North Macedonia signed an Administrative Arrangement to collaborate in the European Migration Network, making North Macedonia one of the network’s Observer Countries. North Macedonia will contribute to the European Migration Network’s objectives, attending all meetings and contributing to the network’s studies and reports.

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.

Researchers, civil servants, journalists, teachers, and professionals from intergovernmental and governmental agencies working in migration-related areas are encouraged to apply for the 2nd Migration Winter Academy, taking place from 3-7 February 2025, in Florence, Italy. Through expert-led sessions and interactive discussions, the course will delve into public attitudes toward migration, migrant decision-making, and the development of migration policies. 

On 21 October 2024, the European Ombudsman closed her inquiry on respect for human rights in the context of the EU-Tunisia Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). She concluded, inter alia, that the Commission should set out the criteria on which the suspension of contracts due to violations of human rights in the implementation of EU-funded projects in Tunisia would be based. These criteria should be made public.

On 17-18 October 2024, EMN Belgium participated in the Odysseus Network Conference 2024 on EU Legislation after the Pact. This event offered EMN Belgium the opportunity to gain an in-depth understanding of some of the 485 pages included in the new legal instruments introduced by the New Pact on Migration and Asylum. 

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.

The 2024 national conference of EMN Finland shall examine the state of play as well as the future prospects of the situation of Ukrainians in Finland and in EU countries. The conference aims to address the challenges of integration in a situation where beneficiaries of temporary protection find themselves between two countries. The conference seeks to support these persons in the limbo between integration and return.

During the European Council on 17 October 2024, EU leaders adopted conclusions, among other things, on migration. They called, inter alia, for determined action to facilitate, increase, and speed up returns from the EU. They invited the European Commission to submit a new legislative proposal, as a matter of urgency.

In a recent judgment, the Court of Justice of the European Union found that an administrative authority which rejects an application for a residence permit based on national law and, consequently, finds that the third-country national concerned is staying illegally on the territory of the Member State in question, must ensure compliance with the principle of non-refoulement, by reviewing, in the light of that principle, the return decision previously adopted against that national in the context of a procedure for international protection. 

In view of the current preparation of the National Implementation Plans due by December 2024, EMN Greece aims to facilitate a stimulating discussion and interesting exchange of views on the implementation of the new Pact on Migration and Asylum during its national conference 2024. 

The Glossary Working Group meets regularly to maintain the EMN Asylum and Migration Glossary up to date. This 62nd meeting, hosted by EMN Belgium, was an opportunity to discuss cooperation with partners, especially in preparation of the inclusion of new terms related to the Pact on Migration and Asylum.

According to preliminary data collected by Frontex, the most significant declines in irregular border crossings were observed on the Western Balkan and Central Mediterranean routes, with a 79% and 64% decline, respectively. The Eastern Land Border and Western African routes saw the highest increases, at 192% and 100%, respectively.