During the first six months of 2023, the Belgian Red Cross-Flanders already helped 152 people – mostly refugees – in their search for lost relatives. That is the highest number since 2017. The organisation is looking for volunteers who want to commit at least 6 hours a week to help find the missing relatives.

The CGRS has published the asylum figures for June 2023. The Immigration Office registered 2,740 applicants for international protection. Another 15 persons were registered in the framework of resettlement. As a result, the total number of applicants in June is 2,755.

The European Migration Network (EMN) Glossary is an essential resource, which offers an EU-wide multidisciplinary vocabulary of approximately 500 terms and concepts related to asylum and migration. Let's focus today on the term "temporary protection" to make sure we have a common understanding and use of the term!

In a press release today, Frontex reported 330 000 irregular border crossings detected in 2022. This is the highest number since 2016 and an increase of 64% from the previous year.

On the occasion of World Population Day, Eurostat states that, after a decline in population in 2020 and 2021 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the EU’s population increased in 2022. The negative natural change (more deaths than births) was outnumbered by the positive net migration.

The list of safe countries of origin, which is revised once a year, was updated on 7 April 2023 and is now published in Belgium’s Official Journal. At present, the following countries are considered as safe countries of origin: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republic of North Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia, and India. 

In its judgments in cases C-8/22, C-663/21 and C-402/22, the Court clarified the conditions for revoking or refusing refugee status with regard to a third-country national who is convicted of a crime. The individual concerned must, inter alia, constitute a genuine, present and sufficiently serious threat to one of the fundamental interests of society and the decision must observe the principle of proportionality.

The event will discuss the factors which drove legal and policy developments in 2022, placing them within broader policy efforts to improve migration management. The event will present the main findings of the ARM, alongside a contextualising statistical overview. It will also provide the opportunity to reflect on a key theme emerging from its findings – the need to attract talent and skilled workers to the EU and the role of partnerships and Team Europe initiatives with non-EU countries.

This hybrid annual conference will debate the latest developments and challenges in the EU’s internal and external border management. It will analyse the latest proposals and reforms on the functioning and operation of EU border management systems, including Schengen, as well as Frontex’ role and responsibilities. A particular focus will be given to the ongoing situation at the EU’s eastern border.

With this awareness campaign entitled "Working together in the fight against human smuggling – Help save lives!", the Police want to encourage both nautical equipment dealers and citizens to report suspicious purchases or movements on the beach to the police via 112, via the 112 app or directly via the 101. 

Following the recent tragic loss of life off the Greek coast, a short report of the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) suggests what the EU should do to prevent more deaths at sea. FRA calls on the European Commission, EU Member States and EU Agencies to act now to prevent future tragedies and save lives.

On Tuesday, 4 July 2023, the European Union Agency for Asylum will be launching its 2023 Asylum Report during an exclusive online event!

The EMN Slovakia Educational Seminar on Migration is a learning platform about migration that fosters networking, experience sharing, and discussions among (inter)national experts and participants. The seminar has been organised by IOM as the coordinator of the EMN activities in Slovakia with funding from the European Union since 2012, each year on a specific migration-related topic.

This Summer School, which has already trained more than 2000 persons, offer participants a global understanding of the European immigration and asylum policies from a legal perspective, including the latest developments in 2023.

As Spain takes over the presidency of the Council of the European Union from 1st July until 31 December 2023, the Spanish Presidency has established its priorities and main directions. The Spanish presidency inter alia faces the challenge of finalising the Migration and Asylum Pact.

The European Council took place on 29 and 30 June 2023. European Council President Charles Michel published a post-summit communique on the migration discussions, which referenced the complaints by Warsaw and Budapest. 

Following preliminary questions from German courts, the Court of Justice of the European Union clarified, in a judgment today, the conditions for loss of status under Council Directive 2003/109/EC of 25 November 2003 concerning the status of third-country nationals who are long-term residents.

This conference will examine the issues at the core of the current debates about Schengen like the balance between solidarity & responsibility between States in liaison with secondary movements of asylum seekers, the persistence of controls at Schengen internal borders, the way to monitor human rights at the external borders, the increasing recourse to large-scale databases,...

EMN Luxembourg, which chairs the EMN Platform on Statelessness, organizes a technical meeting on access to nationality for stateless persons.