The management of data has become increasingly important over the past years, not in the least for the public institutions that are responsible for the applications for international protection. Today, the increased influx of applicants for international protection and the Covid-19 pandemic have increased the need for a more efficient system to collect, store, treat and share data. EMN analysed the state of play and the future developments in the field of data management in the asylum procedure between 2014 and 2020, thereby also taking into account the legal framework that surrounds the field of data management. Additionally, EMN Belgium published a standalone study that highlights the management of data in the Belgian asylum procedure.

This paper provides an overview of EU initiatives on developing and deploying artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to improve border control and border security.

What kind of data is collected by EU Member States and Norway and how is the data managed in the different phases of the asylum procedure? This new EMN Study provides comparable information and examples from 25 countries on different aspects of data management, including data cross-checking against national and international databases, data quality accuracy, and data protection issues. It also maps challenges encountered, and actions taken to respond to them. The study contributes to capacity-building of experts working in the field of asylum and generates a better understanding of the policies and process in place across Europe.  

The Belgian standalone study will be published in the week of 28 June 2021.

The current Belgian government, in office since October 2020, announced that it would replace the Immigration Act by a new Migration Code. In this context, EMN Belgium sought information about the structure of national migration laws of other Member States and the terminology used for migration policies, subjects and institutions, the result of which was compiled and summarized. 

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 2020.

The 34th edition of the EMN Bulletin covers the period January to March 2021 and provides an overview of the latest developments in the areas of international protection and migration in the EU and its Member States. In March 2021, Moldova and Georgia joined EMN as observers.

EMN and OECD have published the new Umbrella Inform, which completes the joint EMN and OECD Inform series on the impact of COVID-19 on migration and asylum in the EU Member States and non-EU OECD countries. The series includes 5 Informs and covers a wide range of topics. 

The handbook on migration reporting was produced to help journalists create impartial, fact-based reporting in an engaging way. The handbook was developed in recognition of the role which media plays in shaping public opinion as well as informing the public on various policies on migration.

How do Member States ensure the protection of children in migration procedures, and what measures are in place in relation to guardianship, accommodation, transition into adulthood, and many more? This report from the European Migration Network (EMN), published on 10 March 2021, maps the state of implementation in 2019 of the recommendations laid down in the 2017 European Commission Communication on the protection of children in migration.
 

The 33rd edition of the EMN Bulletin provides up-to-date information on recent migration and international protection policy developments at EU and national level, including the latest relevant published statistics. 

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on return procedures had been significant across EU countries as well as OECD countries in and outside Europe since March 2020. This Inform looks into the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on voluntary and forced return procedures and on policy responses.