The 25th edition of the EMN Bulletin provides information on developments at EU and national level (from October to December 2018) regarding general policy developments; the Common European Asylum System; unaccompanied minors and vulnerable groups; legal migration and integration; the management of the EU external borders; irregular migration and return; trafficking in human beings; and external dimensions.

This edition includes information - inter alia - on:

At EU level:

• The European Commission announced € 43.7 million in emergency assistance to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in order to support Greece as a response to the increasing challenges in the migration field.

• On the occasion of International Migrants’ Day and as part of the Strategy for the Rights of the Child (2016-2021), the Council of Europe launched a practical handbook for professionals called “How to convey child-friendly information to children in migration”.

• The European Commission published a new feasibility study on sponsorship schemes as a possible pathway to safe channels for admission to the EU.

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At national level:

• BE: Since December, Belgium is left with a minority government in a caretaking capacity to handle urgent and ongoing matters. On 8 December, the largest party, the New Flemish Alliance (N-VA), quit the coalition over a dispute on signing the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM).

• BE: Since 3 December, all applicants for international protection have to be registered in the newly opened temporary arrival centre, located in the former reception centre “Le Petit-Château”. Applicants will follow the same harmonised procedure: registration of the application for international protection, identification, security screening, medical examination, social intake and allocation of a reception place.

• Germany: The German Government adopted new legislation on skilled worker immigration (Fachkräftezuwanderungsgesetz) to ensure a stable social and economic situation in Germany. With the new legislation, the German government is putting in place a framework for forward-looking, needs-driven immigration of skilled workers from non-EU States.
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More developments and other information can be found in the Bulletin (document above).