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The public consultation for the Internal Security Fund - Borders and Visa (ISF BV) ex-post evaluation for 2014-2020 aims to strengthen the evidence base of the evaluation by gathering the views of all relevant stakeholders for the ISF BV programme. You can contribute to this consultation by filling in an online questionnaire before 21 November 2024.
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Main theme: Borders & Visa
Keywords: ISF, evaluation
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The public consultation for the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) ex post evaluation for 2014-2020 aims to strengthen the evidence base of the evaluation by gathering the views of all relevant stakeholders for the AMIF programmes. You can contribute to this consultation by filling in an online questionnaire before 22 November 2024.
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Main theme: Cross-sectional
Keywords: AMIF, evaluation
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In a statement from 19 September 2024, the Council of Europe notes that Belgium has taken steps to address the wider reception crisis (such as creating 3.500 additional reception places and accelerating the examination of certain asylum applications to free up existing reception places), but these measures are insufficient.
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Main theme: Reception
Keywords: reception crisis, accommodation, material assistance, judicial decision
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On 19 September 2024, EMN Belgium presented the findings of its national contribution to the upcoming EMN Study on the Illegal Employment of Third-Country Nationals (2017-2022), in a comparative perspective with the national contributions from EMN Austria and EMN Italy.
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On 17 September 2023, the President-elect of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, unveiled the names of Commissioners-designate for 2024-2029. The current Austrian Finance Minister, Magnus Brunner will be in charge of Internal Affairs and Migration, if he successfully passes the test of European Parliament hearings.
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Main theme: Cross-sectional
Keywords: Commissioner on Migration and Home Affairs
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During a webinar on 17 September 2024, EMN Member and Observer countries and the Red Cross highlighted key practices and challenges in identifying victims of torture in the context of international and temporary protection. The experience of migrant torture survivors was further examined and ways to address their vulnerabilities were discussed.
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Main theme: Vulnerable groups
Keywords: victim, torture, traumatism, applicant for international protection, credibility assessment, vulnerability, special needs
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Checks are being temporarily reintroduced at Germany's borders with Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Denmark. They will run from 16 September 2024 until 15 March 2025 to, among other things, reduce irregular migration and combat people smuggling.
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Main theme: Borders & Visa
Keywords: border control, border check, Schengen, internal border control
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The European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) released the latest asylum trends for the first half of 2024. By June 2024, EU countries had received 513.000 applications for international protection. While the figure remained stable compared to the first six months of 2023, some changes occurred at the national level.
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Main theme: International Protection
Keywords: application for international protection, asylum trend, asylum recognition rate
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Eurostat published data on first residence permits, highlighting that 3.741.015 first residence permits were issued in the EU to non-EU citizens in 2023, a 4.7% increase compared with 2022. Belgium issued 74.366 first residence permits to non-EU nationals in 2023, an 8,5% increase compared with 2022.
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Main theme: Data & Statistics
Keywords: first residence permit, employment, family reunification, international protection, education
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Myria has published the third thematic section of its 2024 annual report. In this section entitled "Right to family life", Myria calls for more accurate, regular and transparent information regarding the family reunification procedure at its various stages, both at the level of diplomatic posts and external service providers, ensuring the accessibility – including linguistic – of this information for the target audience.
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Main theme: Family reunification
Keywords: long-stay visa, first residence permit, application for family reunification
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In a press release from 9 September 2024, the Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration Nicole de Moor reacted to the Hungarian government’s recent threats to send migrants to Brussels. She advocated for a joint, coordinated policy, in which respect for European values and international obligations are central.
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Main theme: Irregular Migration
Keywords: migration instrumentalization, European cooperation, mutual trust
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Due to the sharp rise in applications for the equivalence of foreign diplomas in Flanders and the time- and labour-intensive investigations involved, waiting times can reach seven months. This impacts the integration of migrants into the labour market.
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Main theme: Integration
Keywords: recognition of qualifications, diploma, equivalence
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The European Migration Network (EMN) Hungary Presidency High-Level Conference will focus on possible avenues for more effective and efficient implementation of returns, with special emphasis on the important aspects of the return procedure, internal coherence, and joint cooperation with third countries and digitalisation to support the common EU system for returns.
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Main theme: Return & Readmission
Keywords: return policy
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Students, who were originally from Syria and Congo before becoming refugees in Egypt and Uganda, have the opportunity to start this new academic year in Belgian universities thanks to the legal and sustainable migration pathway offered by the university corridors.
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Main theme: Study § Training
Keywords: university corridor, legal pathway, refugee
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The Walloon administration announces that new regulations come into force on 1 September 2024 regarding salaried economic migration for foreign workers in Wallonia. The system remains largely unchanged in its principles, still falling within the broader framework of the Single Permit for work and residence authorization for foreign workers. However, a new decree of the Walloon Government organizes new features and modifications.
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Main theme: Economic migration
Keywords: foreign workers, employer, single permit, EU blue card
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The law of 10 March 2024 amending the law of 15 December 1980 on the right to family reunification comes into force on 1 September 2024. The changes have an impact among other things on the right to family reunification for parents of accompanied minors with international protection, the right to family reunification for stateless persons, the assessment of minorhood in the asylum procedure or residence procedure for stateless person, etc.
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Main theme: Family reunification
Keywords: right to family reunification, application for family reunification
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The law of 10 March 2024 which creates a residence status as a stateless person in Belgium, comes into force on 1 September 2024. Applications for admission to stay on the grounds of statelessness must now be submitted directly to the Immigration Office by registered mail.
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Main theme: Statelessness
Keywords: application for statelessness, admission to stay, stateless persons
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This launch event will unveil the new EMN - Red Cross Inform on "Practices and challenges in processing victims of torture and ill-treatment in the context of international and temporary protection". The event will highlight key findings from the Inform, present examples of procedures put in place in EMN Member and Observer Countries, and draw insights from the Red Cross approach and experience of National Red Cross Societies in different EU Member States.
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Main theme: Vulnerable groups
Keywords: torture, ill-treatment, victim, international protection, temporary protection
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The current weather conditions increase the risk that human smugglers will send groups of transmigrants, including small children, out to sea in overcrowded rubber boats, often with inadequate life jackets. To avoid this, the West Coast police zone and the Federal Police require special attention for people who cross the Channel from the Belgian coast to the United Kingdom in small boats.
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Main theme: Smuggling & Trafficking
Keywords: transmigrant, small boat, English channel
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This legally oriented European conference focuses on the legislation adopted on 14 May 2024 under the framework of the Pact on Migration and Asylum. It aims to provide the first legal analysis of all these complex legal instruments and their interconnections, including practical aspects in relation with the topics covered.
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Main theme: Cross-sectional
Keywords: Odysseus Network, New Pact on Migration and Asylum
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While not a new phenomenon, the exploitation of workers employed in the nail industry has gained increased attention in recent years. Multiple reports point to this sector as being a target of choice for human trafficking and economic exploitation.
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Main theme: Smuggling & Trafficking
Keywords: economic exploitation, nail bar
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According to Statbel, the Belgian statistical office, 5.037 persons obtained Belgian nationality in May 2024. The main countries of origin of people who acquired Belgian nationality in May are Morocco, Romania, Syria, Afghanistan and Turkey.
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Main theme: Data & Statistics
Keywords: access to nationality, Belgian nationality
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As of 1 August 2024, the European Commission will support nine Member States, including Belgium, in preparing their National Implementation Plans for the Pact on Migration and Asylum. These countries will receive targeted support to carry out situational analysis and identify the necessary actions to implement the Pact in line with the Common Implementation Plan.
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The latest report from the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) identifies systemic gaps and obstacles to investigating rights violations at EU borders. The report suggests concrete steps to ensure more effective investigations into incidents of loss of life and ill-treatment at the EU’s borders.
