Border closures and quarantine rules to prevent the spreading of Covid-19 risk having a negative impact on seasonal work. To address labour shortages in the agricultural and horticultural sectors, the federal and regional governments decided to adopt a series of measures in the spring of 2020.

In 2020 EMN Belgium will continue to contribute to multiple EMN outputs on migration and asylum policy in the EU Member States. This way EMN Belgium contributes to an evidence-based migration and asylum policy in the EU and Belgium.

Each year, the Odysseus Network organizes a Summer School in EU immigration and asylum law and policy. The courses tackle the most recent legislative, jurisprudential and political developments in the field at EU level.

Voluntary returns to the countries of origin are decreasing for the third consecutive year.

The Academy of European Law organises its Annual Conference on European Immigration Law.The aim of the conference is to provide legal practitioners with an update on recent developments in the EU legal migration system and the mechanisms put in place to tackle labour and skills shortages and to reinforce the attractiveness of the EU for key workers.  

On 10 December 2019, EMN Belgium organized its annual asylum and migration policy event in which recent national and EU developments in the field of international protection, legal migration and integration, and irregular migration and return were discussed. 

The conference 'From Tampere 20 to Tampere 2.0: Towards a new programme (2020-2024) for EU migration and asylum policies 20 years after the Tampere conclusions?' was held in Helsinki on the 24th and the 25th of October.

On 22 October 2019, the Association of Flemish Cities and Municipalities (VVSG) published the results of the survey conducted in the spring of 2019. The results show that especially the search for housing for beneficiaries of international protection is very problematic. The regulations state that, in principle, they must leave the Local Reception Initiative (LOI) within two months. As in the VVSG survey of 2017, half of the respondents do not consider this period to be feasible. For almost 1 in 5, finding housing within this timeframe very exceptionally the case, and only thanks to the possibility to extend the stay in the LOI twice by 1 month.  

On 8 October 2019, Fedasil launched the new information platform www.fedasilinfo.be. The mobile website provides applicants for international protection (asylum seekers) in Belgium with reliable information in 12 languages, 8 of which include an audio version.

The Annual National Conference of the EMN Portugal on the theme “Migration, Asylum and Statistics”, is scheduled to be held on the 18th of September in Lisbon.  

The Annual National Conference of the EMN Luxembourg on “Attracting start-up founders and innovative entrepreneurs from third countries” will be held on the 1st October in Esch-sur-Alzette.

On the occasion of the World Refugee Day, which is organized every year on 20th June by the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), Eurostat published an infographic on annual asylum data for 2018 . Eurostat also published its Asylum quarterly report. In the first quarter of 2019, the number of first-time asylum applicants slightly increased : 4% more compared to the 4th quarter of 2018.

On 24 June 2019 (9:00 - 10:45), EASO will launch its Annual Report on the Situation of Asylum in the EU in Brussels.   

Today the English translation of the latest report on Human Trafficking and Smuggling from Myria was published. The 2018 report focuses on underage victims of trafficking and smuggling of human beings.

On May 27, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, European Commission and European Migration Network organise the International Conference “A New European Agenda on Migration?”. During this event, experts will share their views on the achievements, challenges and perspectives of integration and migration policies in Europe.

The Federal Public Service Interior has made a short video about foreign unaccompanied minors seeking international protection in Belgium.

Each year, the Odysseus Network organizes a Summer School in EU immigration and asylum law and policy. The courses tackle the most recent legislative, jurisprudential and political developments in the field at EU level.  

Myria, the Belgian Federal Migration Centre, is recruiting a policy officer to work for the Belgian Contact Point of the European Migration Network (EMN).

Voluntary returns to the countries of origin are decreasing. Among others, this is the result of the lower number of asylum applications during the past years.

On 18 January a conference will take place in Brussels organised by the federal Migration Centre Myria, the Académie Royale des Sciences et des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, the Koninklijke Vlaamse Academie van België voor Wetenschappen en Kunsten and newspaper Le Soir. The focus will be on international protection and economic migration.

On 12 December 2018, the Belgian contact point of the EMN organized its annual asylum and migration policy event in which recent national and EU developments in the field of international protection, legal migration and integration and irregular migration, human trafficking and return were discussed. 

The European Commission is presenting its Second Report on the progress made in the fight against trafficking in human beings.

On the 26th of October 2018 the general policy note on asylum and migration of the State Secretary for Asylum and Migration was published. The policy note provides an overview of the main achievements and priorities in the field of asylum and migration.

Europol launched a new report about child trafficking. It provides a comprehensive view on who the victims are and who the criminal networks are that trafficking the children in and into the EU. 

On 10 September, the Belgian Minister of Security and the Interior and the State Secretary for Asylum Policy and Migration presented a 9-point action plan on the fight against irregular transit migration.