25 May 2017
On the 24th and 25th of May, the Maltese EU Presidency hosted the EMN Annual Conference. This edition focused on the interesting topic of the reform of the Common European Asylum System.
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Main Theme: Asylum
Keywords: Common European Asylum System; relocation: resettlement
20 May 2017
As from today, potential victims of trafficking are issued an annex 15 valid for 45 days during the reflection period, following modification of article 61/2 §2 of the Immigration Act.
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Main Theme: Smuggling & Trafficking
Keywords: residence document
19 May 2017
Today, the 47 Member States of the Council of Europe agreed on concrete action on protecting refugee and migrant children.
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Main Theme: Vulnerable groups
Keywords: migrant child
14 May 2017
Today, the thematic Council of Ministers on security, justice and defence approved a series of measures, including the proposal of the State Secretary for Asylum Policy and Migration to increase the capacity of the closed detention centres for irregularly staying migrants.
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Main Theme: Return & Readmission
Keywords: detention center, irregular migrant
02 May 2017
The European Commission is today recommending that Austria, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Norway phase out the temporary controls currently in place at some of their internal Schengen borders over the next six months.
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Main Theme: Borders & Visa
Keywords: Schengen, border control
29 April 2017
Today, two new laws have entered into force. They focus on the procedure to end the residence rights and organized the removal of foreign nationals legally residing in Belgium for reasons of public order or national security.
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Main Theme: Return & Readmission
Keywords: public order, foreign terrorist fighter
26 April 2017
Eurostat releases today data on asylum decisions taken by EU Member States in 2016.
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Main Theme: Data & Statistics, International Protection
Keywords: asylum decisions, resettlement
26 April 2017
Today, the European Migration Network (EMN) launched its Annual Report on Migration and Asylum 2016 during a half day event in Brussels.
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Main Theme: Migration
Keywords: annual report
17 April 2017
Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, published today a press release with 2015 data on the acquisition of citizenship in the EU. The main conclusions are that EU Member States granted citizenship to fewer persons in 2015, and Moroccans, Albanians and Turks remain the main recipients.
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Main Theme: Citizenship & Nationality
12 April 2017
Following up on the Joint Communication on the Central Mediterranean Route and the Malta Declaration, the EU Trust Fund for Africa upon proposal from the European Commission, adopted today a €90 million programme to step up the protection of migrants and reinforce migration management in Libya.
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Main Theme: Migration
Keywords: EU Trust Fund, Libya
12 April 2017
The Commission is today setting out actions to reinforce the protection of all migration children at all stages of the process and to ensure a closer link between the asylum and child protection services.
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Main Theme: Vulnerable groups
Keywords: migrant child, Action Plan on Unaccompanied Minors
12 April 2017
Today, the Commission adopted its eleventh progress report on the EU's emergency relocation and resettlement schemes, assessing actions taken since 2 March 2017.
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Main Theme: Asylum
Keywords: resettlement, relocation
20 March 2017
Today, a Royal Decree was published in the Official Gazette which details the type of residence permit the fee can apply to, and what the maximum amount of said fee is.
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Main Theme: Migration
Keywords: residence permit, processing fee
18 March 2017
On 18 March 2017, a regulation amending the Schengen borders code was published in the EU Official Journal. The amendment aims to reinforce checks against relevant databases at the external borders.
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Main Theme: Borders & Visa
Keywords: Schengen borders code, database
16 March 2017
Eurostat published a news release on the number of asylum applications in 2016 and published an article on asylum applications and decisions for 2016 on its website.
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Main Theme: International Protection, Data & Statistics
Keywords: asylum decisions, asylum applications
07 March 2017
In its judgement delivered today, the Court of Justice has ruled that Member States are not required – under EU law – to grant a humanitarian visa to persons who wish to enter their territory with a view to applying for asylum. However, they are free to do so on the basis of their national law.
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Main Theme: International Protection
Keywords: Court of Justice of the European Union, Syria
02 March 2017
Today the European Commission presented new measures in the context of the review of the EU return policy which was announced in the Malta Declaration from 3 February 2017.
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Main Theme: Return & Readmission
Keywords: EU Action Plan on Return
28 February 2017
The Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons has published a new guide that provides information to unaccompanied minors applying for asylum in Belgium, as well as their guardians.
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Main Theme: Asylum
Keywords: CGRS, asylum procedure
08 February 2017
Today, the Commission adopted its ninth progress report on the EU's emergency relocation and resettlement schemes, assessing actions taken since 8 December 2016.
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Main Theme: International Protection
Keywords: relocation, resettlement
03 February 2017
On 3 February 2017, the 28 Heads of States discussed the external dimension of migration at the informal summit in Malta. They adopted the Malta Declaration.
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Main Theme: External Dimension
Keywords: Malta Declaration, Libya, Central Mediterranean route
02 February 2017
Foreign nationals might have to pay a fee of maximum 50 euro in certain municipalities when they renew, extend or replace a temporary residence permit at the level of the municipalities. Modifications by the Law of 18 December 2016, published today in the Belgian Official Gazette, made it possible for municipalities to collect this fee.
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Main Theme: Migration
Keywords: processing fee, residence permit
27 January 2017
Today the Council of Ministers decided that the mandatory fee migrants have to pay when applying for certain residence permits will increase.
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Main Theme: Migration
Keywords: processing fee, application for a residence permit
26 January 2017
Today a new law enters (partly) into force inserting a general residence condition into the Immigration Act. The Immigration Office can now put an end to a residence permit if the person cannot put forward provable integration efforts.
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Main Theme: Migration, Integration
Keywords: Integration, newcomers declaration
25 January 2017
The Passenger Name Record (PNR) law has been adopted in Parliament in December 2016. It was published in the Belgian Official Gazette on 25 January 2017. On the basis of this law, carriers will be obliged to send data on their passengers travelling from, to, or across Belgium to a central database.