The UN Committee against Torture (CAT) expressed both positive and negative observations on Belgium, following the examination of the third periodic report on Belgium.

On 14 November 2013, Maggie De Block, Annemie Turtelboom and Joëlle Milquet have approved a new measure in the fight against marriages of convenience, that should tackle 'shopping' between municipalities.

On 14 November, Maggie De Block, Annemie Turtelboom and Joëlle Milquet have launched a new campaign in the fight against relations of convenience. Victims are supported and stimulated to actively contribute to fight this phenomenon.

On 14 November, the European Court of Human Rights condemned Belgium in the case of M.D. v Belgium for infringing the right to an effective remedy on short delay, as captured in Article 5 §4 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

On 7 November, the European Court of Justice judged that homosexual applicants for asylum can constitute a particular social group who may be persecuted on account of their sexual orientation.

Every month, the Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless persons (CGRS) publishes a document providing the statistics on asylum applications and first instance decisions.

On 5 and 6 November, the Lithuanian EU Presidency hosted the EMN Annual conference. This edition focussed on the achievements and challenges of EU labour migration and the role of migration in the EU Agenda for Growth.

EASO launched the October edition of the EASO newsletter. The newsletter provides an overview of recent EASO activities and outputs.

The European Parliament and Council provisionally agreed on a draft directive that will manage temporary legal migration and ensure protection of workers from exploitation.

On 25 October 2013 the Belgian National Contact Point of the European Migration Network organised a conference on the reception of asylum seekers in Belgium and the EU.

Starting from today, 18 October 2013, a new definition of "short stay" and another method of calculating the period of short stay, must be applied by all EU Member States.

Today, 18 October 2013, three international anti-trafficking expert mechanisms called for a global response to fight the transnational scourge of trafficking in persons.

The Members of the European Parliament approved the operating rules of Eurosur, a communication network that enables Member States to share real-time images and data on development at the EU's external borders.

On 7 and 8 October, the JHA Council held its 3260th meeting, discussing several topics, including the recent case of Lampedusa, the protection of Syrian refugees and freedom of movement.

Following the UN High-Level Dialogue on International Migration and Development on 3-4 October 2013, the Members of the General Assembly unanimously adopted a Declaration, recognizing the major relevance of international migration for the development of origin, transit and destination countries.

Every month, the Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless persons (CGRS) publishes a document providing the statistics on asylum applications and first instance decisions.

The European Asylum Support Office (EASO) has published its work programme for 2014, putting particular emphasis on the support to Member States' implementation of the recast asylum package and further development of the Early Warning and Preparedness System.

Today, 3 october 2013, the law of 2 June 2013 (published on 23 september 2013) has entered into force. The act amends the Civil Code, the Penal Code, the Judicial Code and the Aliens Act, to strengthen the fight against marriages and legal cohabitations of convenience.

The Migration Policy Institute has published a series of policy briefs that distill the accumulated evidence and experience on eight specific aspects of migration and development, and offer recommendations to policymakers.

On 30 September 2013, the Belgian EMN NCP organized a lunch debate to present and discuss on the outcomes of the recently published study "Attracting highly qualified and qualified third-country nationals". The national television showed up and covered the event in the one o'clock news.

On 30 September, the Belgian Contact Point of the EMN holds a lunchmeeting on attracting highly skilled and skilled third country nationals. A reflection is also launched ​​towards the future regionalization of labor migration policy.

EASO launched the September edition of the EASO newsletter. The newsletter provides an overview of recent EASO activities and outputs.

Today, 30 september, an Inter-Ministerial Conference on the application of the International Convention for the suppression of the traffic in persons and the exploitation of the prostitution of others, by the EU Member States, has taken place in Brussels, at the eve of it's 65th birthday.

As of today, you can access the new official EMN EU website. This move, together with a thorough review of its contents, leads to more visibility and the dissemination to a wider public of the network and of its activities and outputs.