02 March 2016
Today, the Commission confirmed that Greece is in the process of returning 308 irregular migrants to Turkey, as the EU steps up its efforts to ensure that those who do not qualify for international protection will be quickly and effectively returned to their countries of origin or transit.
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Main Theme: Irregular Migration
Keywords: Greece, irregular migrant, return, Turkey
27 February 2016
Today 27 February, numerous platforms and citizens came together for a European March in more than hundred cities in 28 countries, including Brussels where 3000 persons expressed support for the initiative.
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Main Theme: Asylum, Migration
Keywords: internal border, reception, refugee crisis, safe route
26 February 2016
Today, the Belgian government approved the plan for the distribution of asylum seekers over the different municipalities of the Kingdom. It will enter into force on 1 May 2016.
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Main Theme: Asylum
Keywords: distribution plan
25 February 2016
The Justice and Home Affairs Council of 25/02/2016 discussed the current migratory situation, including the monitoring of implementation of the measures already agreed at recent meetings of the European Council and Justice and Home Affairs Council.
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23 February 2016
Today Interior Minister Jan Jambon announced the Belgian government's decision to patrol the border with France until 23 March 2016, alleging a surge in arrivals caused by the closure of the refugee camp known as the "Jungle" in Calais.
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Main Theme: Borders & Visa
Keywords: Calais Jungle, internal border control, Schengen Agreement
22 February 2016
Today Europol launched the new European Migrant Smuggling Center (EMSC) to pro-actively support EU Member States in dismantling criminal networks involved in organized migrant smuggling.
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Main Theme: Smuggling & Trafficking
Keywords: European Migrant Smuggling Center, Europol, migration crisis
18 February 2016
As of January 2016, the monthly statistics published by the CGRS refer to the number of persons and no longer to the number of asylum cases. In this way, the Belgian statistics conform to the definitions used by European agencies such as Eurostat and EASO.
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Main Theme: International Protection, Data & Statistics
Keywords: asylum applications, asylum decisions, CGRS
15 February 2016
On 15th February, a new vaccination campaign has been launched for newly arrived asylum seekers.
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Main Theme: Reception
Keywords: public health, reception, vaccination
04 February 2016
Belgium pledged 75 million EUR to be spent on humanitarian aid in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. The aid will mostly be dedicated to initiatives encouraging refugees to stay in their region of origin and providing dignified living conditions.
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Main Theme: Asylum
Keywords: humanitarian aid, Syria, Syrian refugees
02 February 2016
For the first time in Europe, Fedasil and IOM organized on Monday 1st February 2016 a chartered flight to Baghdad for the voluntary return of 106 persons to Iraq.
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Main Theme: Return & Readmission
Keywords: voluntary return, IOM, Fedasil
01 February 2016
The 2015 Annual Report on trafficking and smuggling in human beings is now available in English. This report is produced by Myria, the Belgian Federal Migration Centre and the independent National Rapporteur on trafficking in human beings.
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01 February 2016
This EASO newsletter provides information on the election of new executive director José Carreira (PT) and chairman Wolfgang Taucher (AT) of the EASO managment board.
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Main Theme: International Protection
Keywords: EASO, EASO executive director
13 January 2016
On 12-13 January, the EMN conference gathered over 200 participants to provide impetus for the implementation of the EU Action Plan against Smuggling. The conference resulted in concrete recommendations to better address migrant smuggling.
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13 January 2016
Looking at the migration/refugee crisis, the College of Commissioners looked back at measures taken in 2015 and the initiatives to be presented in 2016 to further develop collective European action and deliver clear and tangible results.
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Main Theme: Asylum, Migration, External Dimension
Keywords: European Agenda on Migration, migration crisis, refugee crisis
07 January 2016
In 2015, the number of asylum applications filed in Belgium doubled compared to 2014, and the protection rate reached an all-time high.
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Main Theme: Asylum
Keywords: asylum applications, asylum decisions, CGRS
01 January 2016
During the first six months of 2016, the Dutch Presidency will work on the priorities agreed with Slovakia and Malta in an 18 month trio programme setting long-term goals for the period January 2016-June 2017.
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Main Theme: Asylum, Migration, External Dimension
Keywords: Dutch Presidency of the Council of the EU, European Agenda on Migration
18 December 2015
The European Council on 17-18 December 2015 agreed to speed up actions on the operation of hotspots, the implementation of relocation decisions and returns, the control of external borders and cooperation with third countries.
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Main Theme: Asylum, Migration
Keywords: hotspot, human smuggling, migration crisis, relocation, Schengen
18 December 2015
On the occasion of the International Migrants Day, Myria launches a new online platform, Myriapolis, to help the wider public better understand migration in all aspects of life.
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Main Theme: Migration
Keywords: Myriapolis
16 December 2015
The Migration Policy Center dedicates a website to the migrant crisis in order to provide a wide audience with the facts needed to understand the course of events in this matter.
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Main Theme: Migration
Keywords: migration crisis, migration routes, refugee crisis
15 December 2015
The Commission is proposing to establish a European Border and Coast Guard and also to introduce systematic checks against relevant databases for all people entering and exiting the Schengen area.
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Main Theme: Borders & Visa
Keywords: European Border and Coast Guard, external border, Schengen area, security
15 December 2015
The European Commission has today presented a recommendation for a voluntary humanitarian admission scheme to create a system of solidarity and responsibility sharing with Turkey for refugees from Syria.
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Main Theme: Asylum, External Dimension
Keywords: humanitarian admission, solidarity, Syrian refugees, temporary protection, Turkey
10 December 2015
During the third quarter of 2015 (July to September 2015), 413 800 first-time asylum seekers applied for international protection in the Member States of the EU, a number almost double that of the second quarter of 2015.
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Main Theme: Asylum
Keywords: asylum statistics
04 December 2015
The conference of the Belgian National Contact Point to the EMN– which took place on 4 December in Brussels – focused on challenges and opportunities associated with the return of irregular and vulnerable migrants.
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Main Theme: Return & Readmission, Vulnerable groups
Keywords: EMN conference, forced return, reintegration programmes, voluntary return, vulnerable persons
01 December 2015
The package of programmes is the single biggest EU measure in response to the Syrian refugee crisis to date.
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Main Theme: Asylum
Keywords: aid, EU Trust Fund, Syrian refugees
20 November 2015
Justice and Home Affairs Ministers met in Brussels to discuss how to strengthen the following measures, inter alia: EU Passenger Name Record Directive, controls of external borders, information sharing and law enforcement cooperation.