Vandaag heeft het Belgische Contactpunt van het Europees Migratienetwerk (EMN) een conferentie georganiseerd over de voornaamste ontwikkelingen op het vlak van asiel en migratie die zich hebben voorgedaan in 2017.

Op 26 oktober 2017 werd de algemene beleidsnota asiel en migratie van de Staatssecretaris voor Asiel en Migratie gepubliceerd. De beleidsnota brengt een overzicht van de belangrijkste verwezenlijkingen en beleidsprioriteiten op het vlak van asiel en migratie.

Het Belgisch Contactpunt van het EMN organiseerde op 05.10.2017 een bijeenkomst te Brussel over de illegale tewerkstelling van derdelanders. Deze conferentie bracht toonaangevende experten samen voor een constructieve en stimulerende dialoog over deze interessante problematiek.

In the summer of 2017, more and more transit migrants, who wish to go to the UK, were staying in the Maximilian park in Brussels. The Belgian government did not want this park to become ‘a new Calais’. A number of transit migrants were intercepted and detained. Because a lot of them were presumed Sudanese, a Sudanese delegation was invited to come to Belgium for identification. Left-wing politicians and NGOs stressed that the Sudanese regime’s human rights record is particularly worrying. Campaigns were organised to better inform the transit migrants. On 04.10.2017 these issues were debated in the Belgian Parliament.

The European Commission published a mid-term review of what has been achieved so far in delivering the European Agenda on Migration. It also sets out new initiatives from the Commission to address key areas, and identifies where further efforts are needed in the coming months.

De Internationale Organisatie voor Migratie (IOM) heeft data gepubliceerd over het aantal binnekomsten in Europa. In vergelijking met de 273.000 binnenkomsten die zijn toegekomen tussen januari en 27 augustus, zijn er ongeveer 121.000 personen toegekomen in dezelfde periode dit jaar. Bovendien, waren er geen bercihten van dodelijke slachtoffers in de Middellandse Zee sinds 9 augustus. 

Following up on the Commission's Action Plan to support Italy from 4 July, the EU Trust Fund for Africa adopted today a programme worth €46 million to reinforce the integrated migration and border management capacities of the Libyan authorities.

According to the Missing Migrants Project, an estimate of 7495 men, women and children migrants or refugees died or were reported missing across five continents in 2016. That is almost 20 victims per day and the number may not include them all.

On 11 November 2014, the European Commission has released its 6th bi-annual report on the functioning of the Schengen area covering the period from 1 May to 31 October 2014.

The European Commission published on 26 September 2014 a handbook to help EU Member States take action against marriages of convenience between EU citizens and non-EU nationals in the context of EU law on free movement. The Commission prepared the handbook in close cooperation with Member States.

2013 statistics on enforcement of immigration legislation have been released by Eurostat in September 2014.

This year, the EMN Conference aims to support the policymaking process on a number of key areas of irregular migration policy, namely readmission, return, reintegration and cooperation with countries of transit and origin, as well as re-entry bans and (alternatives to) detention.

The Court of Cassation ruled today that an administrative fine is due for carrying someone who doesn't hold documents to enter or transit Belgium, even if at the border an authorization to enter is issued.