De conferentie van het Belgisch Nationaal Contactpunt van het EMN, dat op 4 december plaats vond in Brussel, focuste op de uitdagingen en opportuniteiten waarmee de terugkeer van migranten in irreguliere en kwetsbare situatie gepaard gaat.

Sinds 26 maart 2015 kunnen niet-begeleide minderjarige vreemdelingen (NBMV) nu ook de specifieke verblijfsprocedure voor NBMV opstarten ook al loopt er nog een andere verblijfsprocedure, zoals een asielaanvraag of een regularisatieprocedure.

On 20 January, the Belgian Association for foreigners’ rights organizes a training on the topic “What protection for seriously ill persons following M’Bodj and Abdida case-law?”.

18 December is the International Migrants Day. On 18 December 2014, the Federal Migration Center organized pedagogical and interactive activities while several labour unions and civil society organizations called for more rights for labour migrants

Syria neighbouring States are increasingly affected by the number of refugees seeking sanctuary within their country. The European Commission is stepping up its assistance to Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon to contribute to address Syrian refugees’ needs.

On 4 December 2014, 22 Syrian refugees landed in Belgium for resettlement. 53 more are expected to arrive by the end of the year. Further resettlements of Syrian refugees are planned in 2015.

The Court of Justice of the European Union has issued a case-law in relation to international protection and protection of human rights in the case of alleged persecutions because of an applicant's sexual orientation.

The proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council, amending Regulation (EU) No 604/2013, aims at clarifying Member States’ responsibilities for examining the application for international protection of unaccompanied minors

Since 13 November 2014 and until May 2015, Belgium is chairing the Committee of Ministers, the political decision making organ of the Council of Europe. Under the Belgian Presidency, migration and asylum will be part of the issues tackled.

The consultation, which runs over 12 weeks and closes on 3 July 2014, allows a wide range of stakeholders and organizations to contribute to the development of guidance on integrated child protection systems.

This conference focuses on sharing experiences and promising practices to improve the work of professionals dealing with unaccompanied minors and children on the move, in regards to two key aspects: the needs assessment and family tracing.