Interior ministers in Brussels on Monday (20 July) fell short of a European Commission-proposed target to relocate 40,000 asylum seekers arriving in Greece and Italy over the next two years. However according to EU Commissioner Avramopoulos significant progress was made on different topics.

Op zondag 15 maart heeft het proefproject 'Slimme Grenzen' de volgende mijlpaal - de uitvoeringsfase - bereikt in de Lissabon Airport, Portugal.

A 10 point action plan of the immediate actions has been presented by Commissioner Avramopoulos and received the full backing of Foreign and Interior Ministers.

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?”.

The last update of reference amounts for the crossing of the external borders has been published in the EU Official Journal on 13 December 2014. Belgium’s requirements are outlined.

As part of the implementation of the government agreement of October 2014 as well as of the new reception scheme, the reduction of available reception places for asylum seekers has been approved by the Council of Ministers of 11 December 2014.

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.

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.

On 4 September 2014, the Court of Justice of the European Union issued a case-law concerning the interpretation of the Regulations establishing the Schengen Borders Code (2006) and the Visa Code (2009)

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

The Commission presented two proposals today to greatly facilitate the procedures for short-stay visitors. Important changes in the visa rules aim to stimulate the European economy and facilitate the lives of travellers towards the EU.

De tragedie in Lampedusa ontluikte een ongeziene roep naar actie door zowel leiders als burgers in de EU. Op 4 december heeft de Commissie voorstellen gelanceerd op solidariteit en wederzijdse steun te promoten, om nog meer verlies van levens te voorkomen.

Op 5 december heeft de Raad van de EU unaniem een verordening goedgekeurd, waarmee ze een opschortings- en wederkerigheidsmechanisme toevoegt aan de verordening die bepaalt voor welke derdelanders een visum vereist is om de EU binnen te komen.

Het Belgische Nationaal Contactpunt van het Europees Migratienetwerk organiseerde een conferentie over de opvang van asielzoekers in België en de Europese Unie.

De leden van het Europees Parlement hebben de werkingsregels goedgekeurd voor Eurosur, een netwerk waarbinnen Lidstaten in real-time beelden en data kunnen uitwisselen omtrent evoluties aan de buitengrenzen van de EU.

The Academy of European Law (ERA) organiseert een conferentie over het intern grensbeheer van de EU.

This Conference looked into the strengths and weaknesses of reception system for asylum seekers in terms of quality, efficiency and flexibility. Speakers from Belgium, France and the UK provided a comparative perspective.

The Commission has made its new proposal to replace the measure which the Court of Justice annulled in September.

Fedasil invites you to discover the daily life of women residing in a reception centre for asylum seekers. The Transit51 foto exhibition is to be seen from 8 to 31 March in Brussels.