The EU Commission launched a call for proposals under the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) to finance projects aiming to improve healthcare access for migrants, support migrant women through better labour market integration, enhance digital literacy, create accessible education, ensure the protection of migrant children. The available call budget is EUR 34 million.

The European Commission’s proposed Return Regulation introduces measures to increase return rates across the EU. These include extended detention periods, returns to non-EU countries with no prior personal ties, offshore “return hubs”, and obligations for individuals subject to return orders. Over 200 civil society organisations have raised concerns about fundamental rights, legal uncertainty, and disproportionate impacts. They call on EU institutions to withdraw the proposal and reject it in its current form.

Eight officers from the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) have started work at Brussels Airport to assist in return operations. They will operate alongside Belgian police to increase the number of returns. Their deployment follows the adoption of national legislation and a Royal Decree defining their powers and operational zones.

The Belgian Council of Ministers has approved a draft law enabling home searches, with judicial authorisation, in cases involving non-cooperative foreign nationals facing return and posing a threat to public order or national security. The measure is similar to one previously discussed in 2018 and will now be submitted to the Council of State for its opinion. Several civil society organisations have expressed concerns about its implications.

During a joint webinar, experts from the European Migration Network and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development highlighted the positive trends characterizing the labour market integration of Ukrainians, including employment rates and their progress, main sectors of employment, and most common policies and measures for facilitating labour market integration. They also identified the difficulties and remaining challenges in this domain.

In 2024, a total of 17.939 newcomers obtained an integration certificate in Flanders, according to the Jaarrapport Inburgering 2024. This is the highest number recorded since 2018 and marks a 16% increase compared to the previous year.

Nearly one in eight self-employed workers in Belgium do not hold Belgian nationality. This proportion rises to more than four in ten in the Brussels-Capital Region. An analysis of recent data from the National Institute for Social Security of the Self-Employed (INASTI) by the social insurance fund Acerta highlights these figures. The study also reveals differences in age, sector activity, and income between Belgian and non-Belgian self-employed individuals.

At their meeting on 13 June 2025, EU Home Affairs Ministers reached a political agreement to extend by one year, until March 2027, the temporary protection for people displaced from Ukraine. They also discussed ways to improve readmission cooperation with third countries and endorsed new priorities for the Schengen area.

Amnesty International and the Human Rights League are proposing a meeting with Françoise Tulkens, former judge and Vice-President of the European Court of Human Rights, and Manuela Cadelli, judge at the Court of First Instance of Namur, to examine the consequences of the letter from nine European authorities calling for a new interpretation of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). 

Op 6 juni 2025 nam de Vlaamse regering een belangrijke maatregel om de integratie van nieuwkomers in Vlaanderen te verbeteren. Het gaat om de ontwikkeling van voortrajecten in het land van herkomst voor mensen die naar Vlaanderen willen komen in het kader van gezinshereniging of arbeidsmigratie. Deze maatregel bouwt verder op eerdere proefprojecten en heeft als doel om gezinsherenigers en arbeidsmigranten via een digitale cursus maatschappelijke oriëntatie beter voor te bereiden op het leven in Vlaanderen. Deze stap maakt deel uit van het Vlaamse Regeerakkoord 2024–2029.

De conferentie zal de toekomst van Oekraïense ontheemden na tijdelijke bescherming verkennen en beleidsmakers, experts en belanghebbenden samenbrengen om strategieën voor beleidsovergangen en integratie-uitdagingen met betrekking tot werkgelegenheid te bespreken, best practices te delen en de rol van de diaspora te onderzoeken bij het ondersteunen van langdurige oplossingen.

In response to a recent call by several European Heads of State to reinterpret the European Convention on Human Rights, six Belgian human rights institutions have voiced strong concerns. They warn that such initiatives risk undermining the authority and independence of the European Court of Human Rights. The institutions urge the Belgian federal government to remain consistent with its international commitments and to clearly reaffirm its support for the Court and the Convention.

Backed by Italy and Denmark, a group of nine EU Member States has issued a letter calling for a new interpretation of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) to facilitate the expulsion of foreign nationals convicted of crimes. While the letter's authors frame it as a call for open discussion, the move has raised concerns over judicial independence and the protection of fundamental rights in Europe.

Op 21 en 22 mei 2025 organiseerde de Return Expert Group van het Europees Migratienetwerk (EMN REG), in samenwerking met de Dienst Vreemdelingenzaken en EMN België, een tweedaagse workshop die 50 experten van EU-lidstaten, EU-agentschappen (waaronder Frontex en de EUAA), maatschappelijke organisaties en internationale organisaties samenbracht. Het evenement richtte zich op de ontwikkeling en implementatie van effectieve alternatieven voor detentie (ATD’s) binnen het migratie- en terugkeerbeleid van de EU.

In 2024, 19.435 people participated in the Social Orientation (Maatschappelijke Oriëntatie, MO) course in Flanders. This marks a significant increase in participation. Alongside the rising numbers of participants in the Social Orientation course, the demand for Dutch as a Second Language (NT2) courses also remains high, as evidenced by recent reports from AMAL vzw, Atlas Antwerp, and the Agency for Integration and Civic Integration.

On the occasion of Labour Day, Fedasil published new figures on the professional activity of applicants for international protection residing in reception centres. In 2024, 41% of those allowed to work were active on the Belgian labour market. The data show differences in employment rates depending on gender, age, and nationality.

The Education Department of Caritas International Belgium, in collaboration with the non-profit organisation Sankaa, has launched "Building Bridges", an educational resource for secondary school teachers. This resource helps educators address key topics such as identity, prejudice, racism, and media representation. At its core, "Building Bridges" explores the central question: How can we create a more supportive and inclusive society where everyone has a place?

De Europese Commissie heeft een voorstel gepubliceerd voor een verordening tot instelling van een gemeenschappelijk systeem voor de terugkeer van onderdanen van derde landen die illegaal in de Europese Unie verblijven. De nieuwe regels introduceren onder andere strengere verplichtingen, en de wettelijke mogelijkheid om personen die illegaal in de EU verblijven en een definitief terugkeerbesluit hebben ontvangen, terug te sturen naar een terugkeercentrum in een derde land. Het Europees Parlement en de Raad van de EU moeten het voorstel nu bestuderen en erover onderhandelen.