The Council conclusions on migrant smuggling were adopted by the Council at its 3455th meeting held on 10-11 March 2016

This Eurostat News Release covers main trends on first time asylum applicants and on pending asylum applicants for the complete 2015 year in the EU28+ EFTA region.

Today the Commission proposes a new Emergency Assistance Instrument for faster crisis response within the EU.

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.

Project applications submitted under the Call for Proposals on Actions in the area of Integration should be submitted no later than today, 29 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.

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.

The Conference offers the opportunity to explore the most important policy developments from 2015 related to (financial, physical and operational) solidarity in EU Asylum and Borders Policies.

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.

This CEIPA roundtable offers an opportunity to examine solutions to the continuing influx of refugees, asylum-seekers and migrants which challenges European institutions to manage the crisis on the short and the longer run.

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.

Europol heeft vandaag een nieuw centrum tegen mensensmokkel gelanceerd, het European Migrant Smuggling Center (EMSC). Het doel van het centrum is om de Europese lidstaten proactief te ondersteunen in het ontmantelen van criminele netwerken die instaan voor de mensensmokkel richting Europa.

The Labour Market Observatory (LMO) of the European Economic and Social Committee is holding a public seminar on “Integrating refugees into the labour market: turning the crisis into an opportunity”.

Adopting an interdisciplinary approach, this conference explores free movement in light of EU (de)regulatory practices and their impact on EU legitimacy from the complementary angles of regulatory competition, regulatory contradictions and EU citizenship.

Vanaf januari 2016 publiceert het CGVS de maandelijkse asielstatistieken volgens het aantal personen in plaats van het aantal dossiers. Op deze manier stemmen de nationale statistieken overeen met de definities die Europese instanties hanteren zoals Eurostat en EASO.

On 15th February, a new vaccination campaign has been launched for newly arrived asylum seekers.

Op maandag 1 februari hebben Fedasil en IOM een chartervlucht ingelast om de vrijwillige terugkeer van 106 personen naar Bagdad te organiseren; een unicum in Europa.

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.