At the European Council on 20 March 2025, EU Ministers encouraged work in the field of migration, particularly regarding cooperation with third countries and the implementation of existing legislation. They also called on the Council and the European Parliament to advance on files with a migration dimension, especially the recent Commission proposal on returns.

The Belgian Minister of Asylum and Migration, Anneleen Van Bossuyt, has launched dissuasion campaigns on YouTube and via a WhatsApp channel that directly disseminates deterrence messages to potential asylum seekers. Several organisations have reacted to these campaigns, particularly criticising the messages conveyed by them.

Several raids were carried out on 19 March 2025 by German authorities, with the support of investigators from the Belgian Federal Police. The operation targeted a criminal network based in Germany, facilitating the crossing of the English Channel by small boats. It resulted in 6 arrests under Belgian judicial orders.

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.

The Minister for Asylum and Migration has decided to discontinue the Impuls Fund, which had been established to provide additional support to local authorities in covering the extra costs associated with opening new Local Reception Initiatives. The Minister will now move towards a more collective approach to reception, with existing Local Reception Initiatives being gradually phased out. 

In their report 2024, seven humanitarian and civil society organisations raise concerns over the Belgian government's plan to reduce reception places for applicants for international protection, warning that this measure could increase homelessness, negatively impact individuals' health and integration prospects, and generate significant hidden costs for society.

In a recent study, the European Parliament Research Service (EPRS) recommended clarifying the scope of criminal offences in the Facilitation Directive to ensure that only activities involving organised criminal networks are included and called for the explicit exemption of humanitarian actions aligned with international protection from criminalisation.

In the note submitted to the Chamber of Representatives, Minister Anneleen Van Bossuyt described the current situation as operationally, financially, and socially untenable. She announced her intention to urgently submit, as an initial step, a package of crisis measures to address the ongoing asylum and reception crisis. Additionally, she outlined a broader range of measures covering key aspects, including asylum and reception, migration, the protection of vulnerable groups, return and security, the social welfare system, and access to Belgian nationality.

On 12 March 2025, the Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS) announced that it would temporarily suspend the notification of decisions granting subsidiary protection, refusing refugee status and refusing subsidiary protection status from applicants from the West Bank until they have access to sufficient objective information to accurately assess the general situation in the West Bank.

According to Statbel, the Belgian statistical office, 4.370 persons obtained Belgian nationality in December 2024. The main countries of origin of people who acquired Belgian nationality in December are Morocco, Syria, Romania, Afghanistan and France.

The European Court of Human Rights ruled in the case of F.B. v. Belgium, finding that Belgium failed to provide sufficient procedural safeguards in the decision-making process regarding the applicant’s age assessment. The Court concluded that this process violated her right to respect for private life under Article 8 of the European Convention. In particular, it highlighted the lack of informed consent and the failure to explore less intrusive methods before conducting medical tests.

EU Home Affairs Ministers approved a roadmap for the gradual implementation of the Entry/Exit System (EES) starting in October 2025, the revised Eurodac database set to become operational in June 2026 and ETIAS in late 2026. Ministers also reached broad agreement on facilitating go-and-see visits for Syrians in the EU to assess conditions in their home country without losing their protection status, as well as on measures to return Syrian nationals who pose a security threat or have been convicted of crimes.

The European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) has released its annual analysis of asylum trends in 2024. The EU+ received approximately 1.014 million asylum applications, reflecting an 11% decrease compared to 2023. This decrease concentrated in the second half of the year as the application trend deviated from the typical seasonal pattern.

In 2023, 1.050.100 people obtained citizenship of the EU country of their usual residence, an increase of 6.1% compared with 2022. This was mainly the result of increases in absolute terms in Spain (58.600 more residents were granted Spanish citizenship than in 2022), followed by Germany (33.200 more) and Belgium (6.700 more)

In a coordinated effort to combat human trafficking, Europol hosted an international operational action from 25 to 28 February 2025, bringing together experts in analysis, OSINT (Open Source Intelligence), and investigations from 12 countries, including Belgium. The operation focused on detecting and disrupting human trafficking networks operating online, particularly those exploiting Ukrainian nationals.

In 2024, 1.261 detainees were forcibly returned from Belgian prisons, down from 1.428 in 2023 and 1.511 in 2022, according to the Immigration Office. The most represented nationalities among those returned were Albanians, Moroccans, and Algerians. This decline comes amid ongoing challenges linked to prison overcrowding and changes in early-release policies.

The European Commission has adopted its 2025 work programme, with key initiatives including the first five-year European Migration and Asylum Strategy. This strategy will provide a strategic framework for continued work under the Pact on Migration and Asylum, building on the national migration and asylum strategies of EU Member States.

Een recent rapport van het Asielagentschap van de Europese Unie (EUAA), dat jurisprudentie van 2020-2024 analyseert, benadrukt dat beslissingen van EU- en nationale rechtbanken nationale praktijken sturen naar een meer gendergevoelige benadering van internationale bescherming.

About sixty Eritrean refugees gathered in front of the Town Hall in Ghent to draw the authorities' attention to the impact of the housing crisis on their situation and integration prospects. The authorities expressed their intention to find solutions but called on Minister of Asylum and Migration Anneleen Van Bossuyt to address this issue together. They also stated that they would consider a European response to this widespread problem. 

Negen mensenrechtenorganisaties, waaronder 11.11.11 België, hebben het European Pushback Report 2024 gepubliceerd. Het rapport benadrukt dat illegale pushbacks een hardnekkige praktijk zijn aan de grenzen van Europa en roept op tot de oprichting van onafhankelijke controlemechanismen om naleving van mensenrechtennormen te waarborgen en verdere schendingen te voorkomen.

The Benelux countries and Suriname have agreed to facilitate the return of individuals in irregular situations from the Benelux or Suriname to their country of origin. Additionally, they have decided to grant visa-free travel for diplomats and government officials between the Benelux countries and Suriname.

According to Statbel, the Belgian statistical office, 4.276 persons obtained Belgian nationality in November 2024. The main countries of origin of people who acquired Belgian nationality in November are Morocco, Syria, Romania, Afghanistan and Turkey.

Statbel has published demographic projections for 2024-2070 and concluded that Belgium’s population will reach 12.9 million by 2070. International migration will be the main driver of growth after 2038, as the natural balance turns negative by the end of the 2030s.

Fedasil revealed that Belgium resettled 487 people in 2024, exceeding the 287 resettled in 2023. The refugees resettled in 2024 mainly came from countries such as Syria, Congo, Eritrea and Sudan.

In het nieuwe akkoord willen de federale coalitiepartners de instroom van migranten beheersen en streven naar gecontroleerde migratie. Ze benadrukken ook het belang van de integratie van nieuwkomers, onder andere via een bindende nieuwkomersverklaring, en stellen eisen aan degenen die permanent in België willen verblijven.