Tijdens een webinar, gevolgd door ongeveer 160 deelnemers, lanceerden het Europees Migratienetwerk (EMN) en Eurostat het Jaarverslag over Migratie en Asiel voor 2023 en de bijbehorende Statistische Bijlage. Belangrijke hoogtepunten uit het verslag werden uiteengezet, evenals belangrijke cijfers ter ondersteuning van beleidsvorming en monitoring. Nationale perspectieven werden ook gedeeld door Finland en Servië.

Op 9 juli publiceerden bijna 100 NGO’s, waaronder ECRE en verschillende ECRE-lidorganisaties, een gezamenlijke verklaring waarin ze alle EU-lidstaten oproepen om het recht om asiel aan te vragen te garanderen en hun verplichtingen ten aanzien van het internationale vluchtelingenbeschermingssysteem na te komen.

Volgens Statbel, het Belgische statistiekbureau, hebben 4.988 personen in april 2024 de Belgische nationaliteit verkregen. De belangrijkste herkomstlanden van mensen die in april de Belgische nationaliteit hebben verkregen, zijn Marokko, Syrië, Roemenië, Afghanistan en Turkije.

Volgens recente cijfers gepubliceerd door Eurostat, heeft België 14.079 uitgaande verzoeken verstuurd om de verantwoordelijkheid voor het behandelen van een asielaanvraag over te dragen onder de Dublin-procedure. Daarmee behoort België tot de top 5 landen die samen 86% van alle uitgaande verzoeken in 2023 hebben verzonden. België rapporteerde ook 1.241 uitgaande overdrachten in 2023.

Vanaf 1 juli 2024 zullen volwassen asielzoekers die in een opvangcentrum verblijven en een werkinkomen hebben, moeten bijdragen aan deze opvang. Wie geen bijdrage wil leveren, kan overwegen om buiten het opvangcentrum te verblijven.

Op 1 juli 2024 heeft Hongarije het roterende voorzitterschap van de Raad van de Europese Unie overgenomen voor een periode van zes maanden. Tot de zeven prioriteiten van Hongarije voor zijn EU-voorzitterschap behoren onder andere "het bestrijden van illegale migratie" en het "een stap dichterbij brengen" van de landen van de Westelijke Balkan bij het EU-lidmaatschap.

The Immigration Office disclosed a new website aimed at informing applicants for international protection about the purpose and course of the registration. Each step of the process is explained in 16 languages via texts, audio, and videos. The website was co-funded by the European Union.

According to Eurostat, the number of people returned to another country increased by 11% in the first quarter of 2024 compared with the same quarter of 2023. In comparison with the previous quarter (fourth quarter of 2023), the number of returns went up by 6%.

In order to structurally shorten the duration of reception in Belgium, an amendment was made to the Reception Act. Anyone who receives a final negative asylum decision must leave the reception place within a period of 30 days.

World Refugee Day is an international day designated by the United Nations to honour refugees around the globe. It falls each year on 20 June and celebrates the strength and courage of people who have been forced to flee their home country to escape conflict or persecution. 

The Federal Judicial Police reveals that unaccompanied foreign minors in Belgium and throughout Europe are recruited by criminal organisations and forced to carry out theft or drug trafficking. The Federal Police draws attention to this invisible phenomenon and asks to make it a priority for action.

On 13 June 2024, the Council of the European Union agreed its position on the proposal for an EU Talent Pool to facilitate the recruitment of talent from third countries who live outside the EU, to make the EU labour market more competitive and to tackle shortages on the European labour market.

On 13 June 2024, the Court of Justice of the European Union released its judgment in the case C-563/22 involving a stateless Palestinian mother and her child, registered with UNRWA, who left the Gaza strip to seek protection in Bulgaria. In this case, the Court provided guidance on the interpretation of Article 12(1)(a) of Directive 2011/95/EU and of Article 40(1) of Directive 2013/32/EU. 

During the last Justice and Home Affairs Council under the Belgian Presidency, Ministers agreed to extend the temporary protection for Ukrainians for one year. This will run until March 2026.

On 12 June 2024, the European Commission adopted the Common Implementation Plan which sets out the key milestones for all Member States to put in place the legal and operational capabilities required to successfully start applying the New Pact on Migration and Asylum by mid-2026. It provides a template for the National Implementation Plans to be adopted by Member States by the end of this year.

In case C-646/21, the Court of Justice of the European Union clarified that women, including minors, who share as a common characteristic the fact that they genuinely come to identify with the fundamental value of equality between women and men during their stay in a Member State may be regarded as belonging to ‘a particular social group’, constituting a ‘reason for persecution’ capable of leading to the recognition of refugee status.

According to Statbel, the Belgian statistical office, 5.882 persons obtained Belgian nationality in March 2024. The main countries of origin of people who acquired Belgian nationality in March are Morocco, Syria, Romania, Afghanistan and Turkey.

According to the 2024 Global Trends Report from UNHCR, one in every 69 people, or 1.5 % of the entire world’s population, is now forcibly displaced. The rise in overall forced displacement was the 12th consecutive annual increase and reflects both new and mutating conflicts and a failure to resolve long-standing crises. 

Doctors Without Borders, Doctors of the World, CIRÉ, Vluchtelingenwerk Vlaanderen, BelRefugees, Caritas International, and the Humanitarian Hub underline the permanent lack of reception, protection and access to medical services for applicants for international protection without a reception place. They want to challenge policy-makers and raise public awareness about people left left on the street.

According to the figures released by Statbel, the Belgian statistical office, the share of Belgians with a Belgian background has decreased from 79,9% in 2004 to 64,8% in 2024. The share of Belgians with a foreign background increased by 5,1 percentage points between 2004 and 2014. The proportion of non-Belgians increased from 8.3% in 2004 to 13.7% in 2024.

The international migration balance, i.e. the difference between the number of immigrations and emigrations, was positive in Belgium in 2023. The positive international migration balance offset the negative natural balance and ensured a fairly strong population growth by 66.093 inhabitants, or by 0.57%.

From 20 to 27 April 2024, Belgium participated, with 30 other countries, in the EMPACT Joint Action Days targeting human trafficking for labour exploitation purposes. The action resulted inter alia in 160 perpetrators and 334 potential victims identified and led to the arrest of 51 persons.

Myria has published the first thematic section of its 2024 annual report. This section entitled "Population and movements" reveals that, largely due to the war in Ukraine, Belgium recorded a 48% increase in immigration of foreigners into the country in 2022, compared to 2021. It also highlights that the number of first residence permits increased by 52% in 2022, compared to 2021. 

The list of safe countries of origin, which is revised once a year, was updated on 12 May 2024 and is now published in Belgium’s Official Journal. At present, the following countries are considered as safe countries of origin: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republic of North Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia, India and Moldova. 

On 27 May 2024, the Council of the European Union adopted a directive that inter alia adds new forms of exploitation and considers knowingly using the service provided by a trafficking victim as a criminal offense. It also strengthens prevention measures as well as the support for and assistance to victims.