Latest European and International developments on migration and asylum including update on refugee crisis

Date Published: 18-12-2015

Latest developments

European Council conclusions on migration (17 December 2015).
European Commission proposal on a European Border and Coast Guard Agency (15 December 2015).
European Commission adopted infringement decisions for failing to fully transpose and implement the Common European Asylum System. The decisions concern Greece, Croatia, Italy, Malta and Hungary. (10 December 2015)
European Commission announced further emergency humanitarian aid of €13 million to support refugees along the Western Balkans route. (10 December 2015)

Reports

European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound) launched a report on Social dimension of intra-EU mobility: Impact on public services.
Asylum in Europe (AIDA) published an updated Country report: Croatia and an updated Country report: Belgium.
International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) published two reports reports on Targeting Vulnerabilities: The Impact of the Syrian War and Refugee Situation on Trafficking in Persons, a study of Syria, Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq and on Integration, Transnational Mobility and Human, Social and Economic Capital Transfers: Country Report - Austria.

Statistics

Eurostat figures show 413,800 first time asylum seekers applied for international protection in the Member States of the European Union in period July to September 2015.

Newsletters

EASO Newsletter November/December 2015.
Fundamental Rights Agency Newsletter November 2015.
Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM) Newsletter November 2015.
European Parliament Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) Newsletter November 2015 Issue 13.

Other developments

18 December 2015 marks the UN International Migrants Day.
New Director of the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), Michael O'Flaherty started his tenure on 16 December 2015.
Human Rights Day on 10 December 2015 was devoted to the launch of a year-long campaign to mark the 50^th anniversary of the two International Covenants on Human Rights: the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
European Commission published call for Proposals on actions in the area of Integration under the Asylum, Migration and Integration.

10 December 2015

Developments

Justice and Home Affairs Council approved the compromise text agreed with the European Parliament on the proposal for a directive on the use of passenger name record (PNR) data for the prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of terrorist offences and serious crime. (4 December 2015)
Ministers also discussed the progress made in implementing the most recent EU measures regarding migration and on the actions needed to strengthen the Schengen area. See main meeting results. (4 December 2015)
Justice and Home Affairs Council and the representatives of the Governments of the member states adopted conclusions on Statelessness. (4 December 2015)
Statement by EU heads of state and government following a meeting with their Turkish counterpart, on developing EU-Turkey relations and contributing to managing the migration crisis (29 November 2015).

Reports

European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound) launched a report on Social dimension of intra-EU mobility: Impact on public services.

Forthcoming EU meetings

17-18 December 2015: European Council meeting of Heads of State or government of the EU's member states, together with European Council President and the European Commission President.

23 November 2015

Developments

Council of the EU and Member States agree to implement border and airline controls (23 November 2015).
Outcome of Valletta summit on migration: A Political Declaration and a Valletta Action Plan to manage migration flows were agreed (13 November 2015).

9 November 2015

Developments

Justice and Home Affairs Council conclusions on measures to handle the refugee and migration crisis (9 November 2015).
Meeting on the Western Balkans Migration Route: Leaders Agree on 17-point plan of action (25 October 2015).
European Union reached an agreement with Turkey on a Joint Action Plan (16 October 2015).
European Council conclusions included orientations on cooperating with third countries to stem flows of migrants; agreement of an EU-Turkey joint action plan; strengthening the protection of the EU's external borders (building on the Schengen acquis); responding to the inflows of refugees to Europe and ensuring returns, as well as discussing developments in Syria and Libya (15 October 2015).
European Commission reported on progress in implementation of priority actions under A European Agenda on Migration. See also A European Agenda on Migration – State of Play Factsheet (14 October 2015).
European Parliament approved an €401.3 million in EU funding for migration (14 October 2015).

Reports/Publications

European Parliament Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) published a research paper on Exploring new avenues for legislation for labour migration to the European Union (research by Migration Policy Centre, Robert Shuman Centre for Advanced Studies, European University Institute).
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) published International Migration Outlook 2015.
International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) Asylum Programme for Member States updated a thematic paper on An Effective Asylum Responsibility-Sharing Mechanism (updated version October 2015).
Frontex published Frontex Risk Analysis Network (FRAN) Quarterly Report (Quarter 2, 2015) and analysis of the Eastern European Borders Risk Analysis Network Quarterly Report (Quarter 2, 2015).
European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) published paper on Alternatives to detention for asylum seekers and people in return procedures and a report on Guardianship systems for children deprived of parental care in the European Union - With a particular focus on their role in responding to child trafficking.
Migration Policy Institute published report on The Educational and Mental Health Needs of Syrian Refugee Children
European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) published monitoring reports on Austria, the Czech Republic and Estonia.

Statistics / Trends / Maps

Frontex update: 710,000 migrants entered EU in first nine months of 2015.
EASO latest asylum trends (August).
Frontex published migratory route maps.
IOM presented an Overview of Migration flows in Europe.

Newsletters

EMN Bulletin: June – September 2015 (Issue 12).
EASO Newsletter September 2015.
European Parliament Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) Newsletter September 2015 (Issue 11).

Events

20 October 2015: Migration Policy Institute (MPI) Europe Webinar: MPI Europe host a video chat - Responding to the European Refugee Crisis: What's Next for the European Asylum Support Office?
22 - 23 October 2015: ERA (Academy of European Law) Annual Conference on European Asylum Law 2015, Trier.
30 - 31October 2015: European Legal Network on Asylum (ELENA) 30^th anniversary advanced course on legal avenues for strengthening international protection in Europe, Bologna, Italy.

8 October 2015

Developments

Justice and Home Affairs Council conclusions on the future of the return policy (8 October 2015).
Justice and Home Affairs Council approved additional financial assistance from the 2015 EU budget in response to the migration crisis. This puts into effect the commitments made by the European Council on 23 September 2015 (8 October 2015).
Declaration of the High-level Conference on the Eastern Mediterranean - Western Balkans Route (8 October 2015).
Speech by Commissioner Marianne Thyssen: EU funds in support of the refugee crisis at extraordinary meeting with managing authorities of the ESF and FEAD in the context of the refugee crisis (25 September 2015).
Statement following extraordinary, informal meeting of EU heads of state and government on migration (23 September 2015).
Press release by the European Commission on More Responsibility in managing the refugee crisis: European Commission adopts 40 infringement decisions to make European Asylum System work (23 September 2015).
Press release by the European Commission on Managing the refugee crisis: Immediate operational, budgetary and legal measures under the European Agenda on Migration as a follow-up to extraordinary informal meeting of heads of state or government (23 September 2015).
Council decision establishing provisional measures in the area of international protection for the benefit of Italy and Greece following extraordinary Justice and Home Affairs Council (22 September 2015).
Statement by the European Commission on relocation of 120,000 refugees following the decision at the Extraordinary Justice and Home Affairs Council (22 September 2015).
President Tusk convened an extraordinary, informal meeting of the heads of state and government to take place on Wednesday 23 September 2015 at 18:00 to discuss how to deal with the refugee crisis (17 September 2015).
Remarks by Commissioner Avramopoulos during his visit to Hungary (17 September 2015)
Statement by the European Commission regarding temporary reintroduction of controls by Slovenia at its border with the Republic of Hungary (17 September 2015).
MEPs vote in favour of the European Commission’s proposal to relocate an additional 120,000 asylum seekers in the EU (17 September 2015).
Luxembourg Presidency of the Council of the European Union convenes an extraordinary Justice and Home Affairs Council on 22 September 2015 (16 September 2015).
Statement by the European Commission regarding temporary reintroduction of border controls by Austria (15 September 2015).
Luxembourg Presidency of the Council of the European Union issue conclusions following the extraordinary Justice and Home Affairs Council of 14 September 2015 (14 September 2015).
Statement by the European Commission regarding the temporary reintroduction of border controls by Germany (13 September 2015).
State of the Union 2015: Time for Honesty, Unity and Solidarity speech by President Jean-Claude Juncker (9 September 2015).

Reports/Publications

International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) published a training manual for law enforcement officers entitled Human Trafficking – How to Investigate It.
Frontex published analysis of Western Balkans: Western Balkans Quarterly (Quarter 2, 2015).
EASO published a Country of Origin Information report on Pakistan: Country Overview.
IOM Missing Migrant Project issued an infographic on migrant arrivals and fatalities in the Mediterranean region.
AIDA (Asylum Information Database) released their Annual Report 2014/15 entitled Common Asylum System at a Turning Point: Refugees Caught in Europe’s Solidarity Crisis.

Statistics

Frontex: More than 500,000 migrants detected at EU external borders so far this year
Eurostat figures show 213,200 first time asylum seekers applied for protection in the European Union (EU) during the second quarter of 2015 (from April to June 2015) , up by 15% compared with the first quarter of 2015.

Newsletters

Fundamental Rights Agency newsletter September 2015.
Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM) newsletter September 2015.
EASO newsletter July/August 2015.

Events

7 October 2015: EMN Conference - 30 Years of the Schengen Agreement, Luxembourg.
14 - 16 October 2015: ECRE Annual General Conference and UNHCR NGO Consultations, The Hague, The Netherlands.
22 - 23 October 2015: ERA (Academy of European Law) Annual Conference on European Asylum Law 2015, Trier.
30 - 31October 2015: European Legal Network on Asylum (ELENA) 30^th anniversary advanced course on legal avenues for strengthening international protection in Europe, Bologna, Italy.

30 July 2015

Developments

European Council meeting on 20 July 2015 adopted a resolution on relocating from Greece and Italy 40,000 persons in clear need of international protection as well as resolution on resettling 22,504 displaced persons from outside the EU, who are in clear need of international protection through multilateral and national schemes. The Council will formally adopt the decision once the European Parliament gives its opinion, which is expected in September. Safe countries of Origin, EU Return Policy and the Valletta Summit were also discussed at the meeting.
MEPs call for more EU solidarity on visit to reception centres in Sicily in July 2015.
European Commission, DG Migration and Home Affairs has launched a public consultation on the Smart Borders Package.
European Commission, DG Migration and Home Affairs has issued a call for expressions of interest from external experts for the evaluation of AMIF projects.
European Commission has issued a call for proposals for Actions addressing trafficking in human beings.

Reports / Publications

European Commission and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) published Settling In, a joint report on indicators of integration of migrants.
Frontex published first quarterly analysis of Eastern borders (2015) and quarterly (Q1) analysis of Western Balkans (2015) as well as FRAN (Frontex Risk Analysis Network) Quarterly report for first quarter of 2015.
European Commission issued an infographic on Immigration in the EU.
New report issued by the International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC) entitled 10% of refugees from Syria: Europe’s resettlement and other admission responses in a global perspective
European Asylum Support Office (EASO) published its Annual Report on the Situation of Asylum in the European Union 2014.
Amnesty International published a new report on Europe’s Borderlands: Violations against refugees and migrants in Macedonia, Serbia and Hungary.
Migration Policy Practice: A bimonthly journal Vol. V, Number 2, April 2015 - June 2015.

Statistics

According to latest Eurostat release EU Member States granted citizenship to almost 1 million persons in 2013.
Eurostat figures show that the population of the EU was up to 508.2 million at 1 January 2015 - over 1 million more than in 2014.
Migration Integration Policy Index (MIPEX) launched full results and data associated with the project Integration policies: Who benefits? (38 countries: 28 EU Member States, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, Turkey, Japan, Korea, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and United States).

Newsletters

European Parliament Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) newsletter Issue 10 (July 2015).
Fundamental Rights Agency newsletter July 2015.
Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM) newsletter July 2015.
EASO newsletter June 2015.

Events

7 - 11 September 2015: 20th International Metropolis Conference (2015), Mexico City
10 September 2015: Asylum Information Database – AIDA Report: Launch, Brussels. For registration and enquiries please e-mail: mmouzourakis@ecre.org.
15 September 2015: Public Policy Exchange event Rethinking Europe’s Asylum System:
Towards Better Protection and Equal Standards, Brussels, Belgium.
14 - 16 October 2015: ECRE Annual General Conference and UNHCR NGO Consultations, The Hague, The Netherlands.
22 - 23 October 2015: ERA (Academy of European Law) Annual Conference on European Asylum Law 2015, Trier.
30 - 31October 2015: European Legal Network on Asylum (ELENA) 30^th anniversary advanced course on legal avenues for strengthening international protection in Europe, Bologna, Italy.

26 June 2015

Developments

The European Council meeting on 25 and 26 June discussed migration. Leaders agreed that 40,000 persons in need will be relocated from Greece and Italy to other states over the next two years. Another 20,000 will be resettled. Interior ministers will finalise the scheme by the end of July. Return and readmission policies were also discussed.
The European Commission adopted a proposal for a Regulation on a new uniform format for visas. After its adoption by the Council and the European Parliament, the new European visa sticker will be applicable to all Member States and to the Schengen associated countries.
Statement by António Guterres, UN High Commissioner for Refugees on World Refugee Day 2015.
To mark World Refugee Day on 20 June 2015, Frans Timmermans, First Vice President for Better Regulation, Inter-Institutional Relations, the Rule of Law and the Charter of Fundamental Rights; Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the Commission; Neven Mimica, Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development; Dimitris Avramopoulos, Commissioner for Migration and Home Affairs; and Christos Stylianides, Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, issued a joint statement outlining the challenging reality and the different ways the EU addresses the current crisis and its underlying causes
Europe celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Schengen Agreement in June 2015. The present-day Schengen area covers 26 countries: all EU Member States except UK, Ireland, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia, plus the non EU countries Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

Reports

The Fundamental Rights Agency identified migrant tragedies as one of the many fundamental rights challenge that needs tackling in its Annual report on fundamental rights challenges and achievements in 2014.
KNOMAD’s Thematic Working Group (TWG) on Migrant Rights and Social Aspects of Migration published a paper entitled Human Rights Indicators for Migrants and their Families, authored by Pablo Ceriani Cernadas of the UN Committee on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families, and National University of Lanus (UNLA), Argentina; Michele LeVoy and Lilana Keith of PICUM, in collaboration with Luis Campos (UNLA).
IOM launched a study on Migration Trends Across the Mediterranean: Connecting the Dots.
European Migration Network published its Annual Report on Immigration and Asylum 2014: Synthesis Report.
European Commission issued updated infographic on Asylum in the EU.
European Commission adopt the Seventh bi-annual report on the functioning of the Schengen area 1 November 2014 - 30 April 2015.
UNHCR issued Global Trends 2014: World At War.
The EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) launched report on Severe labour exploitation: workers moving within or into the European Union. States’ obligations and victims’ rights.
PICUM published its Annual Report 2014 on the occasion of the Annual General Assembly on 13 June 2015 in Brussels.

Newsletters

Fundamental Rights Agency newsletter June 2015.
Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM) newsletter June 2015.
Migration Policy Centre newsletter June 2015.
EASO newsletter May 2015.

Events

29 June – 10 July 2015: Odysseus Summer School – European Union Law and Policy on Immigration and Asylum, Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium.
6 – 24 July 2015: 2015 International Summer School in Forced Migration, Oxford Department of International Development, Oxford, UK.
7 – 11 September 2015: 20th International Metropolis Conference (2015), Mexico City
14 - 16 October 2015: ECRE Annual General Conference and UNHCR NGO Consultations, The Hague, The Netherlands

Event proceedings

2 - 3 June 2015: European Network on Statelessness Conference: None of Europe's Children Should be Stateless, Budapest, Hungary.

29 May 2015

Developments

European Commission provided an update on progress on European Agenda on Migration, presenting six concrete measures in response to the crisis situation in the Mediterranean: relocation; resettlement; an EU Action plan against migrant smuggling; guidelines on fingerprinting; a public consultation on the future of the Blue Card Directive and a new Operational Plan for Operation Triton.
European Commission launched a public consultation on the EU’s labour migration policies and the EU Blue Card. The consultation is open until 21 August 2015.
Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary General called for Europe to focus on saving lives when dealing with migration when he addressed the European Parliament on 27 May.
The EU signed short-stay visa waiver agreements with 7 ACP countries: St Lucia, the Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada, St Vincent and the Grenadines, the Republic of Vanuatu, the independent State of Samoa and the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.
Council of the European Union established an EU naval operation to disrupt human smugglers in the Mediterranean.
The European Commission issued two progress reports on the implementation by Ukraine and Georgia of their respective Visa Liberalisation Action Plans (VLAP).
Agreement signed between the EU and the United Arab Emirates on the short-stay visa waiver.
The European Commission have sought a mandate from the Council for the opening of negotiations with Mexico for an Agreement on Passenger Name Record (PNR) data.

Reports

Frontex published Eastern European Borders Annual Risk Analysis 2015.
Frontex published Western Balkans Annual Risk Analysis 2015.
EASO issued a Practical Guide: Researching the situation of lesbian, gay and bisexual persons (LGB) in countries of origin.
Migration Policy Centre Policy Brief EU Anti-Trafficking Policies: from Migration and Crime Control to Prevention and Protection.
Migration Policy Centre Policy Brief published Reforming the EU blue card as a labour migration policy tool?
Fourth General Report, published by, the Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) provides an analysis of trends, gaps and best practices.
IOM Migration Facts and Trends: South-Eastern Europe, Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

Statistics

Recent Eurostat figures show 27 EU Member States granted a protection status to more than 185,000 asylum seekers in 2014.

Newsletters

Fundamental Rights Agency newsletter May 2015: http://fra.europa.eu/en/newsletter/2015/fra-newsletter-may-2015

Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM) newsletter April 2015.

European Parliament Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) newsletter (Issue 9) May 2015.

EASO newsletter April 2015.

IOM newsletter March 2015.
Fundamental Rights Agency newsletter May 2015.
Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM) newsletter April 2015.
European Parliament Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) newsletter (Issue 9) May 2015.
EASO newsletter May 2015.
IOM newsletter March 2015.

Events

2 June 2015: Fundamental Rights Agency will launch report on ‘Severe Labour Exploitation of Migrant Workers in the European Union’ project in Brussels, Belgium.
2 - 3 June 2015: European Network on Statelessness Conference: None of Europe's Children Should be Stateless, Budapest, Hungary.
17 - 18 June 2015: Frontex 2015 Global Conference on the Future of Border Checks, Warsaw, Poland.
19 - 21 June 2015: Inter-University Centre for Human Rights and Democratisation
training seminar on Dublin III, two years on. Asylum seekers and refugees in the EU and beyond, Venice, Italy.
22 June 2015: European Municipalities Network International Conference on Migration and Integration: The Role of Local Authorities, policies and MIPEX benchmarking, University of Nicosia.
22 June – 3 July 2015: 11th Migration Summer School: Multiple Approaches to Migration: Challenges at Origin and Destination, Florence, Italy.
30 June 2015: Final MIPEX 2015 results - rankings and country comparisons will be presented in Brussels.
29 June – 10 July 2015: Odysseus Summer School – European Union Law and Policy on Immigration and Asylum, Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium.
6 – 24 July 2015: 2015 International Summer School in Forced Migration, Oxford Department of International Development, Oxford, UK.

17 April 2015

Developments

Commissioner Avramopoulos presented on the migration situation in the Mediterranean at a meeting of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) of the European Parliament (April, 2015).
The Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) of the European Parliament held a hearing on the fight against terrorism and the challenges for EU internal security (April 2015) and a hearing on the situation of Fundamental Rights in the European Union (March 2015).
The Council of the European Union, Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting discussed managing migratory flows and the fight against terrorism (March 2015).

Reports

Fundamental Rights Agency published Legal Entry Channels to the EU for Persons in Need of International Protection: a toolbox.
The Institute of Race Relations (IRR) released a new briefing paper entitled Unwanted, Unnoticed: an audit of 160 asylum and immigration-related deaths in Europe.
Migration Policy Centre issued a briefing paper Towards a Pro-Active European Labour Migration Policy: concrete measures for a comprehensive package.
IOM Labour published a report on Mobility as a Factor of Development in South-East Europe: Regional Overview.
UNHCR issued Global Appeal 2015 Update - Europe summary.
UNHCR released Asylum Trends 2014, Levels and Trends in Industrialized Countries.
Mipex published a report on Electoral Rights for Third Country Nationals in Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden.
CEPS issued a paper on The Criminalisation of Irregular Migration in the European Union.
EASO published its Quarterly Asylum Report for the third quarter of 2014.
Frontex released Risk Analysis Network (FRAN) Report for the third 2014 (July–September 2014).
The EU Alliance for Investing in Children published an Implementation Handbook – Putting the Investing in Children Recommendation into Practice.

Newsletters

Fundamental Rights Agency newsletter April 2015.
Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM) newsletter March 2015.
European Parliament Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) newsletter (Issue 8) March 2015.
European Migration Network (EMN) bulletin (No. 10) March 2015.
EASO newsletter March 2015.
IOM newsletter March 2015.

Statistics

New Eurostat figures showed just over 626,000 asylum applicants registered in the EU-28 in 2014; Syrian nationals represented 20%.

Events

7 - 8 May 2015: Academy of European Law (ERA) Annual Conference on European Migration Law 2015, Brussels, Belgium
27 May 2015: Public Policy Exchange Conference: Unlocking the Potential of Migrants in Europe: From Isolation to Multi-level Integration, Brussels, Belgium.

2 June 2015: Fundamental Rights Agency will launch report on ‘Severe Labour Exploitation of Migrant Workers in the European Union’ project in Brussels, Belgium.
2 - 3 June 2015: European Network on Statelessness Conference: None of Europe's Children Should be Stateless, Budapest, Hungary.
17 - 18 June 2015: Frontex 2015 Global Conference on the Future of Border Checks, Warsaw, Poland.
19 - 21 June 2015: Inter-University Centre for Human Rights and Democratisation
training seminar on Dublin III, two years on. Asylum seekers and refugees in the EU and beyond, Venice, Italy
22 June – 3 July 2015: 11^th Migration Summer School: Multiple Approaches to Migration: Challenges at Origin and Destination, Florence, Italy.
29 June – 10 July 2015: Odysseus Summer School – European Union Law and Policy on Immigration and Asylum, Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium.
6 – 24 July 2015: 2015 International Summer School in Forced Migration, Oxford Department of International Development, Oxford, UK.

Event proceedings

19-20 March 2015: Conference presentations Annual Conference of the European Migration Network Attracting and Retaining Talent in Europe, Latvia.

29 January 2015

Developments

The Informal EU Council Meeting of Ministers for Justice and Home Affairs took place on 28 – 29 January 2015.
The European Migration Forum – the dialogue platform on migration, asylum and migrant integration – met for the first time on 26 and 27 January 2015. The main theme of the meeting was: Safe routes, safe futures. How to manage the mixed flows of migrants across the Mediterranean?
The European Commission has launched a call for applications for an Expert Group Economic Migration (January 2015).
Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos’ speech to European Parliament on the EU response to Smuggling of Migrants in Europe – the situation and future actions (January 2015).
The Latvian Presidency of the Council to the European Union presented its priorities to the European Parliament. The Presidency will work on “measures and initiatives that are aimed at optimising the benefits of legal migration and offer protection to those who are in need, whilst tackling irregular migration and managing the EU’s external border efficiently.”
European Parliament issued a resolution on 17 December 2014 on the situation in the Mediterranean and the need for a holistic EU approach to migration.

Reports

IOM released How the World Views Migration: IOM - Gallup World Poll.
UNHCR released Report on Mid-Year Trends for 2014.
UNHCR made recommendations on asylum to the Latvian EU Presidency: The CEAS at a crossroads: Consolidation and implementation at a time of new challenges.
ECRE published an Information Note on the EU’s recast Asylum Procedures Directive.

Newsletters

Migration Policy Centre newsletter January.
European Parliament Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) newsletter January.
International Organization for Migration (IOM) newsletter December.
Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM) newsletter December.

Events

6 February 2015: The Odysseus Academic Network will host a Conference on alternatives to immigration detention at the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels.
2-3 June 2015: European Network on Statelessness Conference Announcement & Call for Papers: None of Europe's Children Should be Stateless, Budapest.

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