Latest Developments
- European Council conclusions on the external aspects of migration (23 May 2016). The council also adopted conclusions on:
- EU Regional strategy for Syria and Iraq outlining priorities in working to achieve lasting peace, stability, security in Syria, Iraq and the wider region; and
- EUNAVFOR MED Operation Sophia to disrupt the business model of human smugglers and trafficking networks and to contribute to broader security in support of the legitimate Libyan authorities.
- European Commission has awarded €56 million in emergency funding to Greece to improve conditions for migrants and strengthen the registration and asylum process and €47 million to Turkey towards strengthen migration management and to support education of Syrian refugees.
- European Council adopted Commission proposal on next steps towards lifting of temporary internal border controls (12 May 2016).
- European Commission proposed visa-free list for citizens of Kosova for short-stays in the Schengen area.
- European Commission proposal to reform the Common European Asylum System including reform of the “Dublin” system for allocating asylum applications among Member States.
- European Commission update on the implementation of the EU-Turkey Agreement.
Reports
- European Network on Statelessness Annual Report 2014-15 Networking for Change – Working Together to tackle Statelessness in Europe.
- European Commission report on the progress made in the fight against trafficking in human beings (2016) and accompanying staff working paper.
- European Commission adopted Third Report on Relocation and Resettlement: EU Member States must act to sustain current management of flows.
- Fundamental Rights Agency issue report on Ensuring justice for hate crime victims: professional perspectives.
- Europol-INTERPOL issue a joint report on Migrant Smuggling Networks.
- European Parliament LIBE Committee commissioned study entitled On the frontline: the hotspot approach to managing migration.
- Frontex published Western Balkans Risk Analysis Network Quarterly Report (Quarter 4 2015).
Newsletters
- European Migration Network Bulletin January 2016 to March 2016 Issue 14.
- European Parliament Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) Newsletter Issue 18.
- Fundamental Rights Agency Newsletter May 2016.
- EASO Newsletter April 2016.
Statistics / Trends
- IOM Update: An estimated 204,311 migrants and refugees entered Europe by sea in 2016 through 31 May, arriving in Italy, Greece, Cyprus and Spain. Deaths 2,443.
- Eurostat: Almost 90,000 unaccompanied minors among asylum seekers registered in the EU in 2015
- Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA): Monthly Overview (May 2016) of the fundamental rights situation of people arriving in those Member States that have been particularly affected by large migration movements and thematic focus on trafficking.
- Frontext update: The number of migrants arriving on the Greek islands in April plunged by 90% compared to the previous month, reaching fewer than 2,700. The drop is a associated with several factors, including the EU-Turkey agreement and stricter border policies applied by the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia at its border with Greece.
- EASO: latest asylum trends March 2016.
Events
3 June 2016: EMN Conference Norway on the future of the European asylum and refugee system, Rethinking asylum and refugee protection in Oslo, Norway. Email: [email protected]
13 June 2016 – 14 June 2016: 9th International Conference on Migration and Development (in collaboration with the World Bank and the Agence Française de Développement)
16-17 June 2016: ERA Annual conference on European Migration Law 2016: Managing the migration and refugee crisis: recent policy and legislative updates in Brussels, Belgium.
20 – 23 June 2016: European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights “Fundamental Rights Forum” on Rights, Respect, Reality: the Europe of Values in Today’s World in Vienna, Austria.
6 – 7 July 2016: EMN Conference on Rethinking Returns from the EU: Sustainable Returns and Cooperation with Countries of Origin, in Bratislava, Slovakia.
11 – 13 July 2016: European Network on Statelessness, #StatelessKids Youth Congress 2016 at the Maastricht University Campus, Brussels, Belgium.
Summer schools
27 June – 8 July 2016: Migration Policy Centre Migration Summer School: Approaches to International Migration at Origin and Destination: Theories, Policies and Methods for Analysis in Florence, Italy.
4 – 15 July 2016: Odysseus Network Summer School on EU Immigration and Asylum Law and Policy, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) in Brussels, Belgium.
Event conclusions
European Policy Centre published event report on Reception and integration of refugees: Cities on the frontline.
9 May 2016
Latest Developments
- Justice and Home Affairs Council (21 April 2016) adopted a directive on EU Passenger Name Record (PNR) and a directive on strengthening the rights of children in criminal proceedings. See meeting outcomes for more details.
- European Commission proposed visa-free travel for citizens of Ukraine.
- European Commission proposal to reform the Common European Asylum System (CEAS).
- European Commission has adopted a Communication on Stronger and
Smarter Information Systems for Borders and Security. The Communication proposed improvements to existing and future information systems to enhance both external border management and internal security in the EU. The European Commission also presented a revised proposal for a Regulation on the establishment of an Entry-Exit System to speed-up, facilitate and reinforce border check procedures for non-EU nationals travelling to the
EU. - EU-Turkey Agreement came into effect on 4 April 2016. The implementation of the agreement sees the return of irregular migrants from the Greek islands to Turkey and resettlement of Syrian refugees from Turkey to Europe.
- European Commission has awarded €1.14 million in emergency assistance to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) to set up an Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration scheme for Italy.
Reports
- EUROCITIES published a report entitled Cities welcome refugees: Unaccompanied minors in Malmo.
- Frontex published Annual Risk Analysis for 2016.
- Asylum Information Database published a comparative report entitled Wrong counts and closing doors.
Newsletters
- Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM): Newsletter April 2016.
- European Parliament Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) Newsletter Issue 17.
- ICMPD: Monthly Update April 2016.
- EASO Newsletter March 2016.
Statistics / Trends
- Eurostat: EU Member States granted protection to more than 330,000 asylum seekers in 2015, an increase of 72% compared with 2014.
- IOM update: Over 178,882 migrants and refugees have entered Europe by sea into Italy, Greece, Cyprus and Spain through to 17 April 2016; over 737 deaths.
- EASO: latest asylum trends February 2016.
Events
2 May 2016: National EMN Conference Austria: The Establishment of Identity in the Migration Process in Vienna, Austria.
5 May 2016: EMN Ireland and UNHCR host a Seminar on Statelessness Determination Procedures: Policy Options, Practical Experiences and Challenges in Dublin.
19 May 2016: Public Policy Exchange host Driving Forward Multilevel Integration for Migrants in Europe: Improving Access to Education and to the Labour Market in Brussels, Belgium.
23 May 2016: National EMN ConferenceLithuania: The Migration Situation at EU Borders And Changes In Migratory Routes at Vilnius University, Lithuania. Email: [email protected].
26 May 2016: National EMN Conference Spain: Migration and development: Cooperation with the countries of origin and transit in Madrid, Spain. Email: [email protected].
3 June 2016: EMN Conference Norway on the future of the European asylum and refugee system, Rethinking asylum and refugee protection in Oslo, Norway. Email: [email protected]
16-17 June 2016: ERA Annual conference on European Migration Law 2016: Managing the migration and refugee crisis: recent policy and legislative updates in Brussels, Belgium.
20 – 23 June 2016: European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights “Fundamental Rights Forum” on Rights, Respect, Reality: the Europe of Values in Today’s World in Vienna, Austria.
11 – 13 July 2016: European Network on Statelessness, #StatelessKids Youth Congress 2016 at the Maastricht University Campus, Brussels, Belgium.
Summer schools
27 June – 8 July 2016: Migration Policy Centre Migration Summer School: Approaches to International Migration at Origin and Destination: Theories, Policies and Methods for Analysis in Florence, Italy.
4 – 15 July 2016: Odysseus Network Summer School on EU Immigration and Asylum Law and Policy, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) in Brussels, Belgium.
See also: EU and International developments for period January – March 2016.
