Future development of EU Home Affairs Policies (Post Stockholm Programme)

12 Mar 2014

Justice and Home Affairs Ministers held a concluding debate on the future development of the Justice and Home Affairs area at the recent Justice and Home Affairs Council. The Presidency will reflect the Council’s positions in a letter to the President of the European Council, which will feed into the strategic guidelines to be defined by the European Council on 26-27 June. Read more

Update: May 2014

The European Migration Network (EMN) published ‘A Descriptive Analysis of the Impacts of the Stockholm Programme 2010-2013’.  The report will contribute to the evaluation of the Stockholm Programme 2010-2013.

This Synthesis Report includes information collected annually to provide a descriptive analysis of the situation in the Member States and to identify trends in relation to the Stockholm actions during the four-year period.  It also draws on wider information collected by the EMN, including EMN Studies, Ad-Hoc Queries and other outputs, and where relevant, from (published) EU studies evaluations of relevant Directives and Programmes to aim to provide, to the extent possible, an understanding of what has worked well and what has worked less well and to identify where activities have been small or not undertaken.

For more information:

Read report: A Descriptive Analysis of the Impacts of the Stockholm Programme 2010-2013.

Update: 13 March 2014

The European Commission recently presented its strategic vision ‘An open and secure Europe: making it happen’ on the future orientation of different policy areas of DG Home Affairs, post-Stockholm Programme.

The Stockholm Programme, which has framed EU Home Affairs policies since 2010, will come to an end in 2014.  The European Commission’s Communication, ‘An open and secure Europe: making it happen’ (COM(2014) 154 final), was presented to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions. It is intended that the Communication will contribute to the strategic guidelines to be adopted by the European Council in June 2014.

Stated political priorities in the Commission’s Communication, include the following:-

  • An effective policy of migration and mobility
    • Maximising the benefits of migration and integration
    • A credible approach to irregular migration and return
  • A Common European Asylum System in practice
    • Consolidation of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS)
    • Responsibility and solidarity in terms of complying with the rules of the EU acquis
    • Prevention and handling of crises
    • Addressing external challenges and legal routes to access asylum in the EU
  • Further strengthening of the Global Approach to Migration and Mobility (GAMM).

Other recent activity

  • European Parliament has voted to establish new EU Home Affairs’ Funds for 2014-2020. The Council will now have to formally adopt the Regulations with a view to the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund and the Internal Security Fund becoming operational as of May 2014.
  • Seminars and hearings on the future of Home Affairs have taken place with think-tanks and civil society organisations.
  • Stakeholders and citizens were also invited to share their views and ideas on the DG Home website, through a public consultation.
  • On 29 and 30 January 2014 the European Commission organised a high-level conference in Brussels to discuss future development of Home Affairs policies.

For more information