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Nicole de Moor presented today a draft law which aims, in accordance with the federal government agreement, to enshrine in law a proactive return policy. The draft law inter alia provides for the obligation to cooperate in the return procedure and for the intensive individual follow up of third-country nationals who have received an order to leave the territory.
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The Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration discussed today with mayors and aldermen of the five major cities of Antwerp, Brussels, Ghent, Charleroi and Liège to find ways to reduce the administrative burden in the field of asylum and migration, to guide illegally staying third-country nationals towards return and to implement social initiatives promoting, among others, the employment of applicants for international protection.
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Main theme: Cross-sectional
Keywords: cities, administrative burden, proactive return policy, labour market access
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Samusocial, CIRÉ, Médecins du Monde, Ilot and the Brussels Platform Armoede have launched the campaign "Without papers, without rights, without shelter" to demonstrate the reality of undocumented persons and to propose concrete recommendations to policymakers in this field.
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Main theme: Vulnerable groups
Keywords: homeless, undocumented migrants, access to employment, access to healthcare, gender
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The Flemish Bar Association obtained in court that the Immigration Office provide lawyers with a detailed organisation chart allowing them to enter directly into contact with the employees handling the cases they are defending.
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Main theme: Migration
Keywords: transparency, Immigration Office
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The campaign aims to raise awareness among people in Guinea of the dangers of irregular migration, such as the risk of exploitation and dangerous crossings. People are also made aware of local employment opportunities and legal migration channels.
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Main theme: Irregular Migration
Keywords: prevention campaign, awareness campaign, Guinea
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The 4th edition of the annual Migration & Health Seminar, jointly organised by the Institute of Tropical Medicine and the University of Antwerp (MIGLOBA; previously CEMIS), will focus on mental health and migration.
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Main theme: Vulnerable groups
Keywords: mental health, diversity, psychiatric care, mental well-being
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In a new state of play published today, the European Commission reviews the state of affairs regarding progress on the New Pact on Migration and Asylum. Key developments since the last state of play from April 2023 are highlighted.
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Main theme: Cross-sectional
Keywords: New Pact on Migration and Asylum
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This conference will focus on access to education and the role of education in the development and social inclusion of migrant children. It will be an opportunity for networking and experience sharing between partners who are working on questions related to the well-being of migrant children, as well as an opportunity to bring in different perspectives from other (selected) EU Member States, which have reported developments on access to education for migrant children in the last few years.
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Main theme: Vulnerable groups
Keywords: migrant child, access to education, social inclusion
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EMN Serbia, which newly joined the European Migration Network as an Observer Country in March 2023, organises its first national conference. The conference will focus on circular migration schemes and diasporas moving back to their countries of origin.
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Main theme: External Dimension
Keywords: circular migration, diaspora
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For the EU Anti-Trafficking Day, the European Commission is launching an awareness-raising campaign to inform citizens on the reality of this crime. The European Commission invites every citizen to help raise awareness by becoming part of the ‘End human trafficking. Break the invisible chain’ campaign.
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Main theme: Smuggling & Trafficking
Keywords: anti-trafficking day, awareness campaign
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The Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGVS) announced on 20 October 2023 that the notification of decisions granting or refusing subsidiary protection status to applicants from Gaza and the West Bank is suspended until the CGRS has sufficient objective information to assess the security situation in the Palestinian territories accurately.
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Main theme: International Protection
Keywords: Gaza, West Bank, refugee status, subsidiary protection status
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Home Affairs Ministers met at the JHA Council in Brussels on 19 October. They discussed progress on the New Pact on Migration and Asylum and exchanged views on the EU’s approach to the external dimension of migration. They stressed that the EU should efficiently use all the tools at its disposal to develop a preventive model which would hinder irregular departures, as well as to foster the effectiveness of returns.
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Main theme: Cross-sectional
Keywords: Justice and Home Affairs Council, New Pact on Migration and Asylum, external dimension, return policy
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After the terrorist attack perpetrated by an illegally staying failed asylum seeker in the centre of Brussels on 16 October, various policymakers plead for better follow-up of failed asylum seekers and stricter enforcement of orders to leave the territory.
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The European Council invited the Commission to present an Action Plan on the Eastern Mediterranean route, as part of a broader approach to help alleviate the pressure on Member States faced with large numbers of irregular arrivals along the route. This Action Plan identifies operational measures that will contribute to addressing the ongoing challenges along this route.
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Main theme: Cross-sectional
Keywords: EU Action Plan for the Eastern Mediterranean route
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Fencing work has started today along the Westkerke and Mannekensvere highway car parks on the E40 to prevent transmigrants from crossing the highway to climb into lorries aiming to reach the UK.
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Main theme: Irregular Migration
Keywords: transmigration, transmigrant, transit migrant
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This conference organised by the Finnish Contact Point of the EMN aims to promote dialogue between different actors and to find new perspectives on how to develop the assessment of the best interests of the child in migration processes.
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Main theme: Vulnerable groups
Keywords: best interests of the child
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The EMN Steering Board has voted on the topics which will be analysed in studies and informs in 2024. In line with the targets outlined in the 2023-2025 work programme of the EMN, 3 new studies and 10 new informs will be published next year.
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Main theme: Cross-sectional
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The German Contact Point to the European Migration Network (EMN), in cooperation with the BAMF, organises a conference on "Resettlement, Humanitarian Admission, and Complementary Pathways to Refugee Protection". Current national and European developments and challenges in the field will be discussed with a variety of national and international guests.
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Main theme: International Protection
Keywords: resettlement, humanitarian admission
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The federal government has reached an agreement today on the 2024 budget. While 1.2 billion euros will improve the budget balance, 500 million euros will cover additional needs, including in the asylum and migration field.
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Main theme: Reception
Keywords: federal budget, reception crisis
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Eurostat published today data referring to the attribution of temporary protection status based on the Council Implementing Decision 2022/382 of 4 March 2022. On 31 August 2023, almost 4.2 million non-EU citizens, who fled Ukraine as a consequence of the Russian invasion on 24 February 2022, had temporary protection status in EU countries.
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Main theme: Data & Statistics, Temporary protection
Keywords: temporary protection, Ukraine
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The European Migration Network (EMN) Glossary is an essential resource, which offers an EU-wide multidisciplinary vocabulary of approximately 500 terms and concepts related to asylum and migration. Let's focus today on the term "access to employment" to make sure we have a common understanding and use of the term!
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Main theme: Integration
Keywords: access to work, access to employment, labour market access, labour market integration
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The European Migration Network organizes a webinar to present its recently published study on "Integration of applicants for international protection in the labour market". Limitations, challenges and good practices will be highlighted and discussed.
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Main theme: Integration
Keywords: labour market integration, applicant for international protection
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Since 2013, Belgium has already resettled more than 4,500 refugees. To celebrate the importance of the program, Fedasil organised today an event bringing together key national and international partners such as the Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons, UNHCR, IOM, Foreign Affairs, the Immigration Office and Caritas International.
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Main theme: International Protection
Keywords: resettlement
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At a meeting of the Council’s permanent representatives committee (COREPER), Member States sealed their negotiating mandate on a regulation on crisis situations, including instrumentalisation of migration, and force majeure in the field of migration and asylum. This position will form the basis of negotiations between the Council presidency and the European Parliament.
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Main theme: Cross-sectional
Keywords: crisis regulation, migration instrumentalization, solidarity, relocation, New Pact on Migration and Asylum
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The department "Alternatives To Detention" (ATD) from the Immigration Office organises walk-in counters for illegally staying persons who wish to receive ICAM coaching, every Wednesday from 9 until 12h in Brussels, Antwerp and Liège.