Publication date: 10 June 2025
The Fundamental Rights Report 2025 provides an overview of the state of fundamental rights in the EU, highlighting key developments and trends observed in 2024. The report includes a dedicated section on ‘Migration and asylum at the EU’s external borders’, which addresses, among other issues, challenges related to search and rescue operations, incidents of ill-treatment and rights violations at borders, concerns about border procedures under the New Pact, and fundamental rights risks associated with proposed return policies.
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Main theme: Cross-sectional, Asylum, Migration
Publication Type: Report
Keywords: fundamental rights, external border, rights violations, ill-treatment, New Pact on Migration and Asylum, border procedure, monitoring mechanism, return hub
Publication date: 05 June 2024
FRA’s Fundamental Rights Report 2024 analyses the year’s developments in fundamental rights. It focuses on the most pressing fundamental rights concerns facing Europe in 2023: the cost-of-living crisis, rights concerns at the EU’s external borders and migration, and threats to democracy.
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Publication date: 23 March 2023
This briefing discusses key recent trends and figures and provides an overview of EU policy developments relating to the management of the EU's external borders.
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Main theme: Borders & Visa
Publication Type: Report
Keywords: external border, border management, border security
Publication date: 11 March 2013
Frontex Programme of Work 2013 outlines Frontex's areas of possible activities for the year in question, focusing inter alia on the further development of the EUROSUR system, the operational support to Greece, implementation measures and new structures.
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Main theme: Borders & Visa
Keywords: border control, EUROSUR, external border
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On 24 June 2025, EMN Belgium participated in the Polish Presidency Conference on countering irregular migration. The discussions examined this phenomenon from three perspectives: strengthening the EU’s external borders to prevent irregular entries, combating migrant smuggling to dismantle criminal networks, and addressing the root causes of irregular migration and providing safe and legal alternatives.
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Main theme: Borders & Visa, Irregular Migration, Smuggling & Trafficking
Keywords: external border, border control, migrant smuggling, criminal network, root causes, legal pathway
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The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) has released its 2025 Fundamental Rights Report, offering a detailed overview of key developments in the EU’s human rights landscape. Among the areas of concern, the report draws particular attention to migration and asylum at the EU’s external borders, where challenges continue to raise fundamental rights issues.
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Nine human rights associations, including 11.11.11 Belgium, published the European Pushback Report 2024. The report highlights that illegal pushbacks are a persistent practice at Europe's borders and calls for the establishment of independent monitoring mechanisms at borders to ensure compliance with human rights standards and to prevent further violations.
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Main theme: Borders & Visa
Keywords: pushback, external border
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On 23 January 2023, the European Commissioner for Home Affairs participated in the European Parliament plenary session to discuss EU funding of physical border protection structures such as walls, fences or other barriers at the external border. According to him, the Commission will take border management needs into account “in a holistic manner”, whilst always ensuring proportionate measures and respect for fundamental rights.
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Main theme: Borders & Visa
Keywords: external border, physical border protection structure
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The situation at the Union’s borders with Russia and Belarus remains of concern with persistent threats related to the weaponisation of migrants. In a new Communication, the European Commission sets the framework for actions to guarantee the security of the Union and the territorial integrity of the Member States.
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Main theme: Borders & Visa
Keywords: border security, external border, weaponization of migration, migration instrumentalization
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On 4 December 2024, the European Commission released a proposal for a Regulation enabling a progressive start of operations for Europe’s new digital border system - the Entry/Exit System (EES). According to the proposal, the Member States will start registering at least ten per cent of border crossings, and by the end of the given six-month period, they will need to reach the full registration of all people.
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Main theme: Borders & Visa
Keywords: entry exit system, start of operations, external border, border control
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On 5 November, the LIBE Committee questioned Magnus Brunner, the Austrian candidate for the Internal Affairs and Migration portfolio. Brunner committed to speeding up the implementation of some elements of the New Pact on Migration and Asylum and showed himself open to considering new ideas to complement it. He also announced that he would table a new Return Directive and strengthen legal pathways to attract the skills that EU labour markets need.
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Main theme: Cross-sectional
Keywords: Commissioner for Home Affairs, New Pact on Migration and Asylum, return hub, return directive, EU Talent Pool, external border
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During the European Council on 17 October 2024, EU leaders adopted conclusions, among other things, on migration. They called, inter alia, for determined action to facilitate, increase, and speed up returns from the EU. They invited the European Commission to submit a new legislative proposal, as a matter of urgency.
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Main theme: Cross-sectional
Keywords: return directive, external action, external border, border control, migration instrumentalization
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The Polish National Contact Point to the European Migration Network (EMN) will hold its national conference in 2024 on "Security of the EU's External Borders: Development of systems, technologies and threats prevention".
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Main theme: Borders & Visa
Keywords: external border, border security, technology
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The latest report from the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) identifies systemic gaps and obstacles to investigating rights violations at EU borders. The report suggests concrete steps to ensure more effective investigations into incidents of loss of life and ill-treatment at the EU’s borders.
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Main theme: Borders & Visa
Keywords: fundamental rights, violation, investigation, external border
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This online annual conference, organised by the Academy of European Law (ERA), will debate the latest developments and challenges in the EU’s internal and external border management. It will inter alia analyse the latest proposals and reforms on the functioning and operation of EU border management systems, including Schengen, as well as Frontex’ role and responsibilities.
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Main theme: Borders & Visa
Keywords: border management, internal border, external border, Schengen governance
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On 24 May 2024, the Council of the European Union, with Spain and Slovenia abstaining, finally adopted the reform of the Schengen Borders Code. The reform inter alia aims to make the Schengen area more resilient to present and future crises at its external borders.
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Main theme: Borders & Visa
Keywords: Schengen borders code, migration instrumentalization, travel restriction, internal border control, external border
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On 16 April 2024, the Commission published its 2024 State of Schengen report. The report elaborates on major legislative and policy developments in the area of Schengen from the past year, including the Pact on Migration and Asylum. It also reflects on challenges and sheds light on future priorities for the EU in the field of Schengen.
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Main theme: Borders & Visa
Keywords: Schengen area, State of Schengen, Schengen governance, internal border, external border
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In its pushback report 2023 published today, the human rights organisation 11.11.11. says there were 346.004 illegal pushbacks of people migrating to Europe in 2023 - that is 947 every day. The organisation used information provided by NGOs, human rights bodies and UN agencies to report this figure.
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Main theme: Borders & Visa
Keywords: external border, pushback, human rights
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A Belgian expert participated in the conference of the Austrian Contact Point to the European Migration Network (EMN) focusing on opportunities and challenges in the management of EU's external borders. Participants inter alia identified the weaponization of migration as a major challenge concerning the protection of EU's external borders.
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Frontex revealed today that the number of detections of irregular border crossings at EU’s external borders rose by one fifth (+18%) in the first eight months of 2023 to over 232 350 and that this increase was primarily driven by the number of arrivals through the Central Mediterranean, which remains the main migratory route into the EU.
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Main theme: Borders & Visa
Keywords: irregular border crossing, external border, migratory route
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In a press release today, Frontex reported 330 000 irregular border crossings detected in 2022. This is the highest number since 2016 and an increase of 64% from the previous year.
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Main theme: Irregular Migration
Keywords: irregular border crossing, external border
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The national conference organised by EMN Austria this year will facilitate an insightful discussion among experts on the efficient and humanitarian management of EU’s external borders.
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Main theme: Borders & Visa
Keywords: external border, border management
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Several major challenges have affected the EU's external borders in recent years, including the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. These multiple challenges impacted figures and trends and urged policy developments which are clearly presented in a briefing released today by the European Parliament.
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Main theme: Borders & Visa
Keywords: border management, border security, external border
Publication date:
The Commission is today proposing to improve the Schengen Information System (SIS) to close information gaps and to contribute to a stronger control of external borders and sustainable EU Security Union.
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Main theme: Borders & Visa
Keywords: external border, Schengen Information System
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The Commission is proposing to establish a European Border and Coast Guard and also to introduce systematic checks against relevant databases for all people entering and exiting the Schengen area.