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At their meeting on 13 June 2025, EU Home Affairs Ministers reached a political agreement to extend by one year, until March 2027, the temporary protection for people displaced from Ukraine. They also discussed ways to improve readmission cooperation with third countries and endorsed new priorities for the Schengen area.
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Main theme: Temporary protection, Borders & Visa, Return & Readmission
Keywords: Justice and Home Affairs Council, Ukraine, cooperation, third country, Schengen area
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As of 1 January 2025, more than one-third of Belgium’s population has a foreign background, according to the latest data from Statbel, the Belgian statistical office. While 64% of residents are Belgian with a Belgian background, the remainder includes Belgians with a foreign background and non-Belgians. Regional disparities and changes over the last two decades highlight evolving demographic patterns.
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Main theme: Data & Statistics, Citizenship & Nationality
Keywords: population structure, diversity, Belgian nationality, foreign background, non-Belgian
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On 11 June 2025, the European Commission published a report reviewing the implementation of the Pact on Migration and Asylum, halfway through its implementation phase, which is expected to be completed by June 2026. The report provides an overview of progress across the main elements of the Common Implementation Plan, while identifying remaining operational and legal challenges. A mid-term review of the Action Plan on Integration and Inclusion 2021–2027 was also released.
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Main theme: Cross-sectional, Asylum, Migration
Keywords: New Pact on Migration and Asylum, implementation, Action Plan on Integration and Inclusion
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According to a press release published on 11 June 2025, Statbel reported that 60.108 individuals acquired Belgian nationality in 2024. The five most common previous nationalities among those who became Belgian were Moroccan, Syrian, Romanian, Afghan and Turkish.
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Main theme: Data & Statistics, Citizenship & Nationality
Keywords: access to nationality, Belgian nationality
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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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Amnesty International and the Human Rights League are proposing a meeting with Françoise Tulkens, former judge and Vice-President of the European Court of Human Rights, and Manuela Cadelli, judge at the Court of First Instance of Namur, to examine the consequences of the letter from nine European authorities calling for a new interpretation of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
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On 5 June 2025, World Environment Day highlights the complex links between climate change and human mobility. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) issued statements emphasising both the scale of climate-induced displacement and the growing recognition of migrants’ potential contributions to environmental resilience. Discussions on the role of migrants in addressing environmental challenges have become more prominent, i.a. in a recent MPI podcast dedicated to this topic.
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Main theme: Migration
Keywords: climate change, environmental migration, climate-induced displacement
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The European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) will host its first State of Asylum Conference, bringing together policymakers, EU institutions, international organisations, and experts to discuss the current landscape of international protection and migration in the EU, the challenges faced, and the evolving EU migration agenda, particularly with regard to the Pact on Migration and Asylum.
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Main theme: Cross-sectional, Asylum, Migration
Keywords: EUAA, New Pact on Migration and Asylum, asylum trend, migration management
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On 3 June 2025, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) delivered a judgment clarifying the scope of the offence of facilitation of unauthorised entry into the EU. The Court ruled that a third-country national cannot be criminally penalised for bringing minors under their care into an EU Member State, even if this entry breaches border rules. This decision emphasises the protection of family responsibilities and fundamental rights within EU law.
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In response to a recent call by several European Heads of State to reinterpret the European Convention on Human Rights, six Belgian human rights institutions have voiced strong concerns. They warn that such initiatives risk undermining the authority and independence of the European Court of Human Rights. The institutions urge the Belgian federal government to remain consistent with its international commitments and to clearly reaffirm its support for the Court and the Convention.
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Backed by Italy and Denmark, a group of nine EU Member States has issued a letter calling for a new interpretation of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) to facilitate the expulsion of foreign nationals convicted of crimes. While the letter's authors frame it as a call for open discussion, the move has raised concerns over judicial independence and the protection of fundamental rights in Europe.
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On 21 and 22 May 2025, the European Migration Network’s Return Experts Group (EMN REG) convened a two-day workshop, hosted by the Belgian Immigration Office and EMN Belgium. The event brought together 50 participants from EU Member States, EU agencies (including Frontex and the EU Asylum Agency), civil society organisations, and international organisations. The workshop focused on the development and implementation of effective alternatives to detention (ATDs) within the EU’s migration and return systems.
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The European Commission has released new figures revealing a substantial rise in short-stay visa applications to the EU and Schengen-associated countries in 2024. With over 11.7 million applications submitted, the upward trend reflects a continued post-pandemic recovery, although numbers remain below pre-COVID levels. Notably, Bulgaria and Romania began issuing Schengen visas on 31 March 2024, further integrating into the Schengen visa system.
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Main theme: Borders & Visa
Keywords: short stay, visa application, Schengen visa
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On 13 May 2025, Belgian authorities arrested six individuals in West Flanders as part of a coordinated international operation targeting an organised migrant smuggling network suspected of facilitating the irregular entry of up to 300 non-EU nationals into the European Union. In total, fifteen suspects were apprehended in Belgium, Germany and Poland, in a series of actions supported by Europol and Eurojust and involving close cooperation between law enforcement and judicial authorities in the participating countries.
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Main theme: Smuggling & Trafficking
Keywords: migrant smuggling, smuggling network, joint action day, Europol, Eurojust
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According to Statbel, the Belgian statistical office, 4.922 persons obtained Belgian nationality in February 2025. The main countries of origin of people who acquired Belgian nationality in February are Morocco, Romania, Syria, Turkey and Afghanistan.
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Main theme: Citizenship & Nationality
Keywords: access to nationality, Belgian nationality
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According to preliminary data published by Frontex, the number of irregular border crossings into the European Union decreased by 27% between January and April 2025, compared to the same period in 2024. Nearly 47.000 crossings were detected during the first four months of 2025.
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On 11-12 May 2025, Belgian Minister for Asylum and Migration Anneleen Van Bossuyt visited Chisinau to emphasise that asylum applications from Moldovan nationals—coming from a country considered safe—are processed through an accelerated procedure in Belgium. She also announced the immediate discontinuation of the return incentive, which is seen as encouraging misuse of the asylum system.
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Main theme: International Protection, Irregular Migration
Keywords: unfounded asylum application, moldova, safe country of origin, return incentive
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The European Commission has approved an additional €3 billion in funding to assist Member States in implementing the Pact on Migration and Asylum and to support the hosting of beneficiaries of temporary protection from Ukraine. This amount is composed of €1.8 billion from the revision of the current Multiannual Financial Framework and a €1.2 billion top-up to the Asylum Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) and the Border Management and Visa Instrument (BMVI).
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On 7 May 2025, the Court of First Instance of West Flanders, Bruges division, sentenced the Vietnamese national, N. Van Kim (34), in absentia to twelve years’ imprisonment and a fine of €616,000 for human smuggling under aggravating circumstances. The court also ordered the deprivation of his civil rights for ten years and issued a warrant for his immediate arrest.
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Main theme: Smuggling & Trafficking
Keywords: Essex lorry tragedy, Bruges criminal court, Vietnamese migrants, smuggling network, migrant death
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Myria, the Federal Migration Centre, warns that the measures announced by the federal government in its "Easter Agreement" violate the right to family life. The institution announced in a press release published on Tuesday that it had shared its observations with the government and expressed hope for a constructive dialogue.
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This conference will explore the role labour migration might play in addressing labour market shortages in the Netherlands and the broader European context, while considering both the benefits and the challenges it brings. Participants will look at case studies and delve into concrete examples from other EU Member States, and explore various approaches to managing labour migration. Policymakers and experts will engage in this dialogue to examine the diverse policy choices that might shape the future of labour migration policies.
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Main theme: Economic migration
Keywords: labour migration, labour migration policy, labour shortage
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According to Statbel, the Belgian statistical office, 5.353 persons obtained Belgian nationality in January 2025. The main countries of origin of people who acquired Belgian nationality in January are Morocco, Romania, Syria, Italy and Turkey.
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Main theme: Citizenship & Nationality
Keywords: Belgian nationality, access to nationality
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This high-level conference will provide panel discussions among EU Member States’ ministries, the European Commission, EU agencies, national stakeholders, international organisations, and third-country officials to exchange views on tackling irregular migration, border management, countering migrant smuggling, and addressing root causes of migration.
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Main theme: Irregular Migration
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An unprecedented international law enforcement operation has led to the dismantling of Kidflix, one of the world’s largest child sexual exploitation platforms. With the support of Europol, authorities from over 35 countries – including Belgium – coordinated efforts to shut down the site and identify the perpetrators. The platform had nearly two million registered users and facilitated the distribution of vast amounts of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
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Main theme: Smuggling & Trafficking
Keywords: child sexual exploitation, law enforcement, joint action day
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Several raids were carried out on 19 March 2025 by German authorities, with the support of investigators from the Belgian Federal Police. The operation targeted a criminal network based in Germany, facilitating the crossing of the English Channel by small boats. It resulted in 6 arrests under Belgian judicial orders.