In its judgment in Case C-143/22 | ADDE and Others, the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled today that the Return Directive applies to any third-country national who has entered the territory of a Member State without fulfilling the conditions of entry, stay or residence. That also applies when the person concerned has entered that territory even before crossing a border crossing point where such checks are carried out.
Main Theme: Return & Readmission
Keywords: return directive, internal border control
In its judgment in Case T-600/21 | WS and Others v Frontex, the General Court dismissed today the action of a number of Syrian refugees who had brought a claim for compensation before the General Court of the European Union. The applicants claimed that Frontex engaged in improper conduct with regard to them.
Main Theme: Return & Readmission
Keywords: Frontex, return operation, fundamental right
In the first three months of this year, 959 irregularly staying third-country nationals were subject to forced return from Belgium. That is twice as many as in the same period last year, when it concerned 502 persons.
Main Theme: Return & Readmission
Keywords: irregularly staying third-country national, forced return
The Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration Nicole de Moor is on a mission to Vietnam to strengthen cooperation with that country regarding the prevention of irregular migration and return.
Main Theme: Return & Readmission
Keywords: Vietnam, irregular migration, migrant smuggling
In 2022, 2,673 persons voluntarily returned to their country of origin. The number is higher than before the corona period, when 2,426 persons returned voluntarily in 2019.
Main Theme: Return & Readmission
Keywords: voluntary return, forced return
On 15 December, EMN Belgium and the EMN Return Expert Group hosted a webinar on Alternatives to Detention. The online event focused on the current legal framework on alternatives to detention, the implementation of these alternatives in practice and the identification of emerging good practices and pilot projects.
Main Theme: Return & Readmission
Keywords: Conférence EMN
On 16 September 2020, the Interior Committee of the Belgian House of Representatives held a parliamentary hearing on a legislative proposal concerning the prohibition of detention of minors. EMN Belgium contributed to the hearing by presenting the laws, policies and practices in other EU Member States.
Main Theme: Return & Readmission
Keywords: detention, alternatives to detention, families, unaccompanied minors
Voluntary returns to the countries of origin are decreasing for the third consecutive year.
Main Theme: Return & Readmission
Keywords: voluntary return
Voluntary returns to the countries of origin are decreasing. Among others, this is the result of the lower number of asylum applications during the past years.
Main Theme: Return & Readmission
Keywords: AVRR Sustainable Return
On 12 December 2018, the Belgian contact point of the EMN organized its annual asylum and migration policy event in which recent national and EU developments in the field of international protection, legal migration and integration and irregular migration, human trafficking and return were discussed.
Main Theme: Integration, Reception, International Protection, Return & Readmission, Smuggling & Trafficking
Keywords: annual EMN policy event
In his State of the Union, President Jean-Claude Juncker presented proposals to ensure full EU solidarity on migration and better protection of Europe's external borders. The Commission is proposing to reinforce the European Border and Coast Guard and the EU's Agency for Asylum and is proposing a targeted review of the Return Directive.
Main Theme: External Dimension, Irregular Migration, Return & Readmission
Keywords: return directive, State of the Union, EUAA, EBCG
Today, the State Secretary for Asylum Policy and Migration and his Tunisian counterpart signed an agreement which focuses on cooperation regarding migration and return.
Main Theme: Irregular Migration, Return & Readmission
Keywords: Tunisia, bilateral agreements
In 2018, the European Migration Network (EMN) celebrates its 10 year anniversary. On this occasion, the EMN organized a conference on 15 May in Brussels.
Main Theme: Asylum, Migration
Keywords: anniversary, EMN conference
In February, Fedasil, the federal agency in charge of the reception of asylum seekers, has signed a framework agreement with the Belgian development agency, Enabel (www.enabel.be).
Main Theme: Return & Readmission
Keywords: coopération au développement
Voluntary returns to the countries of origin are decreasing. Among others, this is the result of the lower number of asylum applications the past two years.
Main Theme: Return & Readmission
Keywords: voluntary return
From 21 until 23 February 2018, the Belgian State Secretary for Asylum Policy and Migration, Theo Francken, visited Guinea in order to discuss the questions of – inter alia - irregular migration and return.
Main Theme: Irregular Migration, Return & Readmission
Keywords: Guinea
Today, Frontex published its Risk Analysis for 2018, which concentrates on the scope of Frontex operational activities and, in particular, on irregular migration at the external borders of the EU and Schengen Associated Countries.
Main Theme: Borders & Visa, Irregular Migration, Return & Readmission, Smuggling & Trafficking
Keywords: Frontex, risk analysis, border management
On 22 December 2017, Deputy Prime Minister Jan Jambon, in the name of the government, asked the Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS) to carry out an independent inquiry regarding the risk in case of return to Sudan. The report was handed over to the government on 8 February 2018.
Main Theme: Return & Readmission
Keywords: removal
In December of this year, the Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons was asked by the Belgian government to carry out an independent enquiry on the fate of the Sudanese nationals who recently returned to their country of origin.
Main Theme: Return & Readmission
Keywords: CGRS
A the beginning of December 2017, the European Commission has published the common "Return Handbook". It provides Member States with common guidelines, best practices and recommendations to be used by Member States' competent authorities when carrying out return-related tasks.
Main Theme: Return & Readmission
Keywords: EU Action Plan on Return
Today, the Belgian Contact Point of the European Migration Network organized its national conference, which focused on the main developments in the field of migration and asylum that took place in Belgium in 2017.
Main Theme: Asylum, Reception, International Protection, Migration
Keywords: EMN conference
On the 26th of October 2017 the general policy note on asylum and migration of the State Secretary for Asylum and Migration was published. The policy note provides an overview of the main achievements and priorities in the field of asylum and migration.
Today, the Belgian National Contact Point of the European Migration Network organized an event in Brussels to discuss the irregular employment of third country nationals.
Main Theme: Economic migration, Irregular Migration, Return & Readmission
Keywords: illegal employment, migrant worker
The European Commission published a mid-term review of what has been achieved so far in delivering the European Agenda on Migration. It also sets out new initiatives from the Commission to address key areas, and identifies where further efforts are needed in the coming months.
The return of irregular migrants is one of the main pillars of the EU’s policy on migration and asylum. In this light the EMN will conduct in 2017 a study on ‘The effectiveness of return in EU Member States: challenges and good practices linked to EU rules and standards‘. The synthesis report of this study is expected to be published at the end of 2017. The Belgian national report will probably be published at the beginning of 2018.