EMN News provides news from the EU and news from EMN Member and Observer Countries, including general developments, legal migration, international protection including asylum, unaccompanied minors and other vulnerable groups, integration and inclusion, border management and irregular migration, trafficking in human beings, return and readmission, migration and development, and EU legislation transposition.

In this edition of EMNews, the following news are inter alia highlighted:

• General developments: In Norway, as of 28 September 2024, Ukrainians from areas considered safe by the Norwegian authorities, such as: Lviv, Volyn, Zakarpattia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Ternopil and Rivne, are no longer granted collective protection. Instead, they are assessed according to the regulations for individual protection.
   
• Legal migration: In Belgium the law amending the right to family reunification came into force on 1 September 2024. The changes impact the right to family reunification for parents of accompanied minors with international protection, the right to family reunification for stateless persons, the assessment of minority in the asylum procedure or residence procedure for stateless persons, and more.
   
• International protection including asylum: The Finnish government introduced legislative amendments preventing asylum seekers from switching application procedures. Applicants for international protection or persons whose application has been rejected can no longer obtain a residence permit on the basis of employment, self-employment or studies.
   
• Unaccompanied minors and other vulnerable groups: In Greece, the EU-funded project ’FORTIFY- Empowering to protect from and prevent delinquency’, launched in September 2024, is designed to empower Greek systems to effectively protect unaccompanied minors who present delinquent behaviour, promote their integration, and ensure their safety and well-being.
   
• Integration and inclusion: In Sweden, a new report on the integration of Ukrainians indicates overall positive developments. For example, 66% of those of working age participate in the labour market, and more than half reported speaking Swedish well or very well.
   
• Citizenship and statelessness: A new law providing for a specific procedure for permission to stay on the grounds of statelessness came into force in Belgium on 1 September 2024.
   
• Border management and irregular migration: From 16 September 2024, Germany temporarily reintroduced border controls at all land borders, to combat cross-border crime and further limit irregular migration.
   
• Trafficking in human beings: In Ireland, new legislation on sexual offences and human trafficking passed. The criminal bill on Sexual Offences and Human Trafficking puts the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) on statutory footing, and acknowledges the role of NGOs and state bodies outside of the national police and security service in identifying victims.
   
• Return and readmission: On 30 August 2024, Afghan nationals were returned from Germany to their country of origin for the first time since August 2021. All returnees were Afghan nationals who had been convicted of criminal offences, had no legal residency, and were subject to return orders.
   
• Migration and development: In the Czech Republic, aid for three projects in Ukraine and one in Moldova for a total of € 3 million was approved. 

For detailed news, please read the EMNews attached above.