European Parliamentary Research Service Blog
Anita Orav
International Migrants Day – 18 December
Each year, 18 December is observed as International Migrants Day. Nominated by the United Nations General Assembly on 4 December 2000 in response to increasing migration in the world, the day aims to draw attention to the human rights of migrants, and highlight their contribution to our societies. Continue reading
Smart borders: EU Entry/Exit System [Plenary Podcast]
The Commission has envisaged integrated border management for several years, in response to increased traveller flows and the new security context. Continue reading
World Refugee Day: making child-sensitive asylum and refugee policy
Written by Joanna Apap and Anita Orav. An unprecedented mass movement to the EU of asylum-seekers and migrants of all ages began in 2014, reached a peak in 2015, and subsequently continued into 2016 and 2017. On 5 April 2017, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on addressing refugee and migrant movements: the role of EU external … Continue reading
Smart Borders: EU Entry/Exit System [EU Legislation in Progress]
In anticipation of increased traveller flows and in response to security concerns regarding the control of EU external borders, on 6 April 2016, the Commission presented revised proposals for establishing an Entry/Exit System for recording the border-crossings of all non-EU nationals. Continue reading
International Roma Day
Written by Anita Orav, Since 1990, 8 April has been marked every year as International Roma Day, providing an opportunity both to discuss the situation of Roma, and to celebrate Romani culture. Roma population in Europe With an estimated population of 10 to 12 million, the Roma are the largest ethnic minority in Europe. Around … Continue reading
Common procedure for asylum [EU Legislation in progress]
As one of five key acts of the common European asylum system (CEAS), the Asylum Procedures Directive sets out common procedures for Member States for granting and withdrawing international protection in accordance with the Qualification Directive. Continue reading
Visa liberalisation for Ukraine [Plenary Podcast]
Written by Anita Orav, Building on its Visa Liberalisation Dialogues, the European Commission is proposing to waive visa requirements for 45 million Ukrainian citizens. In parallel, the European Union (EU) has revised its visa suspension mechanism, reinforcing safeguards to apply to all visa liberalisation agreements. Background Council Regulation (EC) No 539/2001 lists the third countries … Continue reading
Recast Eurodac Regulation [EU Legislation in Progress]
Eurodac is a biometric database in which Member States are required to enter the fingerprint data of asylum-seekers in order to identify where they entered the EU. Continue reading
Safe countries of origin: Proposed common EU list [EU Legislation in Progress]
Written by Joanna Apap and Anita Orav (2nd edition) As part of the European Agenda on Migration, the Commission proposed a regulation on 9 September 2015 to establish a common EU list of safe countries of origin, initially comprising Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey. The aim … Continue reading
Migration and asylum in the EU: animated infographic
Written by Anita Orav, Eva-Maria Poptcheva, Alessandro D’Alfonso and Mitja Brus, Graphics by Eulalia Claros, Christian Dietrich and Giulio Sabbati, In 2015, the unprecedented surge of migrant flows to the EU continued. The number of irregular border crossings detected in 2015 – 1.83 million – was six times higher than in 2014, already a record … Continue reading
EU policy for Roma inclusion
Written by Anita Orav, Around 6 million Roma, or about half of the estimated Roma population in Europe, live in the European Union. Bulgaria, Slovakia, Romania and Hungary are the Member States with the highest percentages of Roma within their populations. International Roma Day, which falls on 8 April, provides an opportunity to discuss the … Continue reading
Hotspots and emergency relocation: State of play
Written by Anita Orav, The year 2015 saw a record number of migrants arriving in the European Union: Frontex reports that 1.83 million irregular border crossings were detected at the EU’s external borders, 1.04 million of them in Greece and Italy. According to Eurostat, 1.29 million asylum applications were lodged in the EU in 2015. … Continue reading
Fingerprinting migrants: Eurodac Regulation
Written by Anita Orav Eurodac is a biometric database in which Member States are required to enter the fingerprint data of irregular migrants or asylum-seekers in order to identify where they entered the EU, and whether they have previously made asylum applications. Its main purpose is to facilitate the application of the Dublin Regulation, which … Continue reading
Migration: An unprecedented challenge to the EU
Written by Richard Freedman. In cooperation with Anita Orav and Alexandra Gatto. The EU is facing one of its greatest challenges since its foundations in the 1950s. People of all ages are migrating in unprecedented numbers from war-torn and unstable regions, such as Syria, Iraq, and Libya. According to the EU Agency Frontex, roughly 1 … Continue reading
June 20, World Refugee Day
Written by Anita Orav People who flee their own country because of war, violence and extreme poverty rely on the solidarity of other countries. All EU Member States, as signatories to the Geneva Convention, are bound to respect their obligations towards people in need of international protection, especially with regard to the principle of non-refoulement. … Continue reading
First measures of the European Agenda on Migration
Written by Anita Orav The unprecedented influx of migrants on the EU’s southern borders, and the large numbers of tragic deaths of people attempting to cross the Mediterranean irregularly, has brought home the need for more effective management of migration to deal with the current situation. Gathered at the special meeting of the European Council … Continue reading
EU migration policy: calls for holistic approach and closer international cooperation
Written by Anita Orav The European Union currently faces a surge in migration resulting from mixed flows of asylum-seekers and other migrants. In 2014, over 200 000 people illegally crossed the Mediterranean to reach the EU and the situation has become even more critical this year, especially considering the sharp rise in deaths at sea: 1 829 … Continue reading
EPRS briefings in preparation for the EP event on inter-religious dialogue
Written by Anita Orav On 24 March 2015, the European Parliament will be hosting a high-level conference on religious fundamentalism and radicalisation as well as on the role of inter-religious dialogue and tolerance in addressing these concerns. The debate between representatives of the EU and the religious communities can be followed directly online. In preparation … Continue reading
Stoiber Group on administrative burdens in EU law: better law-making in action
Written by Stéphane Reynolds and Anita Orav The High-Level Group on Administrative Burdens or the Stoiber Group was established in 2007 as an independent body to advise the European Commission on its planned Action Programme for administrative burden reduction (ABR) in respect of EU legislation. The latter programme set a 25 per cent reduction target … Continue reading
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