Migration Archives

The anti-immigration Swiss People's Party (SVP) won the biggest share of the vote in Sunday's national parliamentary election (18 October), projections showed, keeping pressure on Bern to introduce quotas on people moving from the European Union.

Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said today (15 October) - just hours before the start of the EU summit - that the heads of state and government need to deliver on their promise to contribute a total of €2.25 billion to help address the refugee crisis.

Follow EURACTIV's rolling coverage of the European Council taking place in Brussels on 15-16 October 2015.

The European regions mostly hit by the unfolding refugee crisis have asked more help from Brussels in order to deliver their “humane” and “technical” goals. EURACTIV Greece reports.   

Levels of hunger in the developing world have fallen by nearly one third since 2000. But an “unacceptably high” number of people still do not have enough to eat, largely due to the spread of armed conflicts, this year’s global hunger index warns.

David Cameron will have an anxious audience when he meets fellow European Union leaders at a summit in Brussels at the end of this week.

The large-scale migration of people from poor countries to richer ones will “reshape economic development for decades” but could help end extreme poverty and increase global prosperity if the flow is properly harnessed and regulated, according to the World Bank.

European Union judges today (6 October) ruled that a ban on prisoners voting in European elections was legal, and suggested that checks on child migrants’ welfare payments were lawful, in decisions that have pro-EU Brits breathing a sigh of relief.

German authorities expect up to 1.5 million asylum seekers to arrive in Germany this year, Bild said in a report to be published on Monday (5 October), up from a previous estimate of 800,000 to 1 million.

In an effort to tackle the refugee crisis, Commissioner for Regional Policy Corina Cre?u decided on Wednesday (23 September) to let member states make more flexible use of certain EU funding programmes.

An increased influx of refugees and asylum seekers to Norway could increase the threat from right-wing extremists, the Norwegian Police Security Service (PST) said on Thursday (24 September).

The leader of the European Parliament's Socialists & Democrats group has called for the suspension of the Slovak delegation, following the controversial statements of Prime Minister Robert Fico. EURACTIV France reports. 

The European Commission today (23 September) launched a broadside of legal action against EU countries for not putting the bloc’s asylum laws into practice, bringing to 75 the total number of such cases open against member states.

After ministers voted on a relocation plan Tuesday (22 September), the attention at today's EU extraordinary summit will focus on strengthening the bloc's external borders, as well as giving extra funding to Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon and UN agencies. EURACTIV France reports.

EU ministers approved a plan on Tuesday (22 September) to share out 120,000 refugees across its 28 states, overriding vehement opposition from four ex-Communist eastern nations.

Many asylum seekers want to reach Germany or Sweden, appearing less attracted to Mediterranean countries such as France and Italy. Big differences between national asylum systems explain their preferences. The EURACTIV Network reports. 

As EU leaders prepare to meet Wednesday (23 September) for an extraordinary summit, one question will haunt them: How to distinquish economic migrants from asylum seekers. EURACTIV Czech Republic reports.

Germany's Federal Minister of the Interior said on Saturday (19 September) that in the future, the European Union should take in a finite number of migrants, while sending the rest back to a safe country in their home regions.

Croatia closed most of its border with Serbia Thursday (17 September) as it became the latest hotspot in Europe's migrant crisis, with thousands of new arrivals overwhelming local authorities ahead of an emergency EU summit next week.

European Council President Donald Tusk has summoned EU leaders to an emergency summit next Wednesday (23 September) to discuss migration and a proposed scheme to distribute 120,000 asylum seekers across the 28-nation bloc.

The French government may reintroduce border controls in an attempt to pacify critics of the Schengen area. EURACTIV France reports. 

European authorities are prepared to drop the idea of a mandatory scheme to redistribute 120,000 asylum seekers around the bloc, in favour of a voluntary system favoured by Eastern European states, officials said on Wednesday (16 September).

The growing number of refugees is starting to affect the German housing market. According to a new study, Germany will need to build 400,000 new homes every year. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Hungary's right-wing government shut the main land route for migrants into the European Union on Tuesday (15 September), aiming to halt a massive influx of refugees.