EMN Conference: Presentation of the 2022 EMN Annual Report on Asylum and Migration

The EMN Annual Report on Migration and Asylum 2022 (ARM) highlights the most significant legislative and policy developments introduced by EMN Member and Observer Countries¹ during 2022. The report² provides an overview of key developments and cross-cutting themes in all areas of migration and asylum, set in the context of statistics developed by Eurostat. A more detailed Statistical Annex prepared by Eurostat is published alongside the Annual Report.

The Russian war against Ukraine, which began on 24 February 2022, has led to the largest migration challenge Europe has faced in many years, with Ukrainians fleeing the conflict to EU and neighbouring countries. In response to this crisis, the Temporary Protection Directive was activated on 4 March 2022, one week after the Russian invasion. This measure provided shelter and rights to approximately four million displaced people during the first year of its implementation. While not bound by the Directive, the ARM also shows the contribution of EMN Observer Countries in supporting persons fleeing Ukraine.

This new challenge sits alongside existing ones related to demography, labour market or the impact of migration on Member States’ societies. The year 2022 witnessed a notable increase in asylum applications, which placed pressure on the asylum systems of both Member States and Norway.

Attracting and retaining qualified workers remains a priority for the EMN Member and Observer Countries.

While the impact of COVID-19 was milder in 2022, allowing for the relaxation of travel restrictions and the resumption of migration-related activities, the pandemic has exacerbated labour shortages and bottlenecks. During 2022, there was a continued emphasis among Member States on implementing reforms to better attract skilled individuals and manage legal migration. Similarly, Georgia has designed a new development strategy to enhance the country’s development inter alia by facilitating labour migration and strengthening its diaspora abroad.

In this context, the event will discuss the factors which drove legal and policy developments in 2022, placing them within broader policy efforts to improve migration management. The event will present the main findings of the ARM, alongside a contextualising statistical overview. It will also provide the opportunity to reflect on a key theme emerging from its findings – the need to attract talent and skilled workers to the EU and the role of partnership with non-EU countries.

The event is hosted online through Zoom, and available to a broad range of audiences, including EU and national policy makers, EU agencies, experts and practitioners, academia, civil society and NGOs, as well as the general public.

If you would like to join, we kindly invite you to register here.
Registrations will close on 5 July 2023. 

For any questions regarding the event, please contact the EMN Service Provider at emnicf [dot] com (emn[at]icf[dot]com)

_{¹EMN Members: AT,BE, BG, CY, CZ, DE, EE, EL, ES, FI, FR, HR, HU, IE, IT, LT, LU, LV, MT, NL, PL, PT, RO, SE, SI, SK. EMN Observers: NO, GE, MD, UA, ME, AM, RS.}

_{²The EMN Annual Report on Migration and Asylum 2022 was prepared on the basis of annual National Reports on Migration and Asylum from 29 Member and Observer Countries.
Contributing EMN Members: AT,BE, BG, CY, CZ, DE, EE, EL, ES, FI, FR, HR, HU, IE, IT, LT, LU, LV, MT, NL, PL, PT, SE, SI, SK. Contributing EMN Observers: NO, GE, MD, AM.}