New Pact on Migration and Asylum: reporting on developments and stepping up fight against migrant exploitation

One year after the adoption of the proposal for the New Pact on Migration and Asylum, the Commission is presenting today a Report on Migration and Asylum.

The Commission is also adopting a renewed EU action plan against migrant smuggling (2021-2025), a Communication on the application of the EU’s Employers Sanctions Directive and a Proposal for a partial suspension of EU-Belarus Visa Facilitation Agreement for officials of the Belarus regime. As part of the comprehensive approach to migration under the New Pact on Migration and Asylum, these initiatives aim to prevent organised exploitation of migrants and reduce irregular migration, in coherence with the New Pact’s aim to promote sustainable and safe legal pathways for those in need of protection. The initiatives will address both persistent challenges in dismantling organised criminal groups, as well as the need to adapt to new challenges including state-sponsored migrant smuggling, in response to the situation at the EU’s external borders with Belarus.

Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson said: “We’ve made important progress on the New Pact on Migration and Asylum, and recent events underline the urgency of making progress on our carefully balanced proposals: the screening and Eurodac proposals will allow for proper checks of all those arriving in the EU while being complimented by  our proposals on solidarity. Agreeing on our resettlement framework regulation will help Europe have a stronger voice on the global scene by showing how we and Member States are practically offering protection to people in need. We have balance, now we need delivery.”

For more information:

• Press releases:

IP/21/4905 New Pact on Migration and Asylum: reporting on developments and stepping up fight against migrant exploitation
IP/21/4906 Commission proposes partial suspension of EU-Belarus Visa Facilitation Agreement for officials of the Belarus regime
 

• Questions and answers:

QANDA/21/4907 Questions and Answers: Fighting against the exploitation of migrants
QANDA/21/4908 Questions and Answers: Proposal for the partial suspension of the EU-Belarus Visa Facilitation Agreement
 

• Factsheet:

FS/21/4909 Factsheet: Commission steps up fight against exploitation of migrants