The von der Leyen Commission delivers on migration, security and borders

In the beginning of March, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, published an overview of the work accomplished over the last five years. The overview includes migration and security topics. 

Managing migration and asylum continues to be among the top concerns of Europeans. This Commission has addressed those concerns with the New Pact on Migration and Asylum, which has been agreed upon by co-legislators. With the Pact, the EU will have a common system to manage migration. Overall, the Pact is based on solidarity, responsibility, and respect of human rights. 

The European Union has shown its capacity to protect its citizens and ensure common EU security, especially in an increasingly unpredictable world. As the nature of threats evolves and crises become more multidimensional, the Commission has adopted a holistic approach to security to keep Europe safe. 

In 2020, the Commission adopted its EU Security Union Strategy 2020-2025. The strategy has been the roadmap for EU actions on security and it is articulated around four pillars:

• Protection and resilience of key infrastructure and networks
• Tackling evolving threats
• Fighting against organised crime and terrorism
• Building a strong European ecosystem

The protection and good functioning of the EU’s external borders is another core element to safeguard security in the EU. The Commission worked to enable the conditions allowing the safe and successful enlargement of the Schengen area to Croatia, Romania, and Bulgaria, while at the same time updating its governance and its rules.

In the other areas related to security, the Commission has:

• proposed to extend the definition of criminal offences related to child sexual abuse;
• adopted the Counter-Terrorism Agenda;
• strengthened Europol’s mandate, to allow the agency to better support national law enforcement authorities with information, analysis and expertise, and to facilitate cross-border police cooperation and terrorism-related investigations.

More information

The story of the von der Leyen Commission