EMN 2021 Annual Report on Migration and Asylum- LAUNCH EVENT

We are pleased to invite you to the launch event of the EMN Annual Report on Migration and Asylum (ARM), on Wednesday, 15 June 2022 at 10:00-12:30 CEST. As a sub-theme, this year the launch event will focus on flexibility in migration management.

The EMN acknowledges that currently, the migration and asylum agenda is being heavily impacted as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022 and the subsequent large flow of Temporary Beneficiaries of Protection from Ukraine into the EU and Moldova. That said, 2021 also brought unforeseen developments, challenges and opportunities in the area of migration and asylum across EMN members and observers countries. While the COVID-19 pandemic continued to shape policies, this was no longer the defining element of responses to on-going challenges in this area. Digitalisation remained a priority, as well as attempts to simplify procedures in the area of legal migration and protection.

Two decisive political developments emerged as defining themes in 2021. Firstly, the Taliban offensive that started in the beginning of May and lasted until mid-August 2021 resulted in the rapid takeover of the country and the toppling of the residing government, leading to increased migration flows from Afghanistan. Secondly, this was further exacerbated by the crisis along the Belarus-EU Border, caused by the orchestrated instrumentalisation of migrants by the Belarus regime for political purposes. Both events created additional challenges for the EU migration and asylum system.

This EMN event will therefore put 2021 developments analysed in the EMN 2021 Annual Report on Migration and Asylum into this wider context.

Presentations will showcase examples of measures to improve national authorities’ flexibility to respond to emerging situations and reflect on how such flexibility has been applied- or further boosted- to manage incoming refugees fleeing from the on-going war in Ukraine.