News

The European Commission has published figures showing that the consulates of EU countries and Schengen associated countries received more than 11.7 million applications for short-stay visas in 2024. This is a 13.6 % increase compared to 2023.

The Commission proposed rules that will facilitate the application of the safe third country concept. This will accelerate asylum processes and reduce pressure on asylum systems, while preserving the legal safeguards for applicants and ensuring respect of fundamental rights.

The agreement will allow Member States to gradually benefit from the many advantages and capabilities of the system, while giving border authorities, the transport industry and travellers more time to adjust to the new procedures. 

The European Commission has announced the launch of the shared biometric matching service (sBMS), a major step towards seamless interoperability. This marks a significant milestone in the EU's efforts to enhance security, border, and migration management.  

The Commission has announced an additional EUR 3 billion in funding to support the implementation of the Pact on Migration and Asylum, as well as to host refugees from Ukraine. This will provide further assistance to EU countries in managing migration and asylum in a transparent and orderly way.

The EU-funded research project, METICOS, has been working to advance the adoption of smart border control technologies by better understanding user acceptance. Its findings have the potential to increase the adoption of innovative border checks solutions both by authorities and by travellers.

On 23 April, the Commission adopted its annual report on the State of Schengen. The report provides a comprehensive assessment of the functioning of the Schengen area of freedom, security, and justice without internal frontiers, marking 40 years since the Schengen Agreement was signed.

On 9 April, Commissioner Brunner was present at the signing ceremony of the Working Arrangement between Europol and Egypt, which will enhance law enforcement cooperation to fight against terrorism, drug trafficking, migrant smuggling, and organised crime.

The released data shows that 10 793 victims of human trafficking were registered in the European Union in 2023. This is a 6.9% increase compared to 2022. The increase could partly be due to more attention by the authorities and agencies to detect and identify victims of trafficking.