European migration network

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The European Migration Network (EMN) is a network financed by the European Union (EU) with the aim of providing EU organs, national institutions and authorities as well as the general public with up-to-date, objective and comparable data on migration and asylum . This is intended to objectify the current discourse on migration and asylum in order to support political decision-making processes within the European Union.

Council decision 2008/381 / EC has formed the legal basis of the EMN since May 14, 2008.

Emergence

As early as 1994, the European Commission proposed a mechanism for monitoring migration movements in the EU. This proposal was followed by a feasibility study carried out in 1996. In December 2001, the Laeken European Council then asked the European Commission to examine the establishment of a system for exchanging information on asylum, migration and countries of origin in Europe, which led to the initiation of the EMN as a pilot project in 2002.

The Hague Program (2005-2010) also underscored the need to collect, provide and exchange current information and data on relevant developments in the area of ​​migration. Accordingly, after a transitional phase, the decision 2008/381 / EC of the European Council of May 14, 2008 created the legal basis of today's EMN in order to meet the identified needs through a permanent structure.

Since then, the European Pact on Immigration and Asylum (2008) and the Stockholm Program (2010–2014) have emphasized the need for a debate on migration and asylum issues, which can be achieved primarily through an improved exchange of information between EU member states. The EMN serves as a tool to meet this need.

Structure of the network and organization

The European Commission coordinates the EMN under the responsibility of the Directorate-General for Home Affairs and in cooperation with the National Contact Points of the Member States and Norway . The national contact points, which are appointed by the governments of the member states, consist of interior and justice ministries , research institutions, non-governmental organizations and national departments of an international organization.

A steering committee chaired by the European Commission and with the support of representatives of the Member States as well as Norway and the European Parliament - with Denmark , Norway and the European Parliament having observer status - is responsible for the political orientation of the EMN.

The individual contact point in turn coordinates a national network of relevant actors such as institutions and scientists who are active in the field of asylum and migration.

Reports, studies and other work results

The main tasks of the National Contact Points include the preparation of the annual policy reports, the preparation of topic-specific studies and policy briefs (EMN Inform) and the answering of ad-hoc inquiries.

The National Contact Points do not conduct any primary research , but collect and analyze existing data and information; If necessary, however, these are supplemented by collecting additional data and information. EMN studies are created according to uniform specifications in order to achieve comparable results across the EU. After the completion of the national reports, a synthesis report will be created which summarizes the most important results of the individual national reports. Since the comparability of the results is often associated with challenges, the EMN has created a glossary of asylum and migration terms .

The EMN works closely with other relevant bodies, both within the EU institutions and outside, particularly in the context of specific studies and political issues. Such partners include Eurostat , the European Commission's Directorate-General for Research and Innovation , the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights , the European Asylum Support Office , Eurocities and the European Policy Center .

outlook

In 2010 and 2011 an independent external evaluation of the development of the EMN was carried out. Overall, the EMN received an extremely positive assessment, with recommendations being made to make support for political decision-making even more effective. These proposals have been included in the 2012 work program in order to better meet the information needs of the various addressees. As a result of this evaluation, a Commission report on the development of the EMN and its future was drawn up.

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