Section 2. Major developments in asylum in the European Union in 2023
This section presents an overview of the latest legislative and policy developments shaping the evolution and practical implementation of CEAS at the EU level in 2023 and early 2024.
The political agreement reached between the European Parliament and the Council in December 2023 on key legislative instruments of the Pact on Migration and Asylum represented a major breakthrough in the CEAS reform, paving the way for the successful completion of a process meant to equip Europe with a functional and modern migration and asylum architecture.
In 2023, the EU took further action to systematically address the devastating consequences of Russia’s aggression on Ukraine, including steps to catalyse closer cooperation among international actors and putting forth instruments to support Ukraine's recovery, reconstruction and modernisation. The extension of temporary protection to March 2025 offered stability and predictability to millions of beneficiaries.
With pressures on external borders persisting throughout 2023, the EU introduced initiatives to increase the effective management of external borders. Steps taken in this direction focused on calibrating a European Integrated Border Management, including the upgrade of existing information systems and their interoperability, as well as working with key partner countries across migration routes.
This section also provides an overview of jurisprudence by the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU), which in 2023 issued more than 20 judgments and orders related to international protection.