1. Major Developments in 2018 at EU Level

1.1.1. Reform of the Common European Asylum System

The aim of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS) is to develop the architecture for a common approach in guaranteeing high standards of protection for refugees through fair and effective procedures throughout the EU+. It emphasises a common responsibility to welcome applicants for international protection in a dignified manner, ensuring fair treatment and examination of their applications according to uniform standards. To this end, increased solidarity among countries and a sense of shared responsibility are foundation for the functioning and further calibration of the CEAS. Read more...

1.1.2. Continued transposition of recast asylum acquis

In 2018, Member States continued transposing  the provisions of the recast asylum Directives. In Belgium, on 22 March, the two Laws of November 2017,  which amended the Immigration Act and the Reception Act to finalise the transposition of the Asylum Procedures Directive 2013/32/EU and the Reception Conditions Directive 2013/33/EU came into force. In Finland, in December 2018, changes to the processing of subsequent applications for international protection were proposed, informed by the provisions of the Asylum Procedures Directive. Read more... 
 

1.1.3. Infringement procedures by the European Commission

Under the EU Treaties, the European Commission is responsible for ensuring that EU law is correctly transposed and applied. As the guardian of the Treaties, the Commission may commence infringement proceedings under Article 258 (ex Article 226 TEC)  of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, if there are indications that a Member State has systematically breached Union law, be it by practice or by incomplete or incorrect transposition of the EU law.  Read more... 

In 2018, CJEU remained active in the field of international protection issuing 16 judgments on references for preliminary rulings interpreting the Dublin Regulation, APD and QD. No decision on RD was issued, although two  relevant cases are pending. Read more... 

Relevant developments in the course of 2018 reflected an orchestrated effort to transition from ad hoc responses to durable, future-proof solutions in the area of asylum. While the Commission has identified a number of immediate measures to address pressing issues along the Western, Central, and Eastern Mediterranean routes, including providing assistance to Morocco, improving conditions for migrants in Libya with an emphasis on the most vulnerable, and further optimising operational workflows on the Greek islands,  long-term structural measures are also being developed.  Read more...

Throughout 2018, the European Union continued its cooperation with external partners toward addressing constructively the question of migration, through a comprehensive approach rooted in multilateralism. This section presents briefly some of this year’s highlights concerning the external dimension of the EU migration policy.  Read more...