BAKGRUNN (fra meddelelsen)

Migration is a European challenge that requires a European response. This is a lesson Europe learnt the hard way. The 2015 refugee crisis and other challenges faced at different external borders of the EU revealed the shortcomings of the EU’s dated and incomplete migration and asylum laws. They also exposed the complexity of managing a situation that affects Member States in different ways, and where actions by one Member State have implications for the others. These challenges have also shown that migration is a global reality which can only be managed effectively by working in a concerted manner with our partners around the globe.

Upon taking office, the von der Leyen Commission set itself a mission to establish a new, durable European framework to manage migration: one that can manage the interdependence between Member States, offer a proper response and allow Europeans to trust that migration is managed in an effective and humane way, in line with our values.

This was the intention behind the Pact on Migration and Asylum – a vast set of legislative reforms. Four years later, the political agreement reached between the European Parliament and the Council on these reforms sets the stage for fair, efficient, and sustainable migration management over the long term. A system where each EU Member State has the flexibility to address its challenges while none is left alone under pressure.

This is a significant milestone. Yet, in the last four years, a series of new and recurrent challenges have been affecting the EU and its Member States. This time has been characterised by a constant effort to rapidly address immediate needs through operational and targeted action. Withstanding continued and even growing pressure on various migratory routes, the EU has managed to show the agility needed to confront and navigate complex challenges. In particular, the EU stood strong and united in defending its external borders against the instrumentalisation of people by the Belarusian and Russian regimes. It did so while taking a principled and humane approach to those fleeing Russia’s war against Ukraine, as well as regarding the large number of evacuations of Afghan nationals to Member States and sustained resettlement efforts, proving its reliability as a continent where protection is guaranteed for those in need and taking up its role as a global actor.

This two-track approach of pursuing sustainable structural reform alongside targeted operational response is what has allowed Europe to turn the page on past fractures and consolidate a common approach to migration and border management. Moving forward, the two tracks need to continue going hand in hand: migration is not a passing phenomenon, and everything points to the fact that it will continue to be very present and dominate political agendas in the future. Well-managed and orderly legal migration can be an opportunity for European societies and economies, including by addressing labour shortages, whilst also acting as a deterrent to irregular migration.

Whilst the legislative reforms will have a transformative impact, this will not be immediate, and the system can never be fully shielded from potential challenges. The crucial difference, however, is that the EU has now solidified a dynamic and common EU approach to migration. The result is that the EU’s Member States are now better equipped than ever before to face constantly evolving and complex challenges, acting together with fairness and firmness.

This Communication looks back at the achievements and advancements of the last four years. It identifies immediate priorities to operationalise what was agreed and looks at areas where further work is needed to complement the new system.

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