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In 2016, with unprecedented numbers of irregular migrants and asylum-seekers arriving in the EU, the European Commission proposed a package of reforms to the common European asylum system (CEAS). In June 2018, a broad provisional agreement was reached between the European Parliament and the presidency of the Council of the EU on several of the reform proposals. However, the agreement did not get the necessary support from the Member States. The reform stalled owing to persistent disagreements among ...

In December 2022, the Commission presented two proposals to revise the rules on the collection and transfer of advance passenger information (API) data – data collected by air carriers at check-in and sent to border control authorities in the country of destination prior to a flight's take-off. The current directive on the collection and transfer of API data will be replaced by two regulations: one on the collection and transfer of API data for border management purposes, and another on the collection ...

This study, commissioned by the European Parliament’s Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs at the request of the LIBE Committee, aims to analyse the European Commission’s proposals to reform the legal framework on the processing of Advance Passenger Information (API) data. The analysis takes stock of the current legal framework regarding the processing of travellers’ data. Then, it provides an outline of the Commission’s proposals, followed by an assessment of the fundamental ...

The IA examines the nature and scale of the problems sufficiently (the fact that not every person crossing the Schengen external borders is pre-checked with API data and that there are security gaps in the processing of air passenger data for law enforcement purposes). The IA provides a comprehensive description of the options. The sub-options under each of the intervention areas identified are limited and mostly cumulative; the range of alternative options therefore appears limited. The assessment ...

The UK Withdrawal Negotiations raised awareness about the positive effects of European integration on regional development and cross-border cooperation in Ireland – and their vulnerability to Brexit. This At a glance note summarises the report explaining and evidencing the impact of Brexit – anticipated, actual and potential – in this unique case study. Its focus is on non-trade related matters, including administrative, environmental and cultural, particularly as managed at local and regional levels ...

This Study, commissioned by the European Parliament’s Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs at the request of the LIBE Committee, assesses the state of play of the EU Schengen area and the latest legal and policy developments with direct relevance to the Schengen acquis. It analyses the impact of these developments, and the role of ‘declared crisis’, on the Schengen Borders Code, Luxembourg Court standards and EU Treaty principles and fundamental rights. The Study calls ...

The effective management of the EU's external borders is a prerequisite for creating the EU area of freedom, security and justice. In response to an unprecedented influx of refugees and immigrants into Europe in the 2015-2016 period, the EU took steps to strengthen the management of its external borders, and to reform the common European asylum system. Several major challenges have affected the EU's external borders in recent years. The COVID-19 pandemic pushed Member States to adopt extraordinary ...

Faced with a persistent terrorist threat, the European Union (EU) is playing an increasingly ambitious role in counter-terrorism. Primary responsibility for combating crime and ensuring security lies with the Member States, but the EU provides cooperation, coordination and (to some extent) harmonisation tools, as well as financial support, to address this borderless phenomenon. Moreover, awareness of the connection between development and stability, as well as between internal and external security ...

EU Heads of State or Government will gather on 9 and 10 February 2023 for a special European Council meeting. In addition to Russia's war on Ukraine, which will notably be addressed in the context of the EU–Ukraine summit held on 3 February 2023, the main agenda points will include migration and the EU's economy. On migration, EU leaders will consider immediate operational action to address growing migratory pressure at the EU's borders. In particular, they will discuss measures to strengthen EU ...

This study, commissioned by the European Parliament’s Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs at the request of the LIBE Committee, provides an overview of EU funding for asylum and migration in third countries. It considers funding both from the Justice and Home Affairs funds and the external action funds, covering the previous Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) (2014-2020) and the current MFF (2021-2027) funding periods. The study seeks to identify good practice in ...