In order to address the need to exchange information on all aspects of migration and to contribute to a common asylum and immigration policy, the European Commission was invited to consider the "development of a European system for exchanging information on asylum, migration and countries of origin" by the Laeken European Council in 2001. The result was the European Migration Network, which was launched in 2003 as a Pilot Project, and since 2004 as a Preparatory Action until the end of 2006. The Thessaloniki European Council (2003) welcomed the "establishment of a European Migration Network and will examine the possibility of setting up a permanent structure in the future." The current Hague Programme has reinforced the need for common analysis of migratory phenomena (the collection, provision, exchange and efficient use of up-to-date information), and the EMN is one means towards this goal.
To improve the availability of, and access to, information concerning migration and asylum at European and Member State level in order to support policy- and decision-making in the EU. This will involve providing the Community, its Member States and, as a longer term objective, the wider public with objective, reliable and comparable information on the migration and asylum situation.
Currently, the European Commission (under the direct responsibility of the Directorate General for Justice, Freedom and Security, Contact: Stephen.Davies@ec.europa.eu) is responsible for the development of the EMN, in co-operation with an EMN Co-ordinator (currently Berlin Institute for Comparative Social Research, BIVS, EMN@emz-berlin.de), supported by European Dynamics (ED, emn-project@eurodyn.com) with respect to the further development of the EMN Information Exchange System, until the end of 2006) and other EMN Members from most EU Member States who act either as formal EMN National Contact Points (NCPs) or as Observers, with a view to possibly joining at a later stage. Currently there are 17 formal EMN NCPs (from AT, BE, CZ, DE, EE, FN, FR, GR, IE, IT, LV, NL, PT, SE, SI, SK, UK) plus five Observers (from CY, DK, HU, LT, PL). In turn, each Member State representative is asked to develop a national network, involving all relevant stakeholders to develop a comprehensive view of the situation within their Member State on a particular migration or asylum topic.
The EMN NCPs and Observers, who have been designated by their Member State government, consist of Ministries of Interior and of Justice; National Statistical Offices; Research Institutes; Non-Governmental Organisations; and a national office of an International Organisation.
Firstly, the EMN responds to existing and new information needs in the form of specifically designed studies.
The EMN does not engage in primary research per se, instead drawing together, evaluating and making accessible already available data and information. This improves availability, comparability and harmonisation of existing information, as well as contributing to evidence-based policy-making. The "desk research" undertaken ranges from a longer-term detailed analysis of a particular migration phenomenon to short-term Ad-Hoc Requests, arising from the development of a particular policy by a Member State.
The EMN produces Annual Policy Reports, Research Studies, and Small-Scale Studies Link to corresponding download section, all related to migration and asylum in Europe, as well as providing Member State contributions to the Annual Report on Statistics. Compilations of the Ad-Hoc Responses are also produced.
Small-Scale Studies are intended to provide valuable information to policymakers and stakeholders about current trends within a short period (typically three months). Studies produced so far are on "Reception Systems, Their Capacities and the Social Situation of Asylum Applicants within the Reception Systems in the EU Member States"; "Managed Migration and the Labour Market – The Health Sector" and "The Conditions of Entry and Residence of Third Country Highly-Skilled Workers in the EU".
Research Studies provide an opportunity for a more in depth analysis of a chosen topic. Studies produced so far are on the "Impact of Immigration on Europe’s Societies"; on "llegally Resident Third Country Nationals in the EU Member States: State approaches towards them, their profile and social situation"; and on "Return".
Topics are selected based on proposals made by an EMN NCP(s) and/or the Commission and are based on their relevance to Member States and the Commission to current policy development. Particular attention is paid to the relevance of such studies to their target audience, typically policy-makers at both EU and Member State level.
The EMN takes advantage of its multi-level structure by first asking each participating NCP to produce a Country Study, often involving contributions from members of their national network. Subsequently a comparative Synthesis Report is produced, which aims to summarise the key findings from each Country Study, highlighting the most important aspects and placing them as much as possible within an EU perspective (e.g. by relating to recent policy initiatives). This report is normally produced by the EMN Co-ordinator in collaboration with the participating EMN NCPs and European Commission.
Secondly, the EMN monitors the multidimensional phenomenon of migration and asylum and identifies information gaps by collecting and documenting data and other resources related to their research and networking activities.
The information on the legal, demographic, economic, social, and political dimensions of migration includes: national legislation, case-law, publications, and contact details of organisations/ individuals working in the field, as well as links to other relevant information sources.
The information and resources that EMN Members collect and document forms the basis of the EMN Information Exchange System, which is accessible for the EMN members and its partners through the Network’s website.
All the EMN studies, including the Country Study and Synthesis Reports are published on the European Migration Network’s website and are accessible to all. However, the database, because it is still in the developmental stage, is currently restricted to EMN Members and their national partners, plus other relevant EU entities only.
Thirdly, the EMN has the task of establishing a multi-level network to aid its activities. On the European level, EMN Members (Co-ordinator, NCPs, Observers) meet regularly, as well as network and collaborate with other European level institutions and organisations.
At national level, each EMN NCP aims to develop a network involving partners within their Member State with an interest in migration and asylum from a wide range of stakeholders in order to have a cross-section of views and information, e.g. from Member State governments, (academic) research community, NGOs.
The Commission is in the process of developing a proposal for a legal basis for the EMN, which would be based on Article 66 of the EC Treaty, requiring Qualified Majority Voting of the Council and consultation of the EP. The intention is for this to be formally presented to Council in the first quarter of 2007.
Meanwhile, some EMN activities will continue in order to inter alia maintain the collaborations between EMN Members.
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