The European Migration Network (EMN) is a network funded by the European Union (EU) with the aim of providing EU institutions, national institutions and authorities as well as the general public with up-to-date, reliable and comparable data on migration and asylum. The aim is to report on the current discourse on migration and asylum in order to support political decision-making processes within the European Union.
| Abbreviation | EMN |
|---|---|
| Established | 14 May 2008 |
| Legal status | EU funded network |
| Purpose | Providing up-to-date, objective, reliable and comparable information on migration and asylum |
| Website | ec |
Origin
editThe need for Member States to exchange information on all aspects of migration at European level and thus contribute to a common asylum and immigration policy was proposed by the European Council in 2001 and implemented by the European Commission. The EMN began work as a pilot project in 2003.
Council Decision 2008/381/EC of 14 May 2008 put the EMN on a permanent footing. The European Commission's Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs coordinates the EMN.
Network structure and organisation
editThe EMN consists of national contact points in the EMN member states (all EU member states except Denmark) and observer countries (Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, Montenegro, Norway, Serbia, Ukraine) and the European Commission.
A steering committee makes strategic decisions, sets priorities and approves the annual work programme. It is chaired by the European Commission and is made up of one representative from the EU countries and the observer countries Norway, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova, Armenia, Montenegro, Serbia and Ukraine, as well as the European Parliament. However, the observer countries do not have the right to vote in the Steering Committee. The European Commission is supported in the organisation of the work by an external service provider.
The national contact points are appointed by the respective governments of the member states. These are mainly ministries of the interior and justice, specialised government agencies related to migration and international protection as well as research institutes and country offices of the International Organisation for Migration.
The EMN's national contact points meet regularly to exchange information on ongoing work and to coordinate with other agencies and institutions at EU level, such as the Statistical Office of the European Union (Eurostat), the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA), the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) and the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA). The EMN also works with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and several NGOs, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Save the Children and Missing Children Europe.
The EMN regularly organises conferences, webinars and workshops at EU and national level to present and discuss the results of its work. The individual contact points have established a national network of relevant actors in the field of asylum and migration with varying degrees of organisation in order to support the work of the EMN.
Tasks and publications
editThe EMN produces several publications per year, which are based on contributions from the national contact points and are accessible to the general public. The topics of these publications are agreed between the National Contact Points and the European Commission as part of an annual work programme based on the priorities of the EU and the Member States.
The main tasks of the national contact points include producing the annual report on migration and asylum, topic-specific studies, information and country factsheets as well as responding to ad hoc enquiries.
EMN studies are produced according to standardised specifications in order to achieve comparable results across the EU. Once the national reports have been finalised, a synthesis report is produced which summarises the most important results of the individual national reports. A glossary of asylum and migration-related terms improves comparability within the European Union through the use and common understanding of the terms and definitions it contains.