COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT European Migration Network Status Report 2011 Accompanying the document Report from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament on the Development of the European Migration Network
Date: 2012-08-01
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Community migration, EU Member State, EU visa policy, Norway, disclosure of information, exchange of information, migration control, right of asylum

EUROPEAN COMMISSION 

Brussels, 1.8.2012  
SWD(2012) 240 final 

COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 

European Migration Network Status Report 2011 

Accompanying the document 

Report from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament 

on the Development of the European Migration Network 

{COM(2012) 427 final} 

EN 

   EN 

 
 
 
 
  
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 

1. INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................................3 

2. EMN OUTPUTS IN 2011 .....................................................................................................3 

2.1 Annual Policy Reports .....................................................................................................3 

2.2 Annual Reports on Migration and International Protection Statistics..............................3 

2.3 EMN Studies ....................................................................................................................3 

2.3.1 Satisfying Labour Demand through Migration....................................................3 

2.3.2 Temporary and Circular Migration: policy, practice and future options in EU 

Member States.....................................................................................................4 

2.3.3 Visa Policy as a Migration Channel ....................................................................4 

2.3.4 Practical measures for reducing irregular migration............................................4 

2.3.5 Misuse of the Right to Family Reunification: marriages of convenience and false 
declarations of parenthood ..................................................................................4 

2.3.6 Immigration of International Students to the EU.................................................4 

2.4 EMN Ad-Hoc Queries......................................................................................................4 

2.5 EMN Glossary and Thesaurus..........................................................................................4 

3. NETWORKING....................................................................................................................4 

3.1 Networking amongst EMN NCPs ....................................................................................4 

3.2 Networking at National level ...........................................................................................4 

3.3. Networking with other relevant entities ..........................................................................4 

4. ENHANCING THE EMN’S VISIBILITY .........................................................................4 

4.1 EMN Conference 2011.....................................................................................................4 

4.2 Other conferences and events in 2011..............................................................................4 

4.3 EMN and National Websites............................................................................................4 

4.4 EMN Wikipedia Page.......................................................................................................4 

4.5 EMN Newsletter and EMN Bulletin Report ....................................................................4 

5. MANAGEMENT OF THE EMN ........................................................................................4 

6. CONCLUDING REMARKS................................................................................................4 

2 

 
 
 
 
 
 
1. INTRODUCTION 

This third Status Report,1 accompanying the Report on the Development of the European Migration 
Network (EMN),2 reports on progress made by the EMN during 2011, a pivotal year in respect of 
evolutions  undertaken  in  order  to  increase  further  its  relevance  and  impact  in  supporting 
policymakers. 

An  overview  of  the  main  outputs  of  the  EMN  in  2011  is  given  first,  all  of  which  are  publicly 
available  from  the  EMN's  website,3  followed  by  the  extensive  networking  that  occurred  and  the 
activities taken to promote the EMN to policymakers in particular. Information on how the EMN 
was managed is then provided, followed by concluding remarks.  

2. EMN OUTPUTS IN 2011 

This section provides a summary of the EMN's main achievements and impacts in the framework of 
its  2011  Work  Programme.  Its  core  activity  continued  to  be  analysing  information  to  support 
policymaking on migration and asylum in EU Member States. Synthesis Reports, highlighting the 
main  findings  within  an  EU  perspective,  were  produced  for  each  annual  report  and  study  on  the 
basis  of  National  Reports  produced  by  EMN  National  Contact  Points  (EMN  NCPs)  following 
common specifications. Whilst every effort was made to have national contributions from all EMN 
NCPs,  this  was  not  possible  for  some  Member  States.  Norway4  continued  to  be  a  pro-active 
contributor to and participant of the EMN. 

A  significant  development  during  2011  was  the  introduction  of  EMN  Informs,  providing  concise 
policy  relevant  outcomes  from  a  particular  EMN  activity.  Three  were  produced  and  widely 
disseminated; for the studies on Satisfying  Labour Demand  through Migration and on Temporary 
and Circular Migration, plus for the Migration and International Protection Statistics 2008 report. 

2.1 Annual Policy Reports 

These  reports  provide  an  overall  insight  across  the  EU  into  the  most  significant  political  and 
legislative  (including  EU)  developments,  as  well  as  public  debates,  in  the  area  of  migration  and 
asylum, along with relevant statistics. They are one basis for the Commission’s Annual Report on 
Immigration  and  Asylum,5  notably  the  national  developments  reported  in  the  accompanying 
Commission Staff Working Paper. Like for previous years, the contributions from the EMN NCPs, 
within  the  context  of  the  EMN  Annual  Policy  Report  2011,  were  provided  by  the  end  of  2011. 
Additionally, the EMN Annual Policy Report 2010, based on 23 National Reports, was finalised in 
mid-2011 adding to a series of such reports since 2004.  

1  

2  
3  
4  

5  

As  required  by  Article  4(5c)  of  Council  Decision  2008/381/EC.  Previous  versions  were  also  published  and 
translated  into  a  number  of  Member  State  languages  as  Commission  Staff  Working  Papers  in  2010  as 
SEC(2010) 1006 and in 2011 as SEC(2011) 1273. 
COM(2012)427 
http://www.emn.europa.eu  
Commission  Decision  C(2010)6171  of  13th  September  2010  established  the  basis  for  administrative 
cooperation between the European Commission and the Ministry of Justice and the Police of the Kingdom of 
Norway for the participation of Norway in the European Migration Network. 
See, for example, COM(2012) 250 final and SWD(2012) 139 final 

3 

 
                                                 
 
2.2 Annual Reports on Migration and International Protection Statistics6 

These reports provide an analysis of statistical trends in asylum and migration, primarily drawing 
on the Commission’s Eurostat statistics. The Synthesis Report for the Annual Report on Migration 
and International Protection Statistics 2008, based on 23 National Reports and, for the first time, 
analysing  data  produced  in  accordance  with  the  Migratory  Statistics  Regulation  862/2007,  was 
finalised in October 2011, along with a corresponding EMN Inform. The EMN also developed the 
Annual  Report  on  Migration  and  International  Protection  Statistics  2009,  based  on  21  National 
Reports,  with  the  Synthesis  Report  then  finalised  in  May  2012.  Whilst  both  reports  might  be 
considered as ‘historical,’ nevertheless they contribute to a suite of such reports stretching back to 
2001 and thus able to provide a longer-term assessment of asylum and migration trends.  

Owing to the inherent time lag in producing these reports, however, where elements of the relevant 
data  are  available  only  some  15  months  after  the  end  of  a  particular  reference  year,  the  external 
evaluation  recommended  the  discontinuation  of  further  reports,  a  decision  endorsed  by  the  EMN 
Steering  Board  in  October  2011.  As  a  result,  future  EMN  analytical  work  will  focus  on  only  the 
most relevant and up-to-date statistics, compiled in relation to specific Reports and Studies, and in 
relation to the EMN Bulletin.  

2.3 EMN Studies7 

The  EMN  finalised  and  published  a  number  of  relevant  studies  in  2011.  These  were  Satisfying 
Labour  Demand  through  Migration  (June  2011)  and  Temporary  and  Circular  Migration:  policy, 
practice and future options (September 2011). Work was undertaken to progress the following 2011 
studies:  Visa  Policy  as  a  Migration  Channel;  and  Practical  measures  for  reducing  irregular 
migration. A pilot focussed study on Individual profiles and migration trajectories of third-country 
national cross-border workers - the case of Luxembourg led by the LU EMN NCP was also started.  

Work  also  began  on  developing  the  specifications  for  the  EMN  main  study:  Immigration  of 
international students to the EU and the template for the first Focussed Study: Misuse of the Right 
to  Family  Reunification:  marriages  of  convenience  and  false  declarations  of  parenthood. 
Summaries  of  the  progress  of  the  Reports,  and,  where  relevant,  examples  of  impact,  are  set  out 
below.  

2.3.1 Satisfying Labour Demand through Migration 

This  study  served  to  inform  the  debate  on  the  contribution  of  economic  migration  to  addressing 
labour shortages, which are already being experienced by many Member States. The aims were to 
identify  those  sectors  experiencing  labour  shortages  in  the  Member  States,  to  outline  the  national 
strategies  for  addressing  labour  market  needs  with  third-country  national  migrant  workers  and  to 
gain  an  understanding  of  the  perceived  effectiveness  of  these  strategies,  including  examining  the 
impact of the recent economic downturn and recovery on them. A compilation of available statistics 
was also provided, aiming to present the nature and extent of labour market shortages and the extent 
to which they are filled by third-country nationals.  

One conclusion from the study, based on 23 National Reports, was that whilst economic migration 
from  third  countries  may  not  be  considered  by  the  Member  States  as  the  main  solution  to  the 
challenges  of  ageing  societies,  declining  populations  and  skills  shortages  in  Europe,  nevertheless 

6 

7 

Reports are available from the EMN website http://www.emn.europa.eu under "EMN Outputs: Migration and 
International Protection Statistics" 
The  various  reports  are  available  from  the  EMN  website  http://www.emn.europa.eu  under  "EMN  Outputs: 
EMN Studies" 

4 

 
                                                 
well-managed  immigration  can  bring  positive  consequences,  particularly  by  increasing  labour 
supply and alleviating labour market shortages, both in the short and longer term. To achieve this, 
and to compete more effectively worldwide, EU Member States need to be attractive destinations 
for third-country nationals with relevant skills and competences. 

The study, published in June 2011, proved to be both topical and timely within a number of policy 
debates, and was widely disseminated at events and conferences, via the EMN website, and in hard 
copy, at both EU and national levels. The European Parliament also translated the Synthesis Report 
into DE, IT, ES, FR and IT and circulated it to members of their LIBE and EMPL committees. The 
study's  findings  also  contributed  to,  and  were  referenced  in,  the  Communication  on  the  Global 
Approach to Migration and Mobility.8  

2.3.2  Temporary  and  Circular  Migration:  policy,  practice  and  future  options  in  EU  Member 

States 

Progress has been made with the EU and the international community to promote the developmental 
benefits of migration, another main tenet of the Global Approach to Migration and Mobility.9 This 
EMN study provided a detailed analysis of the evidence supporting the benefits of such migration 
patterns,  and  their  status  across  the  EU  Member  States.  The  aim  of  the  study  was  to  analyse  the 
characteristics of temporary (broadly understood to refer to a single movement and then limited stay 
in the EU) and circular (considered in the context of a back-and-forth movement between the EU 
and a country of origin) migration policy and practice across EU Member States. 

The  main  findings,  based  on  24  National  Reports,  were  that  the  development  and  promotion  of 
policies on temporary and circular migration in the EU Member States is still at a very early stage. 
Initial  evaluations  of  existing  programmes  to  support  temporary  and  circular  migration  have 
confirmed  positive  results  for  participating  migrants  in  some  cases.  Overall,  however,  the  study 
concluded that evidence for the ‘triple-win,’ bringing benefits for the host society, the migrant and 
the  country  of  origin,  remained  inconclusive.  National  statistics  indicate  the  scope  and  scale  of 
temporary and circular migration in Member States, but tend to be limited and lack comparability. 
However, the study does identify a number of indicators used to quantify these types of migration, 
including  temporary  residence  permits;  certain  types  of  visas;  employment  databases;  population 
registers; survey data and data on seasonal workers. 

2.3.3 Visa Policy as a Migration Channel 

cooperation  with 

This study, based on 21 National Reports, aims to analyse the possible nexus between visa policy 
and migration management and control, including tackling irregular migration. It will also generate 
evidence concerning the effectiveness of different strategies to use visa policy to manage migration, 
including 
and 
bilateral/multilateral agreements and highlighting best practice, as well as helping to contextualise 
national  policies  and  practices  by  providing  an  overview  of  policy  in  this  area  across  the  EU. 
Finally,  the  Study  will  explore  the  effects  of  EU  policy  and  legislation  on  national  policymaking 
and practices. A number of country-based case studies will be presented, including China, Nigeria, 
Russian Federation and Turkey, and the study will draw on good practice from other countries too. 
It will be published in 2012. 

countries,  particularly 

concerning 

facilitation 

third 

2.3.4 Practical measures for reducing irregular migration 

Reducing irregular migration and actions against trafficking in human beings remain a key priority 

8  
9  

COM(2011) 743 final (p.3) 
SEC(2011) 1353 final (p.5) 

5 

 
                                                 
at both EU and national level, as exemplified by the Justice and Home Affairs Council approval in 
April 2012 of the EU Action on Migratory Pressures - A Strategic Response.10 Development of this 
strategy began under the auspices of the Polish Presidency in the latter half of 2011. Against this 
background,  the  overall  objective  of  this  study  was  to  provide  an  overview  of  existing  practical 
approaches,  mechanisms  and  measures  implemented  by  Member  States  to  reduce  irregular 
migration  to  the  EU  in  relation  to  pre-entry,  entry,  stay  and  regularisation,  and  return  stages.  A 
number of Ad-Hoc Queries launched in 2011 enabled the EMN to provide up-to-date information in 
relation to the issue of irregularity, in advance of the findings of the study. Many National Reports 
were  published  in  the  latter  half  of  2011  and  the  Synthesis  Report  itself,  based  on  22  National 
Reports,  will  be  finalised  in  2012  and  aim  to  inform  the  implementation  of  the  above-mentioned 
strategy. The EMN Conference 2011 (see Section 2.4.1) also served to promote the study to a wide 
audience  of  policymakers  and  practitioners,  with  initial  findings  presented  by  a  number  of  EMN 
NCPs, as well as at the national meeting of the FR EMN NCP in November 2011.11   

2.3.5  Misuse  of  the  Right  to  Family  Reunification:  marriages  of  convenience  and  false 

declarations of parenthood 

A public consultation on the Family Reunification Directive 2003/86/EC was launched in 201112 in 
order to collect opinions on how to have more effective rules on family reunification at  EU level 
and to provide factual information and data on the application of the Directive. To directly inform 
the consultation process, the EMN undertook its first Focussed Study in order to provide up-to-date 
information specifically on marriages of convenience and on false declarations of parenthood across 
the  EU.  The  aim  of  the  study  was  to  identify  the  scale  and  scope  of  this  type  of  misuse  and  to 
provide  clear  evidence,  to  the  extent  possible  (i.e.  where  the  misuse  was  detected),  including 
available statistics. The study also summarised Member States’ best practices in the prevention of 
these  types  of  misuse  and  identified  any  changes  in  practice  or  in  legislation  that  can  assist  in 
preventing such misuses. The outcomes of the study were first presented at the public hearing on 
the Family Reunification Green Paper in June 2012.13 

2.3.6 Immigration of International Students to the EU 

Following the Commission’s report on the application of Directive 2004/114/EC14 and its possible 
amendment,  this  study  aims  to  provide  an  overview  of  the  immigration  policies  implemented  by 
(Member)  States  regarding  international  students,  with  a  view  to  assisting  policymakers  and 
practitioners to achieve a balance between actively attracting international students into the EU for 
the purposes of study, and preventing the misuse of international student routes to migration. The 
results of the study will be published in Autumn 2012 and its outcomes also presented at the EMN 
Conference 2012 under the auspices of the Cypriot Presidency.  

2.4 EMN Ad-Hoc Queries 

EMN  Ad-Hoc  Queries  continue  to  be  a  highly  responsive  mechanism  for  collecting  comparative 
information from Member States and Norway, on a specific, topical issue, within a short timeframe. 
An Ad-Hoc Query can be launched by an EMN NCP, or the Commission, with a typical response 
period of four weeks, after which a compilation of all responses is produced and circulated. Some 

10  
11  
12  

13  
14  

http://register.consilium.europa.eu/pdf/en/12/st08/st08714-re01.en12.pdf  
http://www.immigration.gouv.fr/spip.php?page=dossiers_det_res&numrubrique=376&numarticle=2617  
Outcomes 
affairs/news/consulting_public/consulting_0023_en.htm.  
http://www.eesc.europa.eu/?i=portal.en.events-and-activities-european-integretion-forum-7  
COM(2011) 587 final 

consultation 

available 

public 

this 

are 

of 

at 

http://ec.europa.eu/home-

6 

 
                                                 
EMN  NCPs  made  use  of  a  scale  of  unit  costs  ("lump  sum")  to  cover  the  costs  of  providing  a 
response. 

The  responses  are  publicly  available  on  the  EMN's  website,15  subject  to  the  agreement  of  the 
contributing EMN NCPs. There are now almost 400 Ad-Hoc Query compilations, responding to an 
extensive range of migration and asylum issues which provide a valuable information resource for 
the  Commission,  EMN  NCPs,  and  the  wider  public.  In  total,  76  Ad-Hoc  Queries  were  launched 
during 2011, with each query having on average 17 individual Member State responses (equivalent 
to  over  1  300  individual  responses  from  the  EMN  NCPs).  Almost  all  EMN  NCPs  and  COM 
launched at least one Ad-Hoc Query during 2011. 

The most frequent topic addressed was international protection, including asylum accounting for 
20%  of  all  Ad-Hoc  Queries.  The  main  aspects  addressed  within  this  topic  related  to  reception 
conditions; proof of relationship of applicants for international protection; cash and other benefits 
for  asylum  applicants;  documentation  issued  for  asylum  seekers;  and  the  evaluation  of  asylum 
systems. A number of Ad-Hoc Queries concentrated on the specific circumstances of nationals from 
third countries, including Albania, Somalia and South Ossetia. Return accounted for a further 15%, 
with Ad-Hoc Queries addressing issues such as the acceptance of return decisions made by another 
Member State; payment of the costs of removal; and use of language analysis during the removal 
process.  The  value  of  Ad-Hoc  Queries  as  a  mutual  learning  and  sharing  instrument  to  tackle 
common  issues  was  effectively  evidenced  by  Member  States  making  use  of  the  tool  to  address 
questions  related  to  return  policy  for  Syrian  nationals;  forced  removals  for  Afghan  nationals  and 
expulsions  to  Libya,  all  in  response  to  new  circumstances  presented  by  the  Arab  Spring.  Residence 
represented  some  13%  of  all  Ad-Hoc  Queries,  and  included  themes  such  as  security  risks  when 
issuing  residence  permits;  the  limitations  to  acquiring  real  estate  by  third-country  nationals;  and 
residence permits issued to citizens of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Ad-Hoc Queries relating to 
the direct implementation of EU Acquis accounted for a further 11%. Other themes of note included 
economic  migration,  family  reunification,  irregular  immigration,  integration,  students, 
trafficking and visas. 

The Commission has also made effective use of Ad-Hoc Queries in relation to high profile issues, 
such as the European Court of Justice’s decision on the Zambrano (C-34/09) case in 2011, where 
the  Commission  used  the  EMN  to  rapidly  assess  the  conditions  of  automatic  and  unconditional 
granting  of  citizenship  to  persons  born  on  the  territory  of  a  Member  State,  irrespective  of  the 
immigration status of the parents (unconditional jus soli). Another Ad-Hoc Query initiated by the 
Commission, with direct policy implications, concerned the status of national data stored in relation 
to  harmonised  residence  permits.  The  information  provided  by  Member  States  was  used  in  the 
context of negotiations between the co-legislators on the Single Permit proposal.   

2.5 EMN Glossary16 and Thesaurus  

The development of these tools to facilitate comparability was undertaken by the EMN's Glossary 
and Thesaurus Working Group, comprising of EMN members and the Fundamental Rights Agency. 
The group met four times in 2011, in conjunction with an EMN NCP meeting, to introduce, discuss, 
refine  and  agree  upon  the  terms  and  the  format  for  the  updated  Glossary  publication,  and  to 
structure and develop the EMN Thesaurus. An updated version of the multilingual EMN Glossary 
was developed and published in 2011, with more than 1 500 copies distributed to national and EU 
stakeholders.  The  Glossary  is  also  available  as  a  web-based  tool  on  the  EMN  website17  and  the 

15  
16 

17  

http://www.emn.europa.eu under "EMN Outputs: EMN Ad-Hoc Queries" 
ISBN  978-92-79-23336-4  (January  2012),  available  also  from  http://www.emn.europa.eu  under  "EMN 
Outputs: EMN Glossary." 
http://www.emn.europa.eu under "EMN Glossary". 

7 

 
                                                 
terms are to be incorporated into IATE (Inter-Active Terminology for Europe).18 Translations of the 
definitions,  as  well  as  the  terms,  in  the  updated  glossary  into  DE,  ES,  FR,  IT  and  PT  took  place 
during  the  year,  and  each  language  version  will  appear  as  a  separate  publication  in  2012.  Good 
progress  was  also  made  towards  the  development  of  the  EMN  Thesaurus,  which  will  facilitate 
structured searching of the documents available through the EMN’s Information Exchange System.  

3. NETWORKING 

Extensive networking continued in 2011, amongst the EMN NCPs themselves, and at national level, 
as  detailed  below.  This  has  contributed  to  strengthening  the  network  and  to  boost  its  impacts.  A 
more strategic approach has been adopted towards other relevant entities. 

3.1 Networking amongst EMN NCPs 

Seven EMN NCP Meetings (46th to 52nd) were organised and hosted by the Commission, bringing 
together the EMN NCPs approximately every 6-8 weeks. Meetings were mainly held in Brussels, 
although  the  51st  meeting  was  held  in  Warsaw,  Poland  in  conjunction  with  the  EMN  Conference 
2011. The meetings focused on the delivery of the outputs set out in the EMN Work Programme, 
but  were  also  effective  in  reviewing  and  discussing  the  findings  and  recommendations  of  the 
external  evaluation  and  how  these  were  to  be  implemented.  Meetings  were  typically  attended  by 
one or two delegates from each EMN NCP, along with other invited representatives, notably from 
the Commission's Eurostat and from the Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA).  

EMN NCP workshops continued during 2011, in conjunction with the formal EMN NCP meetings 
and  in  response  to  identified  needs.  As  well  as  the  two  workshops  supporting  the  External 
Evaluation  (on  9  February  and  23  May  2011),  there  were  also  workshops  on  new  formats  to 
improve  the  policy-relevance  of  EMN  outputs  (13  July  2011);  on  the  development  of  study 
specifications for the 2011 EMN study on Irregular Migration (5 April 2011) and for the 2012 Main 
Study  and  first  Focussed  Study  (16  December  2011);  on  the  further  development  of  the  EMN 
website and the IES (5 April 2011); and on the management of EMN NCP grants (23 September 
2011), in preparation for the submission of the 2011 Final Reports.  

Twinning  collaborations,  cluster  meetings  and  conferences  hosted  by  an  individual  EMN  NCP  to 
facilitate information exchange amongst EMN NCPs on specific topics of common interest and to 
improve  access  to  information  continued  in  2011,  with  over  30  events  held  in  total.  Many  were 
additionally attended by a representative from the Commission and/or the EMN Service Provider. 

3.2 Networking at National level 

EMN  NCPs  are  required  to  develop  and  maintain  a  national  network comprising  a  wide range of 
relevant stakeholders. EMN NCPs and Steering Board members actively  enhance the  visibility of 
the  EMN  at  national  level,  particularly  in  relation  to  policymaking,  through  a  wide  range  of 
activities,  including  the  organisation  of  national  conferences  and  networking  events.  Almost  all 
EMN  NCP  organised  at  least  one  or  more  national  network  meetings  and  other  events  involving 
their network partners, often in conjunction with a twinning/cluster meeting with other EMN NCPs. 
It  was  notable  in  2011  how  many  national  networking  events  were  successful  in  attracting  high 
level  policymakers,  including  Ministers,  and  how  many  acted  as  a  channel  for  collecting  and 
feeding a range of perspectives into national policy and legislative debates.  

Several  EMN  NCPs  also  used  their  national  events  to  promote  recent  EMN  studies,  reports  and 
other outputs, or to discuss upcoming ones. The EMN study on “Practical responses for reducing 

18  

http://iate.europa.eu/  

8 

 
                                                 
irregular migration,” also the topic for the EMN Conference in 2011, was discussed during events 
in  BG,  FI,  FR,  LT,  MT  and  NO;  other  events  organised  included  the  themes  of  Temporary  and 
Circular  Migration  (UK)  and  Visa  Policy  (BG,  IT,  MT).  The  IT  EMN  NCP  promoted  a  cycle  of 
national  events  to  publicise  the  EMN  Glossary,  which  received  considerable  media  attention. 
Upcoming  EMN  studies  were  also  discussed,  for  example,  International  Students  (DE).  Other 
events  focussed  on  capacity  building  of  the  EMN  (DE,  LT)  in  light  of  the  findings  and 
recommendations of the EMN External Evaluation.   

3.3. Networking with other relevant entities 

The EMN again stepped up its collaborative work with other entities19 during 2011, in line with its 
mandate to ensure that its activities are consistent and coordinated with relevant EU instruments and 
structures,  and  in  direct  response  to  the  recommendations  of  the  External  Evaluation  Report. 
Cooperation took the form of contributions to EMN NCP meetings and workshops, and to specific 
EMN studies and other outputs.  

In relation to EMN NCP meetings: 

(cid:190)  Representatives of the Commission's Eurostat plus from the FRA regularly attended EMN 
NCP  meetings  throughout  the  year  and  a  representative  from  the  European  Asylum 
Support Office (EASO)20 attended the meeting on 16th December 2011 for the first time;  

(cid:190)  A regular item was introduced into the meeting agendas to allow relevant entities, and EMN 
NCPs, to present recent, relevant policy updates to the network. This has proved to be highly 
effective. Representatives from the Commission's Directorate General (DG) for Research 
and Innovation attended the EMN NCP meeting on 15 December 2011 and presented their 
activities  in  the  field  of  migration.  DG  Home  Affairs,  which  co-ordinates  the  EMN, 
presented  inter  alia  an  overview  of  recent  developments  in  relation  to  Integration  on  22 
September 2011, and a representative of the EMN subsequently attended the meeting of the 
National Contact Points on Integration21 on 8 November 2011, where the two networks 
sought to improve the mutual sharing of information.  

In relation to EMN studies and outputs, specific activities included: 

(cid:190)  For the EMN study Practical responses for reducing irregular migration, co-operation took 
place  with  FRA,  in  the  context  of  the  FRA  study  on  the  Fundamental  Rights  situation  of 
Irregular  Migrants  and  from  the  CLANDESTINO22  Project  Undocumented  Migration: 
Counting the Uncountable Data and Trends Across Europe in the form of contributions to 
the EMN Workshop on 5 April 2011; 

(cid:190)  In the context of the development of the Main and first Focussed Studies for 2012, on the 
topics  of,  respectively  International  Students  and  the  Misuse  of  the  Right  to  Family 
Reunification,  co-operation  took  place  with  the  Commission's  Eurostat  and  DGs  for 
Education and Culture and for Justice, as well as specifically relevant units of DG Home 
Affairs.  Representatives  attended  several  EMN  NCP  meetings  plus  the  EMN  workshop 
dedicated to these topics on 16 December 2011.  

19  

20  
21  
22  

An  extensive  list  of  relevant  entities  is  available  from  the  EMN  website  (http://www.emn.europa.eu)  under 
"Useful Links," as well as, with regard to other databases, under "Activities: Other Databases." 
http://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/policies/asylum/asylum_easo_en.htm  
http://ec.europa.eu/ewsi/en/about_us.cfm  
http://clandestino.eliamep.gr/  

9 

 
                                                 
The EMN also started its contributions to the EU Immigration Portal23 by verifying that the content 
for their Member State on the portal website was correct, reliable and up-to-date. This involved first 
checking  and  updating  the  national  information  prior  to  the  launching  of  the  portal  in  November 
2011.  

4. ENHANCING THE EMN’S VISIBILITY 

Steps to promote further the EMN to policymakers at national and European level, and to inform 
the wider public about its objectives, plus current and future activities, were intensified during the 
year,  with  several  new  elements  included.  All  EMN  outputs  are  available  to  the  wider  public, 
principally  through  the  EMN  website  (and  through  EMN  NCP  national  websites  also),  and 
publications  of  certain  studies,  and  also  presented  at  workshops,  seminars,  meetings  and 
conferences at EU and national levels. The main activities undertaken, and progress made in 2011, 
are highlighted below. 

4.1 EMN Conference 201124 

This took place under the auspices of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, 
on  the  topic  of  Combating  irregular  migration:  practical  responses  in  Warsaw,  in  October  2011. 
The  Conference  was  designed  to  link  into  the  EMN  Study  on  Practical  measures  to  reduce 
irregular  migration  and  involved  representatives  from  the  European  Commission,  27  EMN 
National Contact Points, plus many international and regional organisations, such as the Council of 
Europe,  International  Centre  for  Migration  Policy  Development  (ICMPD),  Migration,  Asylum, 
Refugees Regional Initiative (MARRI); EU Agencies, such as FRA and Frontex; NGOs, such as the 
Platform  for  International  Cooperation  on  Undocumented  Migrants  (PICUM),  who  all  gave 
presentations;  plus  from  Polish  National  and  Academic  Institutions.  Overall  there  were  some  160 
participants.  

The  published  Conference  conclusions  recognised  that  challenges  remain  in  identifying  and 
studying the issues of irregular migration and irregular migrants, but that effective tools have been 
developed that were impacting on the scale of irregular migration of third-country nationals in the 
EU  Member  States,  and  that  practical  measures  needed  to  be  sensitive  to  the  geopolitical  factors 
influencing  irregular  migration.  A  further  important  conclusion  was  the  recognition  that  action 
taken to address irregular migration needed to be balanced whilst respecting migrants’ dignity and 
rights.   

4.2 Other conferences and events in 2011 

In  addition  to  the  national  conferences  and  events  hosted  by  EMN  NCPs  (see  Section  3.2),  and 
consistent with its mandate to reach out to wider audiences, the EMN played a very active role in 
the 16th International Metropolis Conference: Migration Futures: Perspectives on Global Changes 
(12 – 16 September 2011), which drew together a global audience of policymakers, researchers and 
civil society. EMN inputs included organising three workshops,25 a poster Impact of immigration on 
ageing in Italy under the theme of Ageing and Migration (IT) and participation in the Roundtable: 

23  
24  

25  

http://ec.europa.eu/immigration/  
http://emn.gov.pl/portal/ese/751/8888/EMN_Conference_2011.html 
conclusions. 
From perceptions to policy: using public perceptions of migration to inform policy development (DE, PL and 
UK EMN NCPs); Under-explored aspects of emigration: observations from developed countries (DE, IE, LT 
and  UK  EMN  NCPs);  and  Irregular  migration:  perspectives  from  both  countries  of  origin  and  destination 
(AT, FR and UK EMN NCPs); 

conference 

containing 

also 

the 

10 

 
                                                 
On the waterfront: Global migration  and  port cities, via a presentation on Sea migration and the 
EU Southern Borders (PT).   

4.3 EMN and National Websites 

The EMN website serves as the main means by which the EMN's various outputs are made publicly 
available. In 2011, further work was undertaken by the Service Provider (iLiCONN) to enhance the 
website  pages  to  improve  access,  and  ensure  that  information  remained  relevant  and  up-to-date. 
Weekly monitoring of visitors to the website continued in order to better understand the scale and 
scope of access and to monitor progress towards increasing the visibility of the EMN. On average, 
150 – 200 visits/day were received, and whilst the indications are that the website is primarily used 
by  EMN  members,  there  has  been  evidence  of  wider  interest  from  other  users,  including  from 
beyond Europe and particularly following the International Metropolis Conference and the launch 
of the EMN Wikipedia page.  

The web-based Information Exchange System (IES) was used to share documents with EMN NCPs, 
including for meetings, studies and for reference, and to share information and tools developed by 
EMN NCPs in their national contexts (e.g. national newsletter, presentation templates). A business 
plan to redevelop the EMN website and IES was completed during the course of 2011, but work is 
yet to commence on implementing these changes.  

At  national  level,  many  EMN  NCPs  have  developed  their  own  national  websites,  with  reciprocal 
links to the EMN website.26 In many cases they have proven to be an effective tool and focus for 
information gathering  and  sharing at national level, with some NCPs reporting 500-700  visits per 
week. Taken across the network, this constitutes a considerable flow of information from the EMN 
to the Member States and beyond. 

4.4 EMN Wikipedia Page27 

In line with its Communications and Dissemination Strategy, and as approved by the EMN Steering 
Board,  the  EMN  made  an  initial  step  towards  enhancing  its  visibility  through  social  media  by 
creating an EMN Wikipedia page in 2011. The page presents a succinct summary of the EMN, its 
legal basis, constitution, purpose and role, highlights its main outputs and achievements, and makes 
links to other relevant entities also described in Wikipedia. Some EMN NCPs have developed their 
own language versions of the page, which is now available in EL, FR, HU, IT, LV, NL, SE and SK, 
which can be reciprocally accessed from the various translated pages.  

4.5 EMN Newsletter and EMN Bulletin Report 

In order to provide regular and up-to-date information on EMN activities and outputs, and related 
policy developments, to all EMN stakeholders, and to enhance visibility, the EMN produced four 
editions of its quarterly Newsletter (EMNews), distributed by e-mail to some 800 recipients, and via 
the  EMN  website  accessible  with  an  RSS  feed.  Several  EMN  NCPs  also  routinely  produce  their 
own Newsletter for their national network members.  

The EMN Newsletter has been replaced in 2012 by a new Report, the EMN Bulletin. The Bulletin is 
targeted at (senior) policymakers and aims to provide, on a regular basis, latest published EU and 
National developments in migration policy, as well as an overview of key statistics on key topics, 

26  
27  

Links to the various national websites are provided at http://www.emn.europa.eu under "EMN NCPs." 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Migration_Network  

11 

 
                                                 
including trends and analysis, and the latest EMN outputs and developments. The first edition was 
published in June 2012.28  

5. MANAGEMENT OF THE EMN 

The  Steering  Board,  which  met  on  13th  May  and  on  14th  October  2011,  strengthened  its  role  in 
providing  strategic  guidance  to  the  EMN  during  the  year.  The  Director  General  of  DG  HOME 
attended  the  May  2011  Steering  Board  meeting  to  provide  a  strategic  overview  of  the  future 
direction  of  the  EMN,  within  the  framework  of  future  EU  policy  developments,  and  the  growing 
need for more timely and policy-relevant information, drawing also on the draft results of the EMN 
External Evaluation. 

As  well  as  providing  strategic  guidance  to  the  EMN  and  monitoring  the  implementation  of  EMN 
activities,  a  number  of  decisions  were  taken  by  the  Steering  Board,  in  line  with  its  remit,  which 
included inter alia the approval of the: 

(cid:190)  2012 EMN  Work Programme, including the range of new products developed in line with 
the recommendations of the EMN External Evaluation and designed to enhance the EMN’s 
role in relation to timeliness and policy-relevance;29 

(cid:190)  2012 Study Topics; these were, for the EMN Main Study: The Immigration of International 
Students  to  EU  Member  States  and  for  the  three  Focussed  Studies:  Abuse  of  residence 
permits  for  the  purpose  of  family  reunification:  Marriage  of  convenience  and  false 
declaration  of  paternity;  Challenges  and  practices  for  establishing  applicants’  identity  in 
the migration process; and Intra-EU Mobility of Third-Country Nationals;  

(cid:190)  The indicative minimum and maximum budgets for each EMN NCP in 2012; 

(cid:190)  EMN Status Report 2010;  

(cid:190)  Measures to improve the visibility of the EMN through Social Media, enabling the launch of 

an EMN Wikipedia page. 

Following  approval  of  the  Steering  Board,  the  EMN  Work  Programme  2011  was  adopted  as 
Commission  Decision  C(2012)  1753  on  22  March  2012,  permitting  the  financing  of  the  EMN 
NCPs. This totalled €7.5M in 2011, of  which up to €5 971 000 was allocated as grants for financing 
up to 80% of the activities of the EMN NCPs, the remaining 20% having to be provided by an EMN 
NCP’s national authority. For some EMN NCPs, owing to the difficult financial climate, difficulties 
were  experienced  in  obtaining  their  required  national  contribution.  The  remainder  of  the  total 
budget (€1 529 000) is principally used  for the EMN Service Providers,30 the External Evaluation31 
and for visibility actions (e.g. printed publications).  

28  
29  

30  

Announced on DG Home Affairs Twitter site (@EUHomeAffairs), see http://t.co/FDBAbFuO. 
As well as in-depth Annual Reports and Studies, the Work Programme introduced for 2012, a range of shorter, 
more  focussed  products,  aimed  at  improving  the  timeliness  and  policy-relevance  of  EMN  information.  The 
main  developments  included:  plans  to  produce  one,  rather  than  two  Main  Studies,  responding  to  the  longer 
term needs of policymakers, and to develop up to three smaller, Focussed Studies, responding to information 
needs  in  the  short  term;  the  introduction  of  succinct  EMN  Inform  policy  briefs  on  specific  topics;  and  the 
discontinuation of the EMN Newsletter, in favour of a new Report, the EMN Bulletin, to provide on a regular 
basis,  latest  EU  and  national  policy  developments,  as  well  as  the  most  recent  statistics,  replacing  also  the 
Annual Reports on Migration and International Protection Statistics.  
Two  EMN  Service  Providers  (GHK-COWI  and  iLiCONN),  were  appointed  by  the  Commission  in  2009, 
GHK-COWI’s  main  priorities  are  to  prepare  inter  alia  draft  common  study  specifications  and  Synthesis 

12 

 
                                                 
Particular  attention  continued  to  be  paid  to  ensuring  that  each  EMN  NCP  received  financing 
commensurate  with  its  activities  in  order  to  better  match  finances  with  EMN  NCP  activities.  In 
addition, the Commission prepared the package for grant applications 2012; evaluated final reports 
for grants from previous years; and managed the EMN Service Provider contracts, plus contracts for 
producing  publications.  Monitoring  by  the  Commission  of  the  progress  of  EMN  NCPs,  their 
impacts, and levels of spend, also took place through their submission of Work Progress Reports in 
advance of each EMN NCP meeting.  

The Commission and the EMN Service Providers met regularly during 2011 to ensure the continued 
smooth functioning of the EMN, including support for the EMN NCPs in managing the change in 
the  delivery  of  their  work  and  demands  placed  on  the  EMN;  preparing  EMN  NCP  meetings; 
developing  Synthesis  Reports,  Studies  and  Statistical  Reports;  and  the  on-going  development  and 
functionality of the EMN website and Information Exchange System.  

6. CONCLUDING REMARKS 

2011  was  a  pivotal  year  for  the  EMN,  which  has  seen  the  network  respond  rapidly  to  the 
recommendations set out in its external evaluation and endorsed by its Steering Board, and to step-
up to the challenges of increasing its policy relevance and impact. In 2011, there were again many 
examples of how the work of the EMN has directly contributed to informing policymakers at EU 
level. New studies in 2012 will feed directly into areas of EU level policy and legislation that are 
undergoing  review,  for  example,  international  students  and  the  issue  of  misuses  of  the  right  to 
family  reunification.  Ad-Hoc  Queries  have  again  been  used  to  inform  highly  topical  Commission 
Communications and Staff Working papers. At national level there is increasing evidence of EMN 
events  and  outputs  shaping  and  informing  national  debates,  often  directly  linked  to  policy 
development processes. The changes introduced in 2011 have strengthened the position of the EMN 
to  improve  its  efficiency  and  effectiveness  to  play  an  increasingly  important  role  as  an  advisory 
council for migration and asylum policy.  

31  

Reports and other outputs and to support the network; for iLiCONN (Interactive Listening and CONNecting) 
their priorities are to develop further the Information Exchange System and the EMN website. 
Undertaken  by  the  Centre  for  Strategy  and  Evaluation  Services  (CSES)  under  Specific  Contract  No. 
HOME/2010/EMNS/FW/0005 implementing Framework Service Contract No. JLS/2009/A1/001.  

13