EPIM Policy Update May 2016

EPIM Policy Updates are developed as a resource for organisations interested in European policy developments in the area of migration and integration. The European Policy Centre (EPC), a Brussels-based think tank, has been commissioned to produce these Policy Updates, which are released five times a year.

EPIM Policy Updates address topics relevant to EPIM’s Thematic Funds: Immigration Detention; Reforming the Common European Asylum System; Children and Youth on the Move; Mobile EU Citizens’ Access to Rights; and Building Inclusive European Societies.

This edition’s special focus is dedicated to an analysis of the EU-Turkey agreement and its consequences. While deemed necessary by European leaders, the deal gave rise to substantial legal questions, sparking heavy criticism from human rights organisations and NGOs.

Other key highlights of this Policy Update include:

• The  extension of temporary border controls within the Schengen area;
• The European Commission’s publication of several legislative proposals for a reform of the Common European Asylum System and Dublin regulation;
• An analysis of what Brexit could mean for EU citizens in the UK;
• The rulings by the European Court of Justice on return procedures to safe third countries and on the extent to which the sponsor’s financial situation can influence the right to family reunification;
• The recent publication of Eurostat data regarding asylum decisions and unaccompanied minors in the EU in 2015;
• A closer look on ‘Right to an effective remedy in detention and deportation cases’ in the context of Cyprus, by the EPIM grantee organisation KISA.