Introduction

• Author: Joint Research Centre (European Commission)
• Pages: 11-11

11

MIGRATION IN THE EUROPEAN UNION / ATLAS OF MIGRATION 2020

INTRODUCTION

1 EuropeanCommission,PressstatementbyPresidentvonderLeyenontheNewPactonMigrationandAsylum,2020(availableonlineat

https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/statement_20_1727)

2 Ibid

‘Migrationhas alwaysbeen afact forEurope –and it

willalwaysbe. Throughoutcenturies,it hasdenedour

societies,enrichedour culturesandshaped manyofour

lives.Andthiswillalwaysbethecase.’1Withthesewords,

inSeptember2020, Presidentvonder Leyenannounced

thearrival oftheEuropean Commission’sNewPact on

MigrationandAsylum.

Andyet,inaway2020hasbeenquitedistinctfromthat

whichcamebefore.Sincetheturnoftheyear,theCOVID-19

pandemichashaddramaticandprofoundsocial,economic

andpoliticalimplications acrossEuropeand aroundthe

world.Inaneorttolimitthevirus’spread,governments

haveplacedlimitsoninternationalandnationalmobility,

established‘lockdown’measures,imposedlimitationson

in-placeworkandeducationandsetoutrulesandguidelines

onsocialdistancing. Theimplicationsformigration and

mobilityin theEU havebeen signicant.Some labour

migrationprogrammeshavebeensuspendedandasylum

proceduresdelayed.Duetomobilityrestrictionsorfearof

thevirus,manymigrants willhavebeenunableto reach

theirplaceofemployment,missedopportunitiestostudy

orbeenfar fromfamilymembers. Butmanyhave also

playedavitalpartinrespondingtothepandemicthrough

theirrolesaskeyworkersandbyoeringtheirsupportand

solidaritytothoseinneed.

Intheshadowof thepandemic,2020was alsotheyear

oftheNewPactonMigrationandAsylum,announcedwith

theaimof buildinganovel,comprehensive approachto

migration.Itresponds tothecomplexities ofmigration,

strikesa balancebetween responsibilityand solidarity

amongMember States andfaces thechallenges ofa

globalisedworld.2 Atthesame time,it recognisesthat

MemberStates have dierentgeographical situations

anddivergingexperiences andperspectivesto reconcile,

whilsthighlightingthe importantroleof evidenceinthe

managementofmigrationandmobility.

Atthebeginningof2019therewere35millionmigrants

residingin theEU. 13millionof themwere mobileEU

citizensresidingoutsidetheircountryofcitizenship,and22

millionwerethirdcountrynationalsresidingfromoutsideof

theEU.In20192.9millionpeopleweregrantedresidence

permitsfortheEU-27,anincreasefrom2.8millionin2018.

Ofthosewho camefromthird countriesoutsideof the

EUduring2019,41didsowithapermitforwork,27

forfamilypurposesand 14foreducation.In contrast,

therewereonly141700casesofpeoplebeingdetected

irregularlycrossingbordersin2019.

Regardingasylum,therewere631570rsttimeapplications

forasylummadein2019, whichwasfarbelowthe over

onemillionrsttimeapplicationsmadeinboth2015and

2016.Moreover,therejectionrateofrstinstancedecisions

hasalsorisenfrom38in2016to62 ofapplications

in 2019.

These figures give a first insight into the context in

the EU at the turn of 2020. Of course, the context

in individual Member States can vary significantly.

Withitsproles foreveryoneofthe 27MemberStates,

theAtlasof Migrationsupportsthe deliveryofthe EU’s

responseto COVID-19andimplementation oftheNew

PactonMigrationandAsylum.Itbringstogetherthemost

up-to-dateinternationaldata availableondemographic

structures,migrationand asylumtrendsand integration

patternsacrosstheUnion.This includesdataonmigrant

populations,onasylumapplicationsandoutcomes,aswell

asresidencepermitsandSchengenVisas.Italsoincludes

arangeofindicatorsonintegration,fromnaturalisationto

socialinclusionandparticipationineducationandlabour

market.Inaddition,thereisapull-outsheetcoveringthe

EUasa wholeand‘Howto Read’and‘TechnicalNotes’,

respectivelyatthebeginningandattheendofthesection,

whichexplain thesingle chartsand providenotes and

referencestotheoriginaldatasources.