The European Migration Network (EMN) is publishing its new Asylum and Migration Overview (AMO) 2024, alongside a Statistical Annex developed by Eurostat. The Overview highlights key legal, policy and operational changes across a range of asylum and migration themes during the year 2024, as well as statistical trends in 2024 and comparisons with previous years. It draws on contributions from 30 National Contact Points (NCPs), as well as statistical contributions from additional EMN Observer countries, and EU-level sources, including Eurostat statistics.
The year 2024 marked a turning point in EU migration and asylum policy with the adoption of the Pact on Migration and Asylum. Set to apply from June 2026, the Pact introduces a more coordinated framework for managing migration across the EU. Other legal developments at EU level included the revised Schengen Borders Code (Regulation (EU) 2024/1717). The recast Single Permit Directive (Directive (EU) 2024/1233) supported more streamlined admission and stronger worker protections. In June 2024, the EU adopted Directive (EU) 2024/1712 (the revised Anti-Trafficking Directive) to strengthen the fight against trafficking in human beings.
Another milestone was the phased enlargement of the Schengen Area to include Bulgaria and Romania, with internal sea and air border checks abolished from 31 March 2024 and progress towards land border checks to be lifted by 1 January 2025. Russia’s continued war of aggression in Ukraine remained a source of displacement, and, in June 2024, the Council of the EU decided to extend temporary protection until 4 March 2026.
First-time applications for asylum decreased by 13% across the EU and Norway in 2024 from 2023 levels, with the highest number of applicants coming from Syria, Venezuela and Afghanistan. Nevertheless, international protection remained a key area of national and EU-level policy developments. At national level, these measures included steps to improve the efficiency and fairness of international protection systems in many EMN Member and Observer countries. In response to sustained application levels, countries also expanded or reorganised reception capacities or implemented new models for reception facility management.
As in previous years, addressing labour market needs and filling skills gaps was a focus of legal migration developments at the national level. Digitalisation and the use of technology continued to be a key area of attention across legal migration, asylum and integration and inclusion. These developments mainly concerned areas such as processing of applications, issuing residence permits and providing apps or portals to provide integration information.
The European Migration Network Asylum and Migration Overview (AMO) has updated its name for the 2024 edition, to better distinguish it from the European Annual Asylum and Migration Report (EAAMR), to be issued by the European Commission under Regulation (EU) 2024/1351 (AMMR) by 15 October 2025. The EMN AMO does not include reporting related to the Pact on Migration and Asylum but retains the structure and content of previous annual reports from the European Migration Network.
This publication was prepared on the basis of national contributions from 30 EMN NCPs (AT, BE, BG, CY, CZ, DE, EE, EL, ES, FI, FR, HR, HU, IE, IT, LT, LU, LV, MT, NL, PL, PT, SE, SI, SK and NO, GE, MD, UA, RS).
The Asylum and Migration Overview 2024 is available in the Publications section on the EMN website.