EMN Studies and Policy Briefs

The Overview describes how main asylum and migration policies related to third-country nationals are organised in the Slovak Republic from the institutional perspective as well as from the perspective of their mutual relations. It is based on the information valid as of September 2020. Overviews are available also for other EU Member States and Norway.

Integration through acquisition of citizenship has become an important topic in many EU Member States in recent years, as the number of new migrants arriving in the EU has increased in recent years. The new EMN Synthesis Report published on this topic shows that citizenship is seen by the EU Member States as either the culmination of the integration process or as facilitating the integration process.

The report provides a comparative overview of recent trends, frameworks and good practices from 24 EU Member States and Norway on the acquisition of citizenship for third-country nationals. It describes how national policies evolved over the past five years in relation to the acquisition of citizenship, what are the criteria and procedures in place, how costly and long is the process, what type of support do Member States provide to third-country nationals wishing to acquire citizenship and how do Member States see the acquisition of citizenship in relation to integration of migrants into a host society. The report also informs on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the processing of applications for citizenship. More information in the video.

In the field of asylum, EU legislation requires Member States to harmonise their legislation and practices in line with the Common European Asylum System (CEAS). There are two protection statuses harmonised at European level - refugee status and subsidiary protection, however a variety of national protection statuses exist as well.

The study aims to provide an overview of forms of protection granted by EU Member States and Norway based on their national legislation. It also contains the information on the reason of being granted the status, procedures, rights, period of validity, etc. It is a partial update of the EMN study entitled The Different National Practices Concerning Granting of Non-EU Harmonised Protection Statuses which was elaborated in 2010.

Over half of the EU Member States consider that attracting and retaining innovative entrepreneurs and start-ups from countries outside the EU will enhance the economic growth, innovation, and increase the global economic competitiveness. Therefore, in recent years, they have introduced various legislative measures, such as special visas or residence permits for innovative third country entrepreneurs. The Synthesis Report of the EMN Study Migratory Pathways for Start-Ups and Innovative Entrepreneurs in the European Union published by the European Migration Network (EMN)  identifies the factors and prerequisites for attracting and retaining start-up founders and innovative entrepreneurs from third countries, as well as examining the different admission pathways available, including specific start-up schemes. The Study also explores the role of cities, regions and particular locations as entrepreneurial hubs in attracting start-up founders and employees from third countries. 

A new study published by the European Migration Network (EMN) offers an overview of the experiences and existing practices in the EU Member States, Norway and Switzerland regarding beneficiaries of international protection who travel back to their country of origin. The study also examines the motivations of the individuals in question, and how such cases would be assessed by the national authorities in the countries that granted them refugee status. The study found that most countries participating in the research did consider travel to the country of origin as an indication that protection may no longer be needed. This could lead them to examine the purpose of the travel and to reassess the international protection status. The main findings of the study Beneficiaries of international protection travelling to their country of origin are also briefly explained in the new video. 

Attracting students from third countries is important for the EU both as an alternative to irregular migration and as a contribution to a more competitive EU economy. But what concrete policies and practices have Member States put in place to attract international students? Are there any special incentives to retain them following graduation? What are the main challenges? What bilateral and multilateral cooperation agreements with third countries have been adopted by Member States covering international students?

These and many other questions are answered in the Synthesis Report of the EMN Study Attracting and retaining international students in the EU. The study is providing concise overview of recent trends, challenges and good practices as well as of national policies and practices in place in Member States to attract international students from third countries.

As of 2018, five Western Balkan and three Eastern Partnership countries benefit from visa liberalisation to the EU Schengen area,  particularly Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, Republic of North Macedonia, Georgia, Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. EMN Study “Impact of visa liberalisation on countries of destination”  explores the impact of visa liberalisation in specific areas (e.g. tourism, legal migration, bilateral cooperation) and looks at trends in irregular migration and other issues that have been observed in the EU Member States and Norway as countries of destination during the period 2007-2017. By focussing on the countries of destination, this report gives a new perspective into the impacts and challenges of visa liberalisation faced by EU Member States and Norway.

The study aims to provide an overview of existing labour market integration policies and measures in Member States targeting third-country nationals. It focusses on current policies and those either recently implemented or amended since 2014. It offers examples of promising labour market integration measures implemented by the public sector as well as tailored employment-related initiatives provided by the private sector.