Without immigration, many job positions in European countries remain vacant. The pandemic has not only made immigration even more difficult, it also slowed down the efforts of the German government to attract nurses and other skilled workers.
This year was especially difficult for many migrants and refugees in Europe, and those attempting to reach Europe. The coronavirus pandemic exacerbated hardships, while fires at Moria camp on Lesbos left thousands without shelter. Here's a look at some of the most important moments of 2020.
A new security decree modifying previous decrees passed under former Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini was approved Friday by the Italian Senate.
Only a handful of EU member states are ready to accept asylum seekers. Now, the European Commission is trying to reform the bloc's asylum rules, but few of its proposals seem to break new ground.
Austrian leader Sebastian Kurz has said that Europe took "completely the wrong turn" when it allowed in so many migrants five years ago. The chancellor said large numbers of migrants cause problems because they "change" the host societies.
The government of Malta has signed an agreement with Libya to combat irregular immigration across the Mediterranean. The Maltese-funded plans involve the setting up of coordination centers in the Libyan capital Tripoli and the Maltese capital Valletta.
A report published by the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) says that there could be increases in asylum applications in the EU in the future. The document highlights that the threat of the novel coronavirus spreading in lower income countries could lead to a rise in migration.
Dunja Mijatovic, the human rights commissioner of the Council of Europe, has asked member states to release as many people as possible from detention centers for migrants amid the coronavirus emergency. She says that these facilities "provide poor opportunities for social distancing and other measures to protect against Covid-19 infection."
EU figures estimate that 6.9 million children in Europe reside in a country different from the one on their passport. Around two-thirds of these hail from outside the bloc. The figures are rising, albeit not that fast.
According to a recent study by IPSOS, most people in Italy, Austria, Hungary, and Greece believe that there are far more migrants in their countries than there actually are.
How many people asked for asylum in the European Union? Where did they come from? In what country did they request asylum? Here’s what you need to know about asylum applications in the EU in 2019.
A Eurobarometer survey has found that over a third of all Italians felt that immigration is the most important issue for the EU to deal with. In contrast to other EU citizens, Italians seemed less convinced of the need to introduce a common EU-wide asylum system.