News

The CERIS Expert Group has just issued its first report, titled Building resilience in the civil security domain based on research and technology, covering a broad array of topics from combating child sexual abuse online and countering disinformation, to bioterrorist threats by non-state actors.

The Council has adopted a decision to lift internal land borders controls with and between Bulgaria and Romania as of 1 January 2025. This important step completes the full entry of both countries into the Schengen area.

Events such as climate change, hurricanes, floods, and the COVID-19 pandemic have shown how important it is for communities to be prepared for disasters. The EU-funded CORE project is helping policymakers and stakeholders address threats from these disasters.

The EUAA has issued guidelines for an EU approach to community sponsorship, aiming to increase the number of admission places available to those in need of protection, while establishing minimum quality standards for the different phases of community sponsorship across the EU.

The Commission has issued a Communication in support of EU countries countering hybrid threats from the weaponisation of migration and to strengthen security at the EU’s external borders with Russia and Belarus, also making over EUR 170 million available under the BMVI and its Thematic Facility.

The main focus of the meeting was the international dimension of trafficking in human beings and the link between trafficking and migration, including migrant smuggling.

The seventh report under the Visa Suspension Mechanism monitors the EU’s visa-free regimes with its Western Balkan and Eastern Partnership partners, the Eastern Caribbean and Latin American countries. 

The Commission has proposed a progressive start of operations for Europe’s new digital border system, allowing border authorities and the transport industry to adjust to the new procedures. The EES will digitally record entries and exits of non-EU nationals travelling to the EU and Schengen.

The Visa Code Training is a new training on the visa process available for staff working with visas and other migration processes. It provides tools to identify and address the common challenges in the field such as visa shopping, as well as abuse and fraud during the visa process.