- In a press release published on 29 October 2025, the Council of Europe’s Division on Migration and Refugees announced the publication of a new toolkit for parliamentarians on preventing and addressing migrant disappearances. The toolkit is published by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and offers practical and concrete guidance on the actions parliamentarians can take. The 20-page guide outlines the key public policy questions related to migrant disappearances, explains how parliamentarians and other policymakers can address them, and highlights noteworthy initiatives from across Europe and beyond.
- In a press statement from 27 October 2025, Frontex announced that at the invitation of the Italian Ministry of Interior, it had conducted a two-week test of the new EU screening process on the island of Lampedusa, in cooperation with Italian authorities, the European Union Agency for Asylum, and Europol. The pilot exercise is a part of the preparations for the implementation of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum, and took place from 13 to 24 October. It assessed the new Screening Toolbox, standardised tools supporting the forthcoming EU screening regulation under real operational conditions with 240 irregular arrivals, to improve workflows and coordination among agencies.
- As reported by euronews on 22 October 2025, following the EU-Egypt summit which took place in Brussels on 22 October 2025, the EU has signed a deal providing Egypt with an increased financial support of 75 million euros. According to officials, the funding aims to advance socio-economic growth and resilience by improving access to health, education, water and sanitation, in particular for women and young people. The grant is part of a macro-financial framework signed in March 2024, which provides 7.4 billion euros to Egypt between 2024 and 2027. The 2024 agreement has strengthened EU-Egypt relations in six key areas: political relations, economic stability, trade and investment, migration and mobility, security and demography, and human capital.
- As reported by euronews on 18 October 2025, nineteen EU countries and Norway have called on the European Commission to prioritise the return of Afghan nationals residing irregularly in Europe, whether voluntarily or by force. The initiative is led by Belgian minister of Asylum and Migration, Van Bossuyt, and receives support from 18 other countries across the EU, and Norway: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia and Sweden.
- A group of lawyers has asked the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate 122 European officials for crimes against humanity committed in the Mediterranean, AP news reported on 16 October 2025. The case, led by lawyers Omer Shatz and Juan Branco, is built on six years of investigation, including interviews with over 70 EU senior officials, minutes of high-level European Council meetings, and other confidential documents. Lawyers say they have identified dozens of Europeans, ranging from senior heads of state to lower-ranking officials as ‘co-perpetrators’ alongside Libyan suspects in the deaths of 25,000 asylum seekers and in abuses against around 150,000 survivors who were “abducted and forcibly sent to Libya, where they faced detention, torture, rape, and enslavement”.
- Ahead of the launch of the EU Pact for the Mediterranean on 16 October 2025, euobserver reported that the EU is under pressure to deliver ‘new impetus’ for its Mediterranean partners. The pact will focus on areas of migration control, as well as EU financial support for renewable energy and local business. It is expected to receive political endorsement from the EU and southern Mediterranean partners in November 2025, coinciding with the 30th anniversary of the Barcelona process.
- The EU appears likely to miss its own legal deadline for announcing which EU countries will receive support for migration challenges, politico reported on 14 October 2025. Migration Commissioner Magnus Brunner stated: “I’m sure we will be able to find an agreement. And I don’t think it matters whether it’s a couple of days earlier or later; it’s important that it works”, acknowledging the deadline enshrined in the law but emphasising this is the first time the exercise is put into place.
- In a new report published on 14 October 2025, SeaWatch reveals the alarming extent of attacks by Libyan militias, including the Libyan coastguard, at sea. The organisation documented 60 violent attacks since 2016, targeting both migrants, civil society and EU actors. According to the organisation, 54 of these attacks were carried out by the Libyan coastguard. The report comes timely, as EU officials from Frontex and the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Home Affairs are set to meet with a Libyan delegation in Warsaw and Brussels from 14-16 October 2025, to enhance their cooperation over border control.
- As reported by politico on 14 October 2025, the meeting of EU home affairs ministers in Luxembourg is set to discuss new deportation rules, a key priority for the Danish EU council presidency. The proposals include ‘return hubs’ and potential deportation centers outside the EU, echoing Italy’s deal with Albania. Despite falling irregular arrivals, only 20% of return orders are carried out, which the Danish government has called ‘unacceptable’.
- According to a report by euobserver from 13 October 2025, EU member states are facing difficult negotiations over the requirement to mutually recognise each other’s deportation decisions for people required to leave the EU. On Tuesday, 14 October, EU Ministers of the Interior me
etingin Luxembourg to debate whether recognition and enforcement of deportation orders issued by another member state should be mandatory. States like the Netherlands, France and Germany have cited concerns over increased administrative burdens and inconsistent legal standards between countries. According to documents seen by politico on 13 October 2025, the meeting in Luxembourg will lay the groundwork for later talks of the 27 leaders of the EU to discuss the transfer of rejected migrants to ‘return hubs’ outside the EU. - The new EU Digital Border Entry and Exit System (EES) has come into force across member states, reports euronews on 12 October 2025. Under the new system, third-country nationals are required to register their fingerprints and have their photographs taken before they enter the EU. While the system officially started on Sunday, it may take up to six months to complete its rollout across all member states. The European Commission has stated that the system aims to detect visa overstayers and curb illegal migration and identity fraud.
- In a press statement released on 9 October 2025, the Council of Europe stated it affirmed its commitment to refugee protection at the latest UNHCR executive committee session which took place from 6-10 October in Geneva. At the meeting, Anna Barbarzak, Deputy Permanent Observer of the Council of Europe to the UN Office and other international organisations in Geneva, highlighted that nearly 12 million refugees have received protection across the Council’s 46 member states and emphasized close cooperation with UNHCR to support countries in Europe, focusing on vulnerable groups such as children, older persons, and people with disabilities.
