- EuroMed Rights has submitted its feedback in response to the EU’s call for evidence on the 5-year European asylum and migration strategy. Read our submission here.
- A report by statewatch published on 3 October 2025 revealed that the Danish EU presidency is seeking to remove even more safeguards from the new deportation regulation. The latest version of the proposal eliminates administrative obstacles to deportation, weakens existing protections, human rights safeguards and legal avenues for appeal, undermines protections for children and families and shifts procedural responsibilities and obligations from member states to deportees themselves. The presidency’s proposed reforms of the concepts of ‘safe country of origin’ and ‘safe third country’ have the same objective, seeking to eliminate regulatory barriers to enable ‘swifter’ deportations by undermining existing safeguards.
- On 2 October 2025, EU leaders published a joint statement on migration following the European Political Community Summit in Copenhagen, Denmark. The statement emphasized the need for a ‘whole-of-route approach’ and ‘innovative solutions’ to address the ‘ever-evolving challenges of illegal migration’. Furthermore, EU leaders committed to strengthen border security and tackle smuggling, ensure robustness of legislative frameworks and asylum systems, enforce effective returns, manage migration at the source, and develop new frameworks and partnerships.
- As reported by euobserver on 30 September 2025, a leaked European Commission document classifies the risk of EU funds supporting individuals on EU sanctions lists and human rights abusers as ‘high’. The document reveals the EU’s plan to expend around 142 million euros until 2027 to strengthen “migration governance systems” in Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia and Palestine. Among those sanctioned by the EU, many are Libyan nationals involved in migration abuses and human trafficking.
- On Tuesday, 30 September 2025, Portugal passed a new bill tightening immigration rules. The right-wing government received the support of far-right Chega party to get parliamentary approval, after the Constitutional Court had blocked an earlier version of the law in July. The new law requires immigrants to have lived legally in the country for two years before they can apply to bring their spouses. Furthermore, Job-search visas will be limited to highly skilled professionals. Another provision removes an existing pathway that had allowed Brazilians — the country’s largest immigrant community, numbering over 450,000 — to regularise their status after entering on tourist visas.
- Germany’s Interior Minister, Alexander Dobrindt, announced on 28 September 2025 that the German government is planning to launch negotiations with the Taliban for deportations of Afghan nationals convicted of crimes or considered security threats. As reported by DW, Officials of the Ministry of the Interior will visit Kabul in October to negotiate the deal.
- As reported by the Irish Times on 27 September 2025, the Irish government will now offer €2,500 to individual asylum seekers or €10,000 for a family if they drop their asylum request and return to their home country. This development is part of Ireland’s increasingly restrictive immigration policies and seeks to incentivize people who have not yet established a protection claim to voluntarily leave, which would cut costs for the government.
- The European Union announced on 25 September 2025 that a provisional agreement has been reached between the presidency of the Council and the European Parliament which will enhance the role of Europol in combatting migrant smuggling and human trafficking. The new rules will amend the mandate of Europol, reinforce information sharing obligations between national authorities and Europol, and establish a new European Centre Against Migrant Smuggling as a permanent new Europol structure.
- On Thursday, 25 September 2025, Trump officials urged other nations to overhaul the global migration system at a UN side event. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau proposed a framework under which migrants should seek asylum in the first country they enter, eliminating their right to freely choose. Furthermore, he stated asylum should be temporary, and the decision on whether conditions had sufficiently improved for return should lay with the host country. The side event was attended by high level officials from Bangladesh, Kosovo, Liberia and Panama. While those in attendance did not explicitly express support for the U.S. plan, they showed openness to revisions of global asylum rules.
- On 25 September 2025, the Migration Policy Group launched its 2025 Migrant Integration Policy Index (MIPEX) EU update. MPG’s head of research and co-author of the report, Başak Yavçan, explained that “Across the EU, migrants often enjoy basic rights and some long-term security – but not equal opportunities”. The report shows overall stagnation in migration integration across the EU and continuous gaps between older and newer Member States, with Sweden, Finland and Portugal at the top.
- The European Court of Human Rights has sided with the Austrian government in allowing the deportation of a 19-year old Syrian national. On Wednesday, 24 September 2025, the Court justified the lifting of an injunction by stating that the young man would not be exposed to “real and imminent risk of irreparable harm” if sent back to Syria, following the collapse of the Assad regime.
- According to a report by politico on 24 September 2025, the implementation of the new EU Deportation bill will take more time than expected. While the Danish presidency is pushing for a swift implementation, the first draft will most likely not be presented to the Parliament until late November. MEPs said that they expect groups to require weeks or months before reaching a compromise that would enable negotiations with the Council.
- As reported by politico on 24 September 2025, the European Parliament has reprimanded the EU Asylum Agency for reports of mismanagement. The EU’s OLAF anti-fraud office described a policy of ‘favoritism’ at the agency whereby promotions were given without following staff regulations. As a result of the investigation, Parliament has frozen the agency’s budget approval and opened an investigation.
- The head of the European Agency of Asylum, Nina Gregori, has stated that EU member states are facing difficulties in implementing the new EU asylum regulations. On 22 September 2024, she cited the new shortened screening time for asylum requests, whereby member states now need to screen asylum seekers in only 7 days as one of the key challenges.
- On 22 September 2025, the Luxembourg government stated there were currently 3,671 people living with temporary protection status in Luxembourg, of whom 3,543 are Ukrainian nationals, in response to a parliamentary question posed by the Christian Social People’s Party. Furthermore, it reported that 958 Ukrainian children are registered in Luxembourg schools.
