11 February 2025
Brief summaries of the 30+ documents published with this edition of the bulletin.
Support our work: become a Friend of Statewatch from as little as £1/€1 per month.
All the documents summarised here, and those published with previous editions of the bulletin, are contained in our document archive.
Contents
Frontex’s own risk analysis for the 2024-25 period (WK 9683/2024) notes that the increase in border walls and fences "may divert pressure to border-crossing points" or sea routes, highlighting once again how more controls can lead to more dangerous journeys.
The EU’s foreign policy (Common Security and Defence Policy, CSDP) missions could switch from “civilian crisis management” to focus more explicitly on “migration control policies,” the Hungarian Council presidency suggested last October in a discussion paper (14103/24).
Border management is one of the topics covered by the MOCADEM action file on the Eastern Mediterranean, which also notes the importance of “prevention of departure.”
The Gambia is due to receive €46 million from the EU for “improved security, migration and border management,” according to a MOCADEM action file.
The “instrumentalisation of migration” continues to be a key topic, with discussions in EMWP, IMEX, and the Working Party on Frontiers.
A Polish presidency document (5234/25) discussed in EMWP covers the “eastern land route” to the EU, via Russia or Belarus.
It suggests deploying liaison officers in Türkiye and the UAE, to prevent travel to Russia and Belarus. A specific action plan on the eastern land route may be in the works.
In the Working Party on Frontiers, the Polish Presidency has asked (5012/25) member states’ views on “innovative solutions… to increase the effectiveness of their protection and security, in the context of the inflow of illegal migration, in particular in cases of instrumentalisation of migration.”
The use of commercial transport for “instrumentalisation” purposes was under examination by IMEX in October last year, on the basis of a Hungarian presidency paper (14204/24).
Specific projects are listed in a number of the MOCADEM action files published with this bulletin, including the amounts they receive from the EU budget.
With regard to deportation, the key issue under discussion in the Council has been the forthcoming Commission proposal to revise the EU’s Return Directive.
A document (15071/24) circulated for discussion in SCIFA in November notes: “we need to assess how the concept of “return hubs” can be made to fit within the EU legal framework.”
It is likely that many of the forthcoming “innovative solutions” for reducing irregular migration will raise similar issues. That is, whether they comply with the law or not will not be immediately obvious. To put it another way, they may be illegal.
The topic of “return hubs” came up again in an IMEX meeting in December. A Hungarian presidency paper (16084/24) indicates a desire amongst member states to reform Frontex’s legal mandate. This would allow it to support deportations from “return hubs” located in non-EU states to other non-EU states.
That same topic was raised in a Hungarian presidency document (14871/24) from November last year on the Western Balkans region.
The document, produced for EMWP, says that Western Balkans countries consider it a "priority" to allow Frontex to carry out deportations from those states - for example, from Serbia to Pakistan. A desire for Western Balkans states to carry out more forced removals is evident.
A subsequent meeting of the IMEX working party focused on a discussion paper from the Polish Council presidency (5244/25).
Amongst other things, the paper proposes introducing entry bans with no time limits for people deemed a threat to public security – a form of indefinite punishment.
Ensuring “more effective” national deportation systems is a topic covered in a Polish presidency discussion paper (5243/25) circulated to the IMEX working party, in response to evaluations by the European Commission.
Another priority of the Polish presidency, this time for MOCADEM, is to focus on readmission, amongst other matters.
Using visa policy to enforce EU deportations on non-EU states is raised in recent Council conclusions, a draft version of which is available in the Visa Working Party document archive.
Readmission is also a topic covered by the “action file” following up on the EU action plan for the Eastern Mediterranean, dealt with by MOCADEM.
The EU is seeking to smooth the digital procedures in place with Pakistan to facilitate deportation, according to a MOCADEM implementation report (WK 9925/2024 INIT).
Readmission is clearly a policy priority in relation to The Gambia. It is a topic covered in two separate parts of a MOCADEM action file on the country.
In January, the latest list of the EU’s meetings, agreements and arrangements with non-EU states and regional “processes” (5235/25) was circulated.
The extent of cooperation with Tunisia is shown in a MOCADEM action file, though large parts of the document are censored. The majority of the uncensored parts of the text concern matters from 2023 or early 2024.
The document notes that an "anti-smuggling contract" was supposed to be signed in the last quarter of 2024, to reinforce the repressive capabilities of Tunisian authorities.
A MOCADEM action file on the Western Balkans (dated May 2024) notes that multi-year asylum “roadmaps” for all Western Balkans states were due for adoption in 2024, as part of the region’s supposed alignment with EU law.
Other MOCADEM action files and implementation reports published with this bulletin cover:
The situation in the Channel was examined in a Polish presidency document for EMWP (5380/25) circulated in January.
The Presidency asks whether surveillance of the Channel region should be increased, what "measures or instruments" could be used to "reduce the migratory pressure" and how the EU can better-engage with "countries of origin/transit.”
Engagement with the UK government is not directly mentioned at all in the document.
The “Silk Routes” region was under discussion in EMWP in October last year.
The Silk Routes countries discussed in a Hungarian presidency paper (14100/24) are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Iraq and Pakistan.
Amongst other things, it is suggested that “Talent Partnerships” with Bangladesh and Pakistan could help reduce irregular migration to the EU from those two states.
The Silk Routes region is also dealt with by the multilateral Budapest Process. The EMWP discussed a draft declaration and call to action for the 2025-30 period (14102/24) in October. The declaration and call have now been finalised and published.
The broader role of “regional processes” was raised in a Hungarian presidency discussion paper (14872/24) from November last year.
One question that paper raised for other delegations in the EMWP was: "How can these regional processes and dialogues play an enabling role in the development of possible further comprehensive partnerships with third countries?"
Multiple documents discussed by the Visa Working Party indicate a shift towards a more “strategic” use of visa policy, in particular to enforce deportations. There have also been discussions on ways to combat “visa abuse”, a Commission report on the EU’s visa suspension mechanism, and more.
Spotted an error? If you've spotted a problem with this page, just click once to let us know.