EMN Belgium Policy Event
Practical details
About the Policy Event
The EMN Belgium Policy Event is an annual one-day gathering that brings together 100 Belgian experts in the fields of asylum and migration. Participants include representatives from ministerial offices, federal and regional administrations, civil society organisations, international institutions, and the academic research community.
This flagship event serves as a unique platform for stakeholders to reflect on the key developments that have shaped asylum and migration policies and practices over the past year, and to look ahead to emerging challenges and opportunities that. It also encourages exchanges and networking, fostering dialogue and collaboration across sectors.
The discussions at the event help enrich the content and strengthen the quality of EMN Belgium’s annual report, the so-called "Asylum and Migration Overview". By drawing on the expertise and insights of its diverse network, EMN Belgium contributes to the dissemination of objective and reliable information and to a deeper understanding of this constantly evolving policy field.
Designed to be both interactive and engaging, the event combines plenary sessions on overarching policy themes with smaller break-out sessions that allow for in-depth discussions on specific projects or pressing migration-related topics. This dynamic format helps bridge different areas of expertise and encourages cross-sector exchange.
Videos
Please find here a presentation video of the European Migration Network (EMN).
Programme
Tuesday, 26 May, 2026
09:00
09:30
Registration and breakfast
09:30
09:45
Welcoming remarks
Stijn De Decker (NL)
Alexandra Lainé (FR)
09:45
10:30
Keynote speech
Thomas Huddleston (FR)
Questions & Answers (FR, NL, EN)
10:30
11:00
Coffee break
11:00
12:30
The challenges facing the Belgian asylum and migration system: are cooperation and an integrated approach the answer?
Introduction (NL)
Panel discussion (FR, NL)
Questions & Answers (FR, NL, EN)
12:30
13:30
Lunch
13:45
14:45
Break-out sessions (1)
Entry Exit System (EES): more efficient, simpler, faster? A state of play after the latest stamp (NL)
Syria: protection and return in a post-conflict context (NL)
The (early) integration of applicants for international protection in Wallonia (FR)
15:00
16:00
Break-out sessions (2)
The Concentric Model for Labour Migration in Policy and Practice (FR, NL)
Minor victims of trafficking and/or aggravated smuggling in Belgium: better understanding for better action (FR)
Exclusion, refusal and withdrawal of international protection for perpetrators of serious crimes: Article 1F, public order and national security (FR, NL)
16:00
17:00
Networking drink
Background documents
Photos
Photo credit: All images below are the property of the Immigration Office.
EMN & partners
The European Migration Network or EMN is an EU network of migration and asylum experts who work together to provide objective, comparable, and policy-relevant information and knowledge on emerging issues relating to asylum and migration in Europe.
The EMN consists of National Contact Points (NCPs) in the EMN Member (EU Member States except Denmark) and Observer Countries (NO, GE, MD, UA, ME, AM, RS, MK, AL) and the European Commission, and is supported by the EMN Service Provider (ICF). The EMN is funded by the European Union.
This conference is organised by EMN Belgium which includes staff members from the Federal Public Service Interior, the Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS), the Federal Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (Fedasil), the Immigration Office, and the Federal Migration Centre (Myria).
