About EMN

Εuropean Migration Network

The European Migration Network was established in 2003, initially as preparatory action of the European Commission, having as its main goal to provide the European Commission as well as the member states, with objective reliable and updated data on immigration and asylum issues
With the decision 2008/381/EC, the European Migration Network gets a legal basis in EU level. In this framework Greece participates in the Network actively. The grounds for the establishment of the European Migration Network is to cover the information needs of the Community institutional bodies and the  institutional bodies and authorities of the member states as well, in the area of  migration and asylum, in order to support European Union to map policy in these sectors.

Objectives and Tasks of the EMN

The target of European Migration Network (EMN) lies in the coverage of the information needs of Community institutional bodies, as well as the authorities and bodies of member states, with regard to migration and asylum issues, by providing up to date, objective, relaible and comparable information on immigration and asylum issues, in order to support European Union to map its policy in the are of immigration and asylum.

The tasks of the Network are the following:

  • to collect and exchange up to date and reliable data and information from a wide range of sources,
  • to undertake analysis of the data and information mentioned above and to provide them in a readily accessible format,
  • to contribute, in collaboration with other relative EU bodies, in the development of indicators and criteria that will improve the consistency of information and to help in the development of Community activities related to migratory statistics,
  • to produce and publish periodic reports on migration and asylum situation in the Community and the member states,
  • to create and maintain an Internet-based information exchange system, which provides access to relevant publications and documents in the sector of migration and asylum,
  • to raise awareness of the EMN, by providing access in the information that it collects and to disseminate the results of its work, unless these information is of confidential nature,
  • to coordinate the information and to cooperate with other relevant European and international bodies.

Composition and Function

The European Migration Network is composed by the European Commission and the National Contact Points of each Member State.
It is guided by a Steering Board, which is composed by one representative of each Member State and one representative by the Commission. The Commission is assisted by two scientific experts, who do not act as formal members, while a representative of the European Parliament may participate as an Observer.

The National Contact Points shall carry out the tasks of the EMN, at a national level. In particular:

  1. to provide national reports, including the reports referred to in Article 9 of Council Decision 2008/381/EC
  2. to contribute with national information to the information exchange system referred to in Article 8 of Council Decision 2008/381/EC
  3. to develop a capacity to issue ad-hoc requests and to respond quickly to such requests from other National Contact Points
  4. to establish a national migration network, composed of a wide-range of organizations and individuals, active in the area of migration and asylum and representing relevant stakeholders. Members of the national migration network may be requested to contribute to the activities of the EMN, in particular with regard to Articles 8 and 9 of Council Decision 2008/381/EC.

Steering Board

The competences of the Steering Board are to:

  1. contribute to the preparation of and approve the EMN´s annual program of activities, including an indicative amount of the minimum and maximum budget for each National Contact Point, which ensures that the basic costs arising from the proper functioning of the Network
  2. review progress made by the EMN, making recommendations for necessary actions when required;
  3. provide a succinct status report to the European Parliament, the Council, the Commission, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions concerning the on-going activities of the EMN and the key findings of its studies, at least once a year;
  4. identify the most appropriate strategic cooperative relationships with other entities competent in the area of migration and asylum and approve, when necessary, the administrative arrangements for such cooperation,
  5. advise the National Contact Points on how to improve their operations, and help them to take the necessary actions, when identified persistent shortcomings in the work of a National Contact Point may have negative consequences on the work of the EMN.

National Contact Points of EMN

The National Contact Points of European Migrtation Network, carries out the main task of the Network and in particular:

  1. submits their national reports, as well as the reports provided in art. 9 of the  Dec 2008/381/EC
  2. contributes to the information exchange system by providing national information
  3. participates to the procedure of AHQs, by launching them and by responding to those that are launched by other NCPs.
  4. establishes an internal network, which is consisted of governmental institutions related to imigration and aylum issues. The members of the internal network may contribute to the European Migrtation Netwok according to art 8,9 of Decision 2008/381/EC.

Actions

The activities of EMN are developed according to the annual work program, which is approved by the Steering Board, according to the provisions of the Decision 2008/381/[EK].
Basic actions of the programs constitute the following:

  • Networking
    • direct collaboration with other EMN National Contact Points for the exchange of best practices and experiences on  migration and asylum issues,
    • in national level, with the development of an internal national migration network,  composed of institutions and organisms that are activated in the field of migration and asylum,
    • in a European level, by developing collaboration with other EU organizations  that have as a relative object the migration and  asylum.
  • Reports and Studies
    • The National Contact Points submits each year reports that describe the political developments in the immigration and the asylum area in each member state, as well as reports with statistical data.
    • Also in the framework of the program various studies, in these sectors are conducted, that are essential for the support of policy making.
  • Collection and Information Provision
    • Collection of data, sources of information, legislation and case law documents on subjects of migration and asylum.
  • EMN Glossary and Thesaurus
  • Visibility of EMN
    • Undertaking of actions aiming at the best possible dissemination of the EMN and its objectives in each member state, by circulating printed and electronic information material, as well as organizing conferences for the dissemination of the results of the Network.
  • Co-ordination of National Contact Points.

GR EMN NCP

Since 2008, the Ministry of Interior and Administative Reform acts as the GR EMN NCP. Its main goal is the implementation of the tasks of European Migration Network. The GR EMN NCP is consisted of three experts (rapporteurs of the Migration Policy Unit/ Directorate of Migration Policy/ General Secretariat of Population and Social Coheison)

The tasks of the GR EMN NCP are in particular:

  1. the submission of national reports, either the reports are “focused studies” or the “Annual Policy Report”,
  2. the contribution to the information exchange system by providing information material (art 8, Decision 2008/381/EC),
  3. the participation  to the procedure of AHQs, by launching ad hoc queries and by responding to those that are launched by other NCPs,
  4. the establishment of an internal network, which composes of governmental institutions related to immigration and aylum issues. The members of the internal network may contribute to the European Migration Netwok, according to art 8 and 9 of Decision 2008/381/EC.

This website, was  included as an activity of the the GR EMN in the Work Programme of the years 2015-2016 (co-funded by Europan Commission).

The aim of the website is the dissemination of the activity of the European Migration Network, the communication of the members of the internal Network, which was reconstituted within 2015 and the better use of the outputs of the EMN regarding the planning of migration and asylum policy.

National Contact Point ΕΜΝ
Ministry of Interior &
Administrtative Reform

Relative Files