What the Commission is doing
The Commission is developing a common migration and asylum policy to manage the refugee crisis. It will help Europe both to take advantage of the opportunities and to tackle the challenges of increased cross-border mobility. This involves:
- Protecting those in need of shelter
- Curbing irregular migration
- Saving lives at sea and securing the EU’s external borders
- Guaranteeing free movement of people within the Schengen area
- Better organisation of legal migration
- Better integration of non-EU nationals into EU societies
Objectives
- Ensure all EU countries fully implement the Common European Asylum System (CEAS)
- Reduce the incentives for irregular migration, fight smuggling and increase the effectiveness of return policies
- Protect our external borders better, thanks to increased funding and a more prominent role for the European border agency Frontex
- Safeguard the functioning of the internal border‑free Schengen zone
- Promote legal migration of persons with skills needed in Europe
- Cooperate more closely with non-EU countries to smooth repatriation of irregular migrants
See what other EU institutions are doing on Migration, asylum and borders
Key initiatives
Agency for management of cooperation at the EU's external borders.
Continuously supporting Member States effort through technology for a safer Europe.