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Migration and asylum

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