Commission Staff Working document Accompanying the document Proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on asylu and migration management and amending Council Directive (EC)2003/109 and the proposed Regulation (EU)XXX/XXX [Asylum and Migration Fund]

Abstract

This paper presents the evidence and experience that underpin the legislative initiatives proposed under the New Pact on Migration and Asylum. It is based on publicly available EU data and statistics as well as experience gathered by the Commission services and EU agencies. It points to the key challenges in relation to migration faced by the European Union and provides an overview of the legislative and non-legislative proposals that seek to address the gaps and inefficiencies identified.Overview of thecurrent situationSince the migration crisis of 2015, the number of arrivals and composition of flows have changed significantly, both between and along the different migratory routes. Additionally, there is significant variation of migratory pressure across countries and in terms of the tools applied to address it.The number ofirregular arrivals to the EU dropped by 92% between 2015 and 2019,with Afghan (24% of the total), Syrian (17%), unspecified sub-Saharan nationals (10%) and Turkish (6%) as the most prominent nationalities.In addition, the share of migrants from countries of origin whose nationals have a low chance of being granted international protection has increased. From a peak of 56% in 2016, the EU-wide first instance recognition rate fell to 30% at the end of 2019.