The European Commission presented a Progress Report on the Implementation of the European Agenda on Migration[1] to the European Parliament and the European Council on March 13, 2018. European Agenda on Migration was proposed by the Commission in 2015 to manage the ongoing migration crisis in short, medium and long-term. This report provides a pragmatic assessment of the initiative and highlights the key actions taken before reaching a comprehensive deal on migration by June 2018.
The report presents a comprehensive and factual situation regarding progress made in all dimensions. It specifically emphasizes on the migration trends, asylum, relocation and resettlement of migrants. According to the Commission’s report, the overall situation of illegal migration to European Union (EU) was stable but challenging in 2017. The arrival rate dropped by 28% compared to pre-crisis year 2014. Furthermore, the pressure on national migration systems has also decreased. In 2017, EU countries received 685,000 asylum applications, including 160,000 lodged by children. The number of these applications is 43% less than 2016 (See Figure 1). A lot of focus is on the situation along the migration routes.
