News

EU and Armenia held their first ever Summit in Yerevan, reinforcing cooperation in the areas of connectivity, security and defence, economic development and people-to-people contacts. The summit addressed broader regional and global challenges, including the peace agenda.

On 29 April, Commissioner Brunner was in Serbia to further strengthen cooperation on migration, border management and internal security. Serbia plays an important role in managing irregular migration along the Western Balkan route and closely cooperates with EU agencies, including Frontex.

Challenges are growing from threats such as terrorism, malicious use of drones and sudden outbreaks of violence. Police and security teams need smarter tools to spot danger fast and act immediately. The EU funded project POP-ART introduces high-tech solutions on how to spot and manage these threats.

Europol published the new edition of the Internet Organised Crime Threat Assessment (IOCTA) 2026, providing an analysis of the latest trends and developments in cybercrime affecting the EU. The report highlights how cyber threats are growing faster and becoming more advanced and sophisticated.

The Schengen Information System is the largest information-sharing system for security and border management in Europe. Its key successes include the arrests of dangerous cross-border criminals, the apprehension of terrorists detected in the EU, and reuniting missing children with their families.

A recent Eurostat publication revealed a 27% decrease in first-time asylum applications in the EU between 2024 and 2025. Five EU countries accounted for 83% of all first-time asylum applicants while first-time applications lodged by unaccompanied minors decreased by 38.9% in 2025.

Europe is changing its border management with the two new systems: the Entry/Exit System (EES) and the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS). Both systems modernise and digitalise EU border checks, but they affect travellers coming from outside the EU in different ways. 

The event gathered experts on migration and employment from the Labour Migration Platform and innovation experts from the European Innovation Council Forum as well as other stakeholders working in the field of migration, employment, research and education.

10 April 2026 marks a significant milestone in European border security as the Entry/Exit System (EES) becomes fully operational across all Schengen countries. Passport stamps are being replaced with digital records of entries and exits of non-EU nationals coming for short stays.