Glossary

Any measure taken by the enforcing EU Member State with a view to implementing an expulsion decision.

Art. 2(c) of Council Directive 2001/40/EC (Expulsion Directive)

A synonym of ethnicity or nationality, used in some EU Member States in addition to citizenship.

Any examination of, or decision or ruling concerning, an application for international protection by the competent authorities in accordance with Directive 2013/32/EU (Recast Asylum Procedures Directive) and Directive 2011/95/EU (Recast Qualification Directive) except for procedures for determining the EU Member State responsible in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 604/2013 (Dublin III Regulation).

Art. 2(d) of Regulation (EU) No 604/2013 (Dublin III Regulation)

Any decision which orders an expulsion taken by a competent administrative (or judicial) authority of an issuing EU Member State.

Art. 2(b) of Council Directive 2001/40/EC (Expulsion Directive)

An institutionalised forum for EU cooperation with its Eastern neighbours whose main goal is to create the necessary conditions to accelerate political association and further economic integration.

Specifically, any of the provisions of the Geneva Refugee Convention and Protocol, such as articles 1D, 1E and 1F, which mandatorily deny the benefits of refugee status to persons who already received UN or national protection, or to persons about whom there are good reasons to believe that they have committed a war crime, a crime against humanity, a serious non-political crime, or acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the UN (e.g. the persecution of others).

Movements in groups (isolated and sporadic) out of a country of origin in large numbers or of a section of the community at a given time.

A similar definition is also used in the UNHCR International Thesaurus of Refugee Terminology definition.

In FI, the preferred English translation is ‘removal from the country’.

The act of taking advantage of something or someone, in particular the act of taking unjust advantage of another for one’s own benefit (e.g. sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs).

Art. 2(3) of Directive 2011/36/EU (Trafficking Directive) states that exploitation includes, as a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, including begging, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude, or the exploitation of criminal activities, or the removal of organs.

An administrative or judicial decision or act prohibiting entry into and stay in the territory of the EU Member States for a specified period, accompanying a return decision .

A person subject to forced migration as a result of sudden, drastic environmental changes.

Environmentally displaced persons are sometimes referred to as environmental refugees, but this is a misuse of the term 'refugee' as they are not refugees in the strict sense of Art. 1A of the Geneva Refugee Convention and Protocol, although their migration is forced.

Worker holding an explicit or implicit employment contract, which gives them a basic remuneration that is not directly dependent upon the revenue of the unit for which they work.

Any natural person or any legal entity, including temporary work agencies, for or under the direction and / or supervision of whom the employment is undertaken.

The exercise of activities covering whatever form of labour or work regulated under national law or in accordance with established practice for or under the direction and / or supervision of an employer.

The Statistical Office of the European Union within the European Commission.

A regional human rights instrument giving effect to certain rights stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, offering individuals the possibility of applying to the courts for the enforcement of their rights.

More formally referred to as the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.

A common framework for the exchange of information and for the cooperation between EU Member States and Frontex to improve situational awareness and to increase reaction capability at the external EU borders for the purpose of detecting, preventing and combating irregular migration and cross-border crime, and contributing to ensuring the protection and saving the lives of migrants.

1. EUROSUR was set up under Council Regulation (EU) No 1052/2013 (EUROSUR Regulation).
2. For more information, see the webpage of European Commission on EUROSUR.

An European Union agency which provides independent, evidence-based advice on fundamental rights to the relevant institutions and authorities of the European Union and the EU Member States in order to support them when implementing Union law, taking measures or formulating courses of action within their respective spheres of competence to fully respect fundamental rights.

A European Union agency mandated to focus on three major responsibilities: to contribute to the coherent implementation and development of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS), to support and strengthen practical cooperation among EU Member States on asylum and to provide and/or coordinate the provision of operational support to EU Member States, subject to particular pressure on their asylum and reception systems.

A body established by Council Decision 2008/381/EC that serves to meet the information needs of Union institutions and of EU Member States’ authorities and institutions, by providing up-to-date, objective, reliable and comparable information on migration and asylum, with a view to supporting policy-making in the European Union in these areas.

A bilateral policy between the European Union and 16 partner countries (the EU’s closest neighbouring countries), further enriched and complemented by three regional and multilateral cooperation initiatives.

A Union of the EU Member States and 16 Southern Mediterranean countries built on cooperation agreements that aims to promote economic integration and democratic reform across the EU’s neighbours to the south in North Africa and the Middle East.

A framework for dialogue and consultation between EU Member States and African countries from North, West and Central Africa, as well as the European Commission and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), focusing on regional cooperation in the field of migration between countries of origin, transit and destination along current migration routes and within which concrete, practical initiatives are implemented.

The name given to an informatic system, the purpose of which, via the collection, transmission and comparison of fingerprints, is to assist in determining which EU Member State is to be responsible pursuant to Regulation (EU) No 604/2013 (Dublin III Regulation) for examining an application for international protection lodged in a EU Member State by a third-country national or a stateless person, and otherwise to facilitate the application of Regulation (EU) No 604/2013 under the conditions set out in the Regulation establishing Eurodac.

A European Union Network for asylum practitioners providing a forum for the exchange of country of origin information, best practices and a variety of policy-related matters among EU Member States, asylum adjudicators and the European Commission, which aims to improve and maximise convergence on approaches to, and assessment of, the protection needs of asylum seekers.

Rendering an area ethnically homogeneous by using force or intimidation to remove from a given area persons of another ethnic or religious group, which is contrary to international law.

A third-country national who has acquired the authorisation bearing the term ‘EU Blue Card’ entitling them to reside and work in the territory of a Member State under the terms of Council Directive 2009/50/EC (Blue Card Directive).

The authorisation bearing the term EU Blue Card entitling its holder to reside and work in the territory of a EU Member State under the terms of Council Directive 2009/50/EC (Blue Card Directive).

The parts of a Schengen Member State’s border, including land borders, river and lake borders, sea borders and their airports, river ports, sea ports and lake ports, that are not common borders with another Schengen Member State.

A forum for the identification of common challenges and areas for mutual cooperation, as well as building a stronger evidence base for EU-LAC (Latin America and the Caribbean) migration in order to better understand its realities, based on the principle of shared responsibility, strengthening the commitment and willingness of both sides to discuss migration issues.

1. In June 2009, the European Union and the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) formally launched the Structured and Comprehensive bi-regional Dialogue on Migration.
2. In the framework of the Dialogue, parties will exchange views in the following main areas: link between migration and development; regular migration and irregular migration; migration and the issue of human rights, including protection of migrants in accordance with international obligations; the fight against all forms of discrimination, racism and xenophobia; legislative and administrative measures applicable to migrants in an irregular situation; issues related to return on a dignified basis and voluntary return; measures to combat trafficking in human beings and smuggling of migrants, and the prevention of document fraud.
3. For more information, see the website of the EU-LAC Dialogue.

A website with hands-on information for foreign nationals interested in moving to the European Union acting as a first point of entry for providing up-to-date, practical information on EU and national immigration procedures and policies.

The term is used in the context of asylum and migration and refers to all rights and obligations that are binding on EU Member States with regard to asylum and migration.

National legislation might understand different time limits in their definitions.

A person who leaves their country of origin purely for economic reasons that are not in any way related to the refugee definition, in order to seek material improvements in their livelihood.

Migration mainly for economic reasons or in order to seek material improvements to livelihood.