EU developments and updates

The Commission and High Representative of the Union have proposed a new legal framework to prevent and restrict the activities of transport operators that engage in or facilitate smuggling or trafficking of people into the European Union. As part of the European Union's united response to state-sponsored instrumentalisation of people at the EU's external border with Belarus, the proposal, dated 23 November 2021, aims to provide a new instrument to support Member States affected by hybrid attacks.

The European Commission has also proposed updated rules to reinforce the governance of the Schengen area. The updated rules promote the use of alternative measures to internal border controls and seeks to ensure that the latter remain a measure of last resort. It also addresses unauthorised movements within the Schengen area and aims to again support Member States in managing situations concerning the instrumentalisation of migration, for example, state actors artificially creating and facilitating irregular migration to destabilise another state.

In December 2021 the border management authorities of the EU and the League of Arab States gathered in Amman, Jordan, for the first Euro-Arab Border Security Conference. The aim of this conference was to discuss how to improve and strengthen dialogue and cooperation in response to global challenges. This conference follows the broader framework of dialogue to develop Euro-Arab security cooperation. The dialogue first started in 2015 and continued in Egypt in 2019. Prior to 2021, leaders of the EU and the League of Arab States had agreed to strengthen their strategic cooperation.

National developments

Estonia: In November, related from the situation at the Belarusian border and an increased risk of increased irregular border crossings on Estonian border, a temporary barrier of 40 kilometres was built on Estonian Eastern border (Estonian-Russian border). The temporary barrier was built in ten locations where the Police and Border Guard Board has considered the risk of irregular border crossing to be the highest.

Germany: The situation along the EU-external border with Belarus led to an unprecedented increase of irregular border crossings at the German-Polish Border, however, a downturn was observed in December 2021. Germany offered Poland its support and scaled up the Federal Police operations at the German-Polish Border.

Italy: 21 148 people, including 2 758 unaccompanied minors, were recorded to have arrived in Italy from 1 October to 31 December 2021. 

Latvia: The Law on the Construction of the External Land Border entered into force on 14 November 2021. The aim of the Law is to ensure the rapid and efficient construction of the infrastructure necessary for guarding the external land border by setting out a specific legal framework.
On 28 December 2021, , were approved, which improved the Schengen Information System, by extending the possibility of issuing additional categories of persons and objects in international search, entered into force.

Lithuania: On 20 October 2021 the Ministry of Foreign Affairs handed a diplomatic note to Belarus, expressing a strong protest against repeated Belarusian border guards’ violations of the Lithuanian state border.

On 9 November 2021 in response to the developing situation at the Belarus-Poland border, the Parliament declared a state of emergency for a month at the entire border section with Belarus, and within a zone five kilometres from the border, and also including the temporary accommodation centres for migrants, and within a 200 metres zone around these buildings. On 7 December 2021 the state of emergency was extended until 14 January 2022.

After concluding its Rapid Border Intervention operation in Lithuania on 1 December 2021, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex continues supporting the State Border Guard Service at the Belarus-Lithuania border under the Flexible Operational Activities 2021 operation

On 13 December 2021 the European Commission allocated EUR 15 million for Lithuania to modernise border surveillance equipment at the Belarus-Lithuania border.

Luxembourg: The law of 17 December 2021 extended the temporary restriction deadline on entry into Luxembourg of third-country nationals residing outside the European Union or the Schengen area from 31 December 2021 until 30 June 2022. The duration of the restrictions and further modalities are to be determined by Grand Ducal regulations. Currently, the restrictions will remain in place until 31 March 2022.

The list of third countries whose residents are not affected by temporary external border restrictions on non-essential travel to Luxembourg has been amended three times between October and December 2021. The up-to-date list is available here.

The list of third countries from which Luxembourg accepts vaccination certificates has been modified several times. The current list is available here.

The Netherlands: On 26 November 2021 a flight ban for flights from southern African countries was announced. The ban was intended to slow down the spread of the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus and took effect immediately. Exception categories for people travelling to the Netherlands included holders of Dutch passports and EU/Schengen residents in transit. The flight ban was lifted on 23 December 2021.

Poland: The state of emergency in certain parts of Podlaskie and Lubelskie provinces has already been cancelled. However as a result of migration pressure organised by Belarussian authorities the border with Belarus is still a source of concern and additional border control and supervision measures over border with Belarus are still in place.

Portugal: On the basis of several government resolutions which are renewed every month, restrictions on entry into the country are in place. These resolutions pertain to air and sea borders

Slovenia: The new national Integrated Border Management (IBM) strategy has been adopted and approved by the Government of Republic of Slovenia. It has been published in the official gazette.

Georgia: In the frames of MIA-Frontex cooperation, 21 Frontex officers were deployed to Tbilisi and Kutaisi International Airports, while Georgian patrol police officers placed in EU Member State’s (Latvia, Germany) International Airports;Based on the new amendments to the Entry/Exit Law, from October to December 2021, 822 citizens of Georgia intending to travel to EU/Schengen area were refused to depart from the country.