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The International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) has released its annual forecast of the 10 migration issues that can shape international migration in 2025. For the first time in years, irregular migration and asylum figures in Europe have decoupled from global trends on displacement. Much suggests that this trend is the result of more restrictive migration policies globally, but it is still too early to speak of a sustainable development. The downward trend, however, will reinforce political debates in Europe that primarily focus on control, externalisation and return. 

After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, most displaced persons seeking protection in Europe initially expected to stay only temporarily. As the war persisted however, many reconsidered their plans and adapted to prolonged displacement.

Marking World Refugee Day and ten years since the so-called 2015 refugee crisis, ICMPD Director General Michael Spindelegger reflected on Europe’s migration journey — a decade marked by real progress towards refugee integration, yet strained by the continued inflow and growing political tensions.

ICMPD is advancing the operational practices and legal safeguards for migrants and asylum seekers crossing Moldova’s borders. Working with the country’s Border Police and the Ombudsman Office, ICMPD hosted a workshop and consultations focused on human rights at the border, including entry and exit, data protection, and asylum safeguards.

ICMPD has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Bangladesh to strengthen its strategic engagement and cooperation in the areas of border management, promoting regular migration, preventing irregular migration, and combatting human trafficking. The partnership includes bilateral and multilateral dialogues, as well as support to human and institutional capacity development of relevant border and migration agencies in Bangladesh.

In 2025, EU Member States recorded a 26% decrease in irregular arrivals and a 21% decrease in asylum applications. It is the first marked decline in these figures in many years, and the International Centre for Migration Policy Development’s (ICMPD) Migration Outlook report, released today, says that this should provide momentum to the EU’s Asylum and Migration Pact implementation.

Director General Susanne Raab met with Swedish Minister for Migration HE Johan Forssell in Stockholm in January, capping Sweden’s successful 2025 Chairmanship of ICMPD’s Steering Group. They discussed the ongoing cooperation along migration routes and with partner countries, return and reintegration, and the EU Pact for Migration and Asylum. As the Director General’s first visit to Sweden, the mission also sets the foundation for continued high-level dialogue and future collaboration aligned with ICMPD’s Strategy 2030.