In 2017, the Commission Communication on the protection of children in migration endorsed actions to foster the protection of all migrant children at EU and national level. This EMN report outlines the progress made to implement these actions during 2020 and provides examples from 24 Member States and Norway across the key areas set out in the 2017 Communication, including identification, registration, reception, asylum procedures, alternative care, access to education, guardianship and access to justice. Additional material provided by non-governmental organisations helps to illustrate good practice examples and identify on-going gaps in provision for protecting children in migration.
Although the number of migrant children registered in the EU has decreased in recent years, the number, including unaccompanied minors, remained high in 2020. According to Eurostat, Member States and Norway received some 13.550 asylum applications from unaccompanied minors.
As a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Member States introduced temporary measures to minimise the health consequences for migrant children. For example, staff guidelines have been introduced as part of the identification and registration of (unaccompanied) minors, as well as measures to maintain access to justice/ procedural safeguards and to education for all pupils (including those with a migrant background).