EU interior ministers will gather in Munich this weekend to explore a ‘Migration Pact 2.0’, only four months after the first Pact on Migration and Asylum entered into force. A non-paper circulated by Germany and eleven other member states proposes a simplification package for 2027 that would toughen return procedures, create offshore “return hubs”, and give Frontex a stronger operational role. According to diplomatic sources, Belgium is broadly supportive of a lighter administrative burden but wants cast-iron guarantees that legal labour mobility and intra-corporate transfers will not be caught in the dragnet. Belgian State Secretary for Asylum & Migration Nicole de Moor told reporters in Brussels that “our economy depends on predictable channels for highly-skilled workers; any new pact must protect that.” Belgian companies such as Solvay and AB InBev employ more than 30,000 third-country nationals, many on Single Permits. Business federations VBO-FEB warn that additional screening layers at EU level could lengthen permit processing times, hurting Belgium’s competitiveness as a headquarters location. Civil-society groups are also watching closely. Vluchtelingenwerk Vlaanderen fears that external ‘return hubs’ could mirror the UK–Rwanda model and undermine the right to seek asylum on Belgian soil. The Flemish Red Cross has already signalled that it would refuse to operate facilities outside EU territory. Practically, companies should anticipate another round of legislative change and budget for compliance. HR teams are advised to audit their mobility pipelines now, map nationality profiles, and monitor forthcoming Commission drafts. For travelling employees, the current Schengen and Single-Permit regimes remain unchanged, but a more complex landscape could emerge by 2027. If the Munich meeting produces consensus, the European Commission could be tasked with submitting formal proposals by mid-2027, kicking off a new cycle of negotiations that Belgium will influence during its Council Presidency in the first half of 2027.
Source: Euractiv
