Feed aggregator

The globally acclaimed MGNREGA, enacted when the Congress party was in power, has been replaced by a law that puts in place a discretionary scheme.

The return of the BNP’s acting chairperson is expected to give the party a boost in the upcoming general elections.

Written by Anna Flynn.

On 18 December 2025, International Migrants Day was marked, honouring the contribution and value of migrants.

This commemoration follows a year of notable reforms.

For example, in November 2025, the Commission adopted the EU’s first annual Asylum and Migration Report. The report outlined that there has been a 35 % reduction in illegal border crossings between July 2024 and June 2025 – but challenges remain.

In parallel, the Council agreed on the proposed Annual Solidarity Pool for migration. The pool ensures that Member States that are under migratory pressure may be assisted by other Member States, for example, through financial aid and facilitating relocation. This will be evaluated based on population size and GDP. Parliament has no formal role in its implementation, but has nevertheless supported the scheme.

In the same month, Parliament voted in favour of a law establishing the European Centre Against Migrant Smuggling within the EU Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol). This will protect victims by increasing information sharing and providing a range of support to Member States.

Underpinning all of this is the new pact for migration and asylum – this became law at the end of 2024, and will apply in full from June 2026. The pact has 10 separate but interconnected legislative acts.

Some of the Commission’s proposals that complement the pact have been criticised.

In April 2025, the first, formal EU list outlining safe countries of origin was announced. This means that asylum applicants from countries that are deemed safe (according to this list) will generally not be considered eligible for international protection. It is mandatory for Member States to abide by this list, but they are also permitted to keep or create their own national lists.

Various human rights organisations, civil society, and other stakeholders condemn this. There are questions about the transparency of how these lists are compiled, as well as the repercussions for individuals who are migrating from a safe country of origin but do need protection. However, Parliament’s Civil Liberties Committee endorsed this list on 3 December 2025 as a way to better manage migration.

In March 2025, to further build upon the migration and asylum pact, the Commission proposed a common approach to returns for citizens illegally residing in a Member State. Part of this is the creation of return hubs – centres in safe non-EU countries that people may be sent to if they cannot legally reside in the EU. A mutual recognition of returns is also proposed, allowing Member States to recognise and apply return decisions made by another Member State.

The Council’s position on the regulation was finalised on 8 December 2025, so this will now be negotiated with Parliament.

Looking ahead, 2025 marked the start of decisions on how the pact will be financed over the coming years. In July, the Commission’s unveiled its proposal for the EU’s long-term budget for 2028-2034. This included information on how migration policies are to be financed during this period.

A proposed €12 billion (in 2025 prices) is to be allocated for migration policy. This is similar to the current budget for 2021-2027, where around €12.6 billion in 2025 prices has been dedicated to this.

One aspect that differs, however, is that this money will be allocated through national plans crafted by each Member State. Members of the European Parliament have highlighted their concern about how this will impact their capacity for oversight and scrutiny in this area.

Overall, the current and future budgets reflect the increasing importance of migration as a political issue.

Links to EPRS publications

• International Migrants Day: 18 December 2025
• Union support for asylum, migration and integration
• Stronger role for Europol to fight migrant smuggling and human trafficking
• European Parliament Plenary Session November I 2025
• The first annual Asylum and Migration Report and the Annual Solidarity Pool
• ‘Safe country of origin’ concept in EU asylum law
• Planned revision of the EU Return Directive
• Implementation of the EU pact on migration and asylum

From cheap toys that double as choke-hazards or contain hormone-disrupting plastics to AI-powered teddies that veer into sex chat, child safety risks are outpacing EU rules

La crise en Europe, la guerre en Ukraine et la concurrence de la main-d'œuvre à bas coût de pays comme le Bangladesh ont mis l'industrie textile de Macédoine du Nord à genoux. Depuis le début de l'année, une dizaine d'usines ont déjà fermé leurs portes dans l'est du pays et d'autres vont suivre.

- Articles / Radio Slobodna Evropa, Macédoine du Nord, Economie

America needs a defense against drones.

Beijing’s strategy to create stability through dependence.

Appreciation or criticism of a movie is no longer interpreted primarily as an aesthetic or ethical judgment. It has become a marker of allegiance or opposition to the state.

More than four years ago, the military ousted Myanmar's freely elected government at gunpoint. The upcoming polls will be a total sham.

EXCLUSIF - Choqués par des affaires retentissantes comme le cambriolage du Louvre et le meurtre du jeune Elias, nos compatriotes réclament un tour de vis.

"There are good ideas that can work toward a shared outcome and the lasting peace," he said on social media

Le 25 décembre, la France a connu une ambiance polaire marquée par des températures exceptionnellement basses. Dans de nombreuses régions, le froid intense s’est accompagné de gel généralisé et de paysages blanchis par la neige.

The new U.S.-Malaysia trade agreement’s forced labor import ban requirement may pose new risks for Taiwanese electronics firms. But it’s also an opportunity to make progress.

Au lendemain du réveillon de Noël, près de 900 000 annonces de revente ont été publiées en France, dépassant allégrement les scores de l'an dernier (340 000), selon les chiffres communiqués par les sites eBay et Rakuten.

EXCLUSIF - Dans l’esprit des Français, ce sujet occupe la deuxième place, à égalité avec le retour de Donald Trump, derrière l’instabilité politique qui a caractérisé toute l’année.

RÉCIT -  Entre instabilité gouvernementale et crises à répétition, les douze derniers mois ont été jalonnés de rebondissements, reflets des effets délétères de la dissolution de 2024.

Alors que les températures étaient particulièrement douces depuis début décembre, Noël 2025 s'annonce comme le plus froid en France depuis 2010, une fraîcheur qui n'aura toutefois rien d'exceptionnel pour la saison, a annoncé lundi Météo-France. "Avec une température moyenne nationale prévue de 3°C, ce 25 décembre 2025 devrait être le Noël le plus froid depuis 2010 où la moyenne nationale était nettement plus basse et voisine de 0°C", indique le prévisionniste national sur son site internet.

Découvrez la féerie du Mont-Saint-Michel. 

Vincent Geisser, chargé de recherche au CNRS et directeur de l'IREMAM, est notre invité.

Le Soleil Invaincu avait un festival qui faisait partie du calendrier romain très chargé des fêtes de fin d'année, qui comprenait les Brumales et les Saturnales.