Understanding Europe

Refugees from the Ivory Coast returning home

How does returning from Germany work?

There are many options for migrants in Germany who wish to voluntarily to their home countries or are thinking about it. The information portal on voluntary return and reintegration ReturningfromGermany describes the various program1

The map shows the Schengen area and the internal borders where controls at the border were restored. Credit: Centimetri

Schengen at risk, border controls in six countries

Six of the 26 countries that make up part of the Schengen area - Denmark, France, Germany, Austria, Norway and Sweden - have reintroduced border controls.

Many people in need of resettlement are in African countries along the central Mediterranean route, according to the UNHCR

EU resettlement update

As European countries struggle to agree on what to do about migrants crossing their borders, many are continuing to transfer people in need of international protection directly from danger zones to safety in the EU. By providing leg1

Migrants passing through the Sudan

What is the International Organization for Migration (IOM)?

The International Organization for Migration, or IOM, advises various governments as well as non-governmental partners on issues revolving around migrants, internally displaced persons and refugees. How does the organization functio1

A torn EU flag with the word Schengen in the middle

Europe's Schengen Area: What you need to know

Europe owes its open borders to the Schengen Agreement, which allows cooperation and free travel through 22 out of the 28 EU member states. How has the agreement contributed to a united Europe — and will it survive?