Migration Policy Group Newsletter - November & December 2025

Dear ,

Welcome to the November/December 2025 Edition of the MPG Newsletter!

This time of year often invites a pause, a moment to look back before moving forward. For MPG, that reflection feels especially meaningful in our 30th anniversary year. Over the past months, we have heard from institutions, foundations, advocates, researchers, civil society organisations, and community leaders who walked this path with us. Their stories carried a shared truth: progress happens when people stay the course, even when the political winds shift. In December, our Director, Isabelle Chopin, delivered a final message to close this anniversary year, reflecting on what lies ahead for MPG and for all those working toward a more inclusive Europe.

This period also brought important developments across our work. The European Equality Law Review 2025 offers a clear picture of where Europe stands on gender equality and non-discrimination at a time of rapid legal and political change.

At the Annual Legal Seminar of the European Network of Legal Experts in Gender Equality and Non-discrimination, nearly 200 experts met in Brussels to review the year’s key developments in EU and national equality law, discuss the enforcement gaps that continue to limit access to justice, or proper implementation of EU legislation and explore how to protect equality frameworks amid growing political backlash across Europe.

Meanwhile, the MIPEX 2025 launch in Portugal built on this year’s broader release, bringing partners, policymakers, and researchers together to reflect on the country’s long-term strengths as well as recent setbacks linked to legislative reforms. The discussion underscored MIPEX’s role in prompting honest debate and guiding more inclusive integration policies.

MPG has joined a broad coalition of civil society organisations in a joint statement expressing concern that negotiations on the proposed Return Regulation risk weakening fundamental rights safeguards. By supporting this call, we reaffirm our commitment to rights-based, evidence-informed migration policies.

Thank you for accompanying us throughout this anniversary year. As we look to 2026, we remain committed to advancing inclusion, equality, and evidence-based policy across Europe.

With our very best wishes for a happy holiday season and a peaceful New Year.

MPG’s 30th anniversary

As 2025 draws to a close, and with MPG’s 30th anniversary campaign reaching its conclusion, we have shared reflections from those who shaped Europe’s conversations on inclusion, participation, and lived experience. Their contributions, through community action, policymaking, and research, remind us that lasting change comes from listening, showing up, and staying committed. This journey has been about more than looking back; it has been about carrying forward the lessons of practice and resilience.

In November and December, we are proud to share insights from:

Tim Parritt, Programme Officer, International Human Rights Programme, Oak Foundation
Adnan Abdul Ghani, EU Project Manager at Save the Children Sweden
Dr Sarah Spencer, Emeritus - Fellow Centre on Migration, Policy and Society (COMPAS), University of Oxford
Paul Lappalainen, Swedish expert of the European Equality Law Network
Closing video from Isabelle Chopin, MPG Director
Overview and main points of all the contributions

European Equality Law Review 2025

The European Equality Law Review 2025 is now available, offering an expert overview of the latest developments in gender equality and non-discrimination across Europe. This edition features four in-depth articles on the evolution of the Gender Equality Law Network, women’s political participation, accessibility and disability discrimination, and access to evidence in racial discrimination cases. It also includes updates on EU and ECHR case law, plus key national legal and policy changes. A must-read for practitioners, policymakers and advocates.

MPG and European Non-discrimination and Equality Experts Gather in Brussels

The European network of legal experts in gender equality and non-discrimination held its 2025 internal meeting and Annual Legal Seminar in Brussels on 27–28 November. Nearly 200 experts, policymakers, and civil society representatives reviewed recent national and EU legal developments and key case law. MPG Director Isabelle Chopin opened the seminar, with contributions from Director Ana Carla Pereira (DG JUST) and Professor Catherine Barnard (University of Cambridge). The seminar also presented new thematic reports on intersectional discrimination, the EU Pay Transparency Directive, access to healthcare, enforcement of non-discrimination law, and CJEU case law on LGBTIQ rights. The event reaffirmed the Network’s crucial role in providing analysis, strengthening cooperation, and supporting effective implementation across Europe.

MIPEX 2025 Portugal Launch

On 24 November, MPG presented the latest MIPEX 2025 results at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon, in an event organised by IGOT–ULisboa. MPG’s Başak Yavçan outlined Portugal’s long-term strengths in anti-discrimination, education, and participation, while highlighting significant declines linked to recent reforms on labour mobility, family reunification, and access to nationality. The session sparked an in-depth debate among policymakers, researchers, and civil society on the future of inclusive integration policy in Portugal.

MPG Supports Joint Statement Urging Rights-Based EU Return Policies

MPG has joined a broad coalition of civil society organisations in signing a joint statement published on 3 December, ahead of the upcoming JHA Council. The statement raises serious concerns about the Council’s direction on the proposed Return Regulation, warning that current negotiations risk weakening fundamental rights safeguards, expanding detention, and undermining effective remedies. By endorsing this call, MPG reaffirms its commitment to evidence-based, rights-respecting migration policies and urges EU institutions to ensure full compliance with EU and international law.

INNOVATE Project: Latest Deep Dives

INNOVATE’s new Deep Dives offer in-depth, policy-focused research from Co-Lab partners. The first examines how Horizon-funded migration projects engage policymakers and identifies obstacles to effective evidence use. The second analyses the European Migration Network’s role - especially its Platform on Statelessness - in strengthening evidence and cooperation. The third explores how the EMN supports forecasting efforts amid growing demand for preparedness despite migration’s inherent unpredictability. These reports aim to improve how research informs EU migration governance.