The EU’s new Migration and Asylum Pact has entered into force, but the CIDOB opinion argues that Brussels is still selling certainty where there is far too much doubt. The reform is meant to prove that Europe can finally manage asylum, returns, border pressure and solidarity in one coherent system.

The EU is stepping deeper into the Channel migration fight, promising more staff, more surveillance and tighter co-operation with Britain and France. The RFI report shows Brussels trying to turn one of Europe’s most politically toxic routes into a managed security operation.

Europe’s migration debate is dominated by border fences, asylum numbers and political battles. The DIIS study argues that one of the worst aspects of the migration system remains largely ignored: the industrial-scale sexual violence suffered by migrants travelling along African-European routes.

A new UK–France migration deal is being sold as a breakthrough. In reality, it is another expensive attempt to contain a crisis that neither side has managed to stop. London will hand over up to £660 million to France over three years to curb small-boat crossings, with part of the money tied to results.

Germany thought it had migration under control. This working paper shows otherwise. Flows through the Western Balkans remain a quiet but persistent pressure point, feeding Germany’s asylum system and exposing gaps between policy promises and reality. The system is not collapsing, but it is creaking under strain that politicians prefer not to spotlight.

Europe’s housing crisis is already squeezing voters. This analysis warns it is about to get more complicated. Any serious solution, it argues, must include decarbonising buildings. That may be climate-sensible, but it risks pushing costs higher in the short term if governments get it wrong. The housing shortage and the green transition are colliding, and Europe is not ready for the impact.

Europe is getting older, poorer in workers and heavier with promises it cannot easily pay. This working paper lays out the cold arithmetic behind ageing populations, migration policy and ballooning pension costs. The tone is technical, but the message is grim: demographic decline is already dragging on growth, and policy choices so far barely scratch the surface.