The EMN Glossary - more search options in the online-version , Date: 2022.09.19, format: Article, area: Authority , New Version of the EMN glossary published

A Tool for better comparability of terms in the field of asylum and migration in the European Union

The multidisciplinary EMN Asylum and Migration Glossary is one of the key products of the European Migration Network (EMN). It is considered the reference document for European terminology in the field of asylum and migration and offers an EU-wide and harmonised vocabulary of more than 500 terms and definitions, with terms translated into almost all EU languages and Norwegian. The glossary is intended to promote a common understanding in the European Union through the uniform use of terms and concepts, thereby improving comparability between the Member States. It intends to make communication easier for policy-makers, practitioners, legislators, but also for the media, academia and people interested in the topic of migration. In this way, the glossary not only supports the EMN's mandate to provide up-to-date, objective, reliable and comparable information on migration and asylum, but also provides an important contribution towards achieving a Common European Asylum System and a harmonised migration policy at EU level.

Since its first edition was released in January 2010, the Glossary has been increasingly used throughout the European Commission's Migration, Home Affairs and Justice spheres, thus contributing to the development of common terminology and definitions in Union legislation, as well as in practical application by the EU Member States.

The Glossary focuses on legal terms and concepts taken from the EU acquis on asylum and migration, but is also takes into account concepts from demographic, sociological and economic contexts. Furthermore, developments in the external dimension and international context are increasingly being included, as are terms that are relevant to the needs of practitioners working in the field. The glossary also considers the terminology used in recent EMN studies amongst other key documents.

The Glossary contains a definition for each term indicating the source. All terms are translated into all languages of the EU Member States (plus Norway, but not including Denmark). The Glossary furthermore contains a large number of relationships between terms (synonyms, broader and narrower terms, related terms); hyperlinks enable rapid navigation between the terms and the underlying sources. Where necessary, the terms contain extensive notes on the terminology used in different disciplines, or on deviations in the international or national context. The notes also contain up-to-date information and/or links to websites containing additional information.

Click here to see the EMN Glossary video on YouTube.

Regularly updated by the EMN's Glossary Working Group

In order to ensure relevance for the different target groups and to take into account new developments at the political and legal level, the Glossary has been regularly updated and expanded by the EMN's Glossary and Thesaurus Working Group (GTWG). Representatives from EMN NCPs but also from observer countries are regularly joining the meetings. The GTWG has been collaborating for many years with the European Commission, EAUU, FRA, Frontex, Council of the EU institutions, the Court of Justice of the EU and international organisations, such as UNHCR and IOM. Cooperation with the Council of EU institutions focuses on those institutions that contribute to the EU-wide terminology database "IATE (Interactive Terminology for Europe)". This means that the terms of the EMN glossary are integrated into the IATE database and are thus available to a wider public.

User-friendly and easy access to the EMN Glossary

The EMN Glossary is available in different editions and through different channels. The most recent version 7.0 is the English version, which is accessible as an interactive online version via the European Commission's EMN website.

Since the release of version 8.0, not only has the appearance of the glossary website chan-ged, but the search options in the glossary have also been considerably expanded. In addition to the alphabetical search, the glossary now also offers a search on broader subject areas via the classification. For example, it is now possible to search for all terms in the context of "international protection", "Dublin Regulation" or "legal migration". A convenient full-text search also allows searching for translated terms as well as with any keyword in the notes.

The latest channel through which the EMN glossary is accessible is the Glossary App which makes the Glossary readily accessible in the six languages in which its full contents have been translated (English, Finnish, German, Greek, Italian and Latvian). It contains newest technical solutions and in addition, it can be accessed from most mobile devices at any time and from any location, thus guaranteeing fast and uncomplicated access to the EMN glossary. It can be downloaded free of charge from Google and Apple as well as from the European Commission's EMN website. By clicking on the adjacent picture you will be taken directly to the download page.

Printed versions are only published if they contain substantial changes. The last printed version was published as Version 6.0 in May 2018 (see "download list") and is available for download as an interactive pdf version in English. You will find the link to the EMN's webpage by clicking on the link below.

A printed German version based on Version 5.0 is also available for download as an interactive PDF-version. It reflects the level of information as per December 2016. Like all German translations, it was produced jointly by the EMN National Contact Points (NCPs) of Austria, Luxembourg and Germany.

A short version of the EMN glossary with a description of the content, the most important functionalities and the available formats can be found in the one-pager, which is also available for download.