Pope Francis urged Bulgarians to open their hearts and doors to refugees as he began his visit in Sofia on Sunday. The Pope also evoked a "new winter" plaguing Bulgaria and other European nations who face an an exodus of their people as well as falling birth rates, in his first address to Bulgarian officials, news wires reported from the Bulgarian capital.

Malta struck deals with four European Union countries to take in the 64 African migrants, including 12 women and a baby, who were rescued by the German ship Alan Kurdi and stranded at sea for almost two weeks, the Maltese government announced on Saturday.

The EU last week was discussing an interesting compromise on continuing Operation Sophia in the Mediterranean, news wires reported. While air patrols searching for migrants crossing the sea will be extended, ships that could save them are going to be withdrawn. The obvious change in policy reflects Europe's growing aversion to irregular arrivals.

In 2018, 580,800 first-time asylum seekers applied for international protection in the Member States of the EU, down by 11% compared with 2017 (654,600) and less than half of the number recorded in the peak year 2015, when 1,256,600 first-time asylum applicants were registered, according to Eurostat data.

Italy's interior minister Matteo Salvini announced on Sunday he was gathering legal evidence against the crew of a Dutch-flagged rescue ship as calls grew for 47 migrants to be allowed to land, news wires reported.

In accordance to the EU's Dublin III rule, Germany deported 8,658 asylum-seekers to other EU countries in the first eleven months of 2018 - a significant increase from 7,102 refugees transferred in 2017, Sueddeutsche Zeitung reports quoting data from country's interior ministry. 

British and French authorities announced that more than 40 migrants were rescued in the waters between southern England and northern France on Christmas Day, amid a spike in attempts by migrants to cross the English Channel to British shores on small boats.

Ahead of December European Council, the Commission last Tuesday called on Member States and the European Parliament to consolidate the significant progress made by adopting the outstanding reform proposals, the EU press service reported. The EU's comprehensive approach on migration is delivering on all fronts: deeper cooperation with partner countries; better-protected external borders; and more effective tools to manage migration inside the EU.

The European Commission has awarded an additional €43.7m in emergency assistance to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to support Greece in responding to migratory challenges. The grant has been awarded from the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund and will support the provision of emergency shelter for up to 6,000 asylum seekers and refugees by rapidly establishing places in temporary accommodation facilities.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel hosted African leaders on Tuesday, pledging a new development fund to tackle underdevelopment on the continent that has helped to spur mass migration, shaping the later years of her long premiership. Merkel announced on Monday she would retire from politics by 2021, sending shockwaves across Europe and starting a race to succeed her. She needs the Compact with Africa summit to show that progress has been made in addressing the aftermath of one of the defining moments of her 13 years in power: her 2015 decision to open Germany’s doors to more than a million refugees.