Cyprus: MoU Signed with European Commission While Government Casts Blame on Asylum Seekers

25th February 2022 | News

A memorandum of understanding was signed between Cyprus and the European Commission on 21 February to improve reception, asylum procedures, integration and the “efficiency of returns”. Meanwhile, Interior Minister Nicos Nouris blames asylum seekers for insufficient...

UK: Australian Adviser Recruited, Welsh and Scottish Parliaments Reject Bill, Afghans Stuck in Hotels, Home Office Accused of Harming Women and Ignoring Racism

25th February 2022 | News

A former Australian minister who advocates for a “zero refugee solution” has been appointed to conduct a review of the UK Border Force. The Nationality and Borders Bill, dubbed the “Anti-Refugee Bill” by campaigners, has been rejected by the Welsh and Scottish...

Greece: Pushbacks Face Renewed International, Legal, Political, and Public Scrutiny, Turkey Conducts Large-Scale Returns, Coast Guard Seeks to Purchase Surveillance Software

25th February 2022 | News

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has singled out Greece in an unusually vocal warning over pushbacks and rights violations at borders. Scrutiny against pushbacks continues to come from many other actors, from a Greek NGO testifying at a Belgian federal hearing, to a case...

Austria: New Judgment Confirms Pushbacks, Swiss-Austrian Readmission Agreement Review Paves the Way for Summary Returns, Government Seeks Cooperation on Return

25th February 2022 | News

Another judgment from the Styrian Provincial Administrative Court confirms pushback practices in Austria. Austria and Switzerland have agreed to update a bilateral readmission agreement, partly in reaction to European Commission proposals. Austrian government has...

Switzerland: Kids Suffer in Deportation Facilities, Government Lambasted Over Afghan Humanitarian Visas, Initiative to Welcome Refugees at Local Level, Warnings against Dublin Transfers to Italy

18th February 2022 | News

Three deportation centres have been criticised for failing to adequately care for children and families. The vast majority of Afghan requests for humanitarian visas have been refused due to strict criteria. The Swiss Greens are tabling a parliamentary initiative to...