EU EXTERNAL PARTNERS: Concerns about planned refugee law in Egypt ― EU-funded rescue centre in Libya finally set to open ― European Commission withholding outcomes of Tunisia human rights inquiry ― EU member states and NGOs condemn Israeli ban on UNRWA
Egypt is planning to start registering refugees itself instead of relying on the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR). An EU-funded search and rescue centre in Libya is reportedly set to become fully operational following years of delays. The European Ombudsman has...
MEDITERRANEAN: Confusion regarding future of Italian migration centres in Albania ― ECtHR criticises Malta’s regime again ― Asylum seekers still trapped in Cyprus buffer zone ― Cyprus President calls for normalisation of relations with Syria ― NGOs call on Greece to fix ‘dysfunctional’ registration system
A decision by the Civil Court of Rome has led to uncertainty regarding the future of the recently opened Italian migration centres in Albania. The European Court of Human Rights has again criticised Malta’s treatment of vulnerable children and lack of effective...
ATLANTIC ROUTE and SPAIN: Spain asks Frontex to patrol West African coasts ― Senegal to receive € 30 million from the EU to curb migration ― Spain states opposition to migration centres outside the EU; plans to regularise thousands of undocumented people ― Portugal is ‘slightly’ open to migration ― Record rescue in the Canary Islands
The Spanish government has asked the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) to try to secure permission to patrol the coasts of several West African countries in order to support the latter’s own migration management efforts. The European Commission has...
OP-ED: Does the Rome court’s refusal to validate the detention order of the first asylum seekers brought to Albania mark the end of the Italy-Albania deal?
By Andreina De Leo, member of ECRE member organisation the Association for Juridical Studies on Immigration (ASGI) On 18 October, the Civil Court of Rome blocked the detention of 12 asylum seekers from Bangladesh and Egypt, who had been transferred to Albania under a...
BALKAN ROUTE: Significant decrease in irregular border crossings via Balkan route ― Croatian border police accused of pushbacks and burning people’s belongings ― ECRE member organisation calls for re-opening of reception centres in Serbia ― Hungary, Serbia and Slovakia criticise EU asylum and migration policies; call for more ‘regional co-operation’ ― ECRE member organisation wins human rights award
The number of irregular border crossings into the EU via the Balkan route decreased significantly in the first nine months of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. An NGO has accused the Croatian border police of burning the personal belongings of people who have...
MEDITERRANEAN: Italian migration centres in Albania finally operational ― ECtHR ruling may give hope to people stranded in buffer zone ― ‘Historic’ ECtHR ruling on Samos refugee camp
The two Italian migration centres in Albania have finally opened and received their first intake of people seeking asylum. A recent ruling by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) may provide encouragement to the people who are stuck in the buffer zone in Cyprus,...
EU EXTERNAL PARTNERS: EU accused of funding forced deportations from Türkiye ― European Commission President calls for development of ‘return hubs’ ― Egypt and Tunisia reportedly reluctant to co-operate with EU on migration deals; Libya showing more ‘commitment” ― NGOs denounce Tunisia as ‘not a safe place’ for disembarking rescued people and call for end of EU-Tunisia migration co-operation ― More than 300,000 people flee into Syria from Lebanon
A new investigative report has revealed the EU’s indirect involvement in forced deportations from Türkiye to Syria and Afghanistan. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has called for the development of ‘return hubs’ in advance of an upcoming...
ECRE Working Paper 21 – The EU-Mauritania Partnership: Whose Priorities?
ECRE has published a working paper on the EU-Mauritania migration partnership agreement (the ‘Partnership’) which was signed by the European Commission and the Government of Mauritania in March 2024. The working paper, entitled ‘The EU-Mauritania Partnership: Whose...