Deaths and Disputes Continue in the Mediterranean, as Refugees and Migrants are Returned to Abuse
Tragedy in the Mediterranean Sea continues, with more that 170 people dead or missing in two separate shipwrecks last weekend. A further 144 people that were ‘rescued’ by a cargo vessel were returned to inhumane conditions in Libya. Meanwhile, naval anti- smuggling...
Cameroon Forces Nigerian Refugees back to Violence
Since November, more than 80,000 Nigerians have been forcibly displaced in the north- east of the country, due to an upsurge in the on- going violent clashes between non-state armed groups and the Nigerian military. The situation for those who were forced to flee...
Spain Proposes Increase in Deportations and Detention
The Spanish government of Pedro Sanchez has announced plans to expel 9,000 irregular migrants in 2019. They also intend to create new foreigner detention centres (CIEs) in the Peninsula. The country’s budget proposal for 2019, still to be approved in April, was...
Asylum Statistics 2018: Changing Arrivals, Same Concerns*
Disparities in the way European countries grant international protection to people fleeing persecution and war persisted in 2018, according to asylum statistics made available by national asylum authorities While EU institutions have emphasised a reduction of arrivals...Spain: Court Orders Access to Reception for Dublin Returnees*
The Superior Court (Tribunal Superior de Justicia, TSJ) of Madrid has ordered the Spanish authorities to ensure that asylum seekers returning to Spain from other European countries under the Dublin Regulation are not excluded from access to the reception system. The...
Iceland: Equal Reception Conditions for Resettled Refugees and Asylum Seekers
This week, a new proposal was put forward by the Icelandic Minister of Social Affairs that would ensure that asylum seekers who have been granted asylum in Iceland are afforded the same reception conditions as refugees who have been resettled in the country as part of...
WHO Finds Migrants and Refugees in Good General Health but at Greater Risk
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has released the first report of its kind on the health of refugees and migrants in the WHO European Region, which was developed in partnership with the Italian National Institute for Health, Migration and Poverty (INMP). The report...
Relying on Relocation: ECRE Proposal for a Predictable and Fair Relocation following Disembarkation
In its latest Policy Paper, ECRE proposes a mechanism for relocation following disembarkation to end the current “ship by ship” approach to relocation of persons rescued in the Mediterranean. The arrangements followed by European countries since the summer of 2018 are...