EU as human rights champion – point of no return or new beginning?
Statement from the European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE) Annual General Conference in Belgrade November 6-9, 2018. The 101 strong ECRE alliance met in Belgrade for the ECRE Annual General Conference 2018, taking place alongside the Europe NGO Consultation of...
ECRE and PICUM position on the proposal for a regulation of the European Social Fund + 2021-2027
In the scope of a joint project on influencing EU funding for refugees and migrants’ inclusion, ECRE and PICUM have recently published their joint comments on the European Commission’s Proposal on the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+), currently being negotiated as...
Editorial: The Ostrich Approach to Migration
It came as little surprise when Austria announced its decision not to sign the Global Compact on Migration (GCM). But rather than creating a scandal it all looks rather sad. International cooperation on migration and asylum will continue, regardless of the...
UK Home Office Under Pressure: Presence in Interviews and Forced DNA Testing
UK Home Office comes under fire as it is revealed that internal staff are sitting in on interviews with destitute and vulnerable migrant families and gathering highly personal information. Further, Home Secretary Sajid David has had to apologise for unlawfully forcing...
Mediterranean: Over 100,000 Arrivals Recorded so far in 2018, almost 2000 Dead or Missing
As of November 2018, 103,407 refugees and migrants have arrived in Europe, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). The UNHCR record that 97, 651 refugees and migrants have arrived to the Mediterranean by sea, and 5,756 by land. The highest number, 53, 187, arrived...
Inaccurate Statistics Hold Back Uganda’s Progressive Refugee Policy
Uganda has received wide praise for opening its borders and allowing a high level of freedom of movement and access to work for its large population of refugees. However, an investigation into allegedly fraudulent registrations and mismanaged funds demonstrate that...
Clashes at Croatian-Bosnian Border
Several people were injured during an incident at the Croatian-Bosnian land border of Maljevac last week, after a group of more than 200 refugees and migrants, including women and children, blocked the main road, hoping to be allowed entry into Croatia. Croatian...
Sri Lanka: Support Offered for Voluntary Returnees, Political Situation in Flux
Nearly 4000 Sri Lankan refugees living in camps in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu have reportedly applied for return to Sri Lanka in the coming months. Political turmoil erupted on Friday as Parliament was suspended and the country’s former Prime Minister...