Romania: Living conditions in reception centres a persisting concern*
People in need of protection continue to face substandard living conditions in Regional Centres for Procedures and Accommodation of Asylum Seekers in Bucharest and Giurgiu, Romania. A recent set of fact-finding visits conducted between 18 and 22 June 2018 looked at...
German coalition envisages “transit processes” at land borders but details remain unclear
Following an emergency meeting between the German Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) and the Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU) on Monday and further discussions with the coalition partner SPD, a compromise for strict measures against refugees and migrants arriving in...
Italy pushes ahead with “Salvini Plan” to bolster Libyan Coast Guard in fight against “illegal migration”
Italy drew up plans this week to strengthen the Libyan Coast Guard’s capacities and to counter ‘illegal migration’. Dubbed the ‘Salvini Plan’, after Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, officials from both countries met on Monday and...
France: Immigration detention increase continues
The number of people deprived of their liberty in France for immigration reasons continues to rise, according to the annual report compiled by civil society organisations monitoring administrative detention centres (CRA) and other administrative detention places...
Op-ed: Safety-net torn apart
By Anikó Bakonyi, Advocacy and Project Officer, Hungarian Helsinki Committee Azim had been waiting in Serbia for nine months to enter Hungary and submit his asylum application. By the time he reached the metal revolving door at the Serbian-Hungarian border he had left...
Malta intensifies crackdown on rescuing organisations, while deaths in the Mediterranean are on the rise
The Maltese government is no longer allowing rescuing NGO vessels to enter, leave and use its port services, based on the allegation that new information received by the authorities brought the need to ascertain if the operations conducted by rescuing ships are in...
Op-Ed: Forgotten at the gates of Europe
By Claudia Bonamini, Policy & Advocacy Officer, Jesuit Refugee Service Europe “Nothing new under the sun” we were thinking, slightly concerned, at JRS Europe, when we started analysing the more than 100 interviews our partners conducted with forced migrants in six...
Emergency assistance to Spain and Greece to deal with insufficient reception conditions
The European Commission released €45.6 million in emergency assistance to improve reception conditions in Spain and Greece and amp up returns in Spain. Both countries have been struggling with overcrowding and lack of capacity in their frontline reception facilities...