Humanitarian Corridors for vulnerable refugees to Italy opening
On 14 February, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) implemented the second evacuation to Italy, bringing the total number of highly vulnerable refugees directly evacuated to Italy to 312. Additionally, more than 1000 refugees have arrived in Italy since February 2016 using...
European Ombudsman: lack of transparency regarding EU Member States’ positions during negotiations amount to maladministration
On 13 February 2018, the European Ombudsman, Emily O’Reilly, published her recommendations in a case regarding the (lack of) transparency at the Council of the European Union by failing to record and make publicly available the positions of the different EU...
Ireland: Asylum seekers face long periods in inadequate living conditions as waiting times reach crisis point
The Ombudsman of Ireland has released the first report on the Irish Direct Provision system for those awaiting asylum decisions, highlighting the inadequacy of the living conditions where asylum seekers are left waiting for months or even years as the government...
Italy strengthens engagement in controversial migrant management initiatives in Libya
The Italian government has announced an additional 80 million euro investment in its African Fund to fight illegal migration and the deployment of troops in Libya “to combat illegal immigration and counter terrorism threats.” The deployment of troops is condemned as a...
Four years after tragedy, NGOs still call for proper investigation and the end of push backs in Spanish enclaves
This week marked the fourth anniversary of the “Tarajal tragedy”, when a group of Sub-Saharan nationals who attempted to reach the Spanish territory by swimming towards the Tarajal beach in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta was violently repelled by the Spanish Civil...
Danish ‘left’ takes it a step further than European far right
The leading left-centre opposition party in Denmark the Social Democrats have launched a policy package under the headline ‘Just and Realistic (Retfærdig og Realistisk) – an immigration policy uniting Denmark’ calling for a total stop for spontaneous asylum...
Refugee destitution, a by-product of UK policy
An “invisible epidemic” of destitution is unfolding in Glasgow, and cities across the UK as a result of the UK government’s ‘hostile environment’ policy. Refugee Survival Trust, a small charity working in Scotland, distributed more than 125,000 € in emergency one-off...
Netherlands: Plans to curtail legal aid to asylum seekers
The Dutch Senate (Eerste Kamer) Commission on Justice and Security discussed the provision of legal aid to asylum seekers in a debate on the rule of law on 6 February 2018. The debate follows an announcement in the Coalition Agreement of October 2017 to curtail asylum...