EU leaders agree on EU-Turkey Deal despite serious concerns over its consequences for human rights of refugees and migrants

25th March 2016 | News

25 March 2016 During the European Council meeting of 18 March, EU leaders reached an agreement with Turkey, the so-called EU-Turkey deal. According to the statement issued on the day, the objectives of the measures agreed to are to end irregular migration from Turkey...

European Court of Human Rights condemns Sweden for attempting to deport Iranian Christian convert without properly assessing human rights risk

25th March 2016 | News

25 March 2016 On 23 March 2016, the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights ruled against Sweden, in the case of F.G. v. Sweden. F.G, an Iranian national, claimed that if he were deported to Iran, he would be at risk of ill-treatment or the death penalty...

CoE Human Rights Commissioner raises concerns over treatment of refugees and migrants in the UK

25th March 2016 | News

25 March 2016 On 22 March, a number of concerns were raised about the negative human rights impact of restrictive policies on asylum and immigration in the UK by Nils Muižnieks, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights. These were published in a Memorandum...

Council of Europe warns of risk of asylum seekers and refugees becoming victims of trafficking in Europe

25th March 2016 | News

25 March 2016 Hundreds of thousands of people fleeing violent conflicts and taking dangerous routes to reach Europe are at high risk of exploitation and trafficking, with unaccompanied and separated children being particularly vulnerable, highlights the Council of...

“Migrants and refugees have rights”: new report by Caritas Europa

24th March 2016 | News

24 March 2016 In a report released recently, Caritas Europa analyses the impact of EU policies on accessing protection. The report includes testimonials from refugees, asylum seekers and migrants and undertakes a thorough analysis of a full spectrum of...

AIDA Report Serbia: Transit for many, asylum for a handful

24th March 2016 | News

24 March 2016 The Asylum Information Database (AIDA) has published a new country report on Serbia, written by the Belgrade Centre for Human Rights, detailing the workings of the Serbian asylum system, set out by the Law on Asylum of 2007 and relevant legislation....

PACE Migration Committee calls for collective action in response to situation in Western Balkans

24th March 2016 | News

26 March 2016 In response to the failure of Europe to find a proper, sustainable response to the humanitarian situation faced by refugees and migrants in the Western Balkans, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Committee on Migration has called...

Annual General Conference 2015

21st March 2016 | Uncategorized

ECRE Annual General Conference and UNHCR NGO Consultations 2015 Date: 14, 15 & 16 October Location: The Hague, The Netherlands – Registration is now closed – Join us this year in The Hague for ECRE’s Annual General Conference. We will be commemorating...

European leaders discuss refugee deal with Turkey alongside mass public outrage

18th March 2016 | News

18 March 2016 On Thursday 17 and Friday 18 March, European leaders met in Brussels to discuss the refugee situation in Europe and the proposed EU-Turkey deal. Ahead of the meeting, many organisations, including ECRE and several of its members, called on national and...

Refugee women and girls face many obstacles to access protection in Germany and Sweden

18th March 2016 | News

18 March 2016 The Women’s Refugee Commission published a report highlighting the issues faced by refugee women and girls in Germany and Sweden, the two countries which have welcomed the highest number of asylum seekers in the past few years. According to UNICEF, in...