UK: Immigration Minister suspends Detained Fast Track process

3rd July 2015 | News

3 July 2015 James Brokenshire, UK’s Minister for Security and Immigration, has announced that he would ‘temporarily suspend’ the operation of the Detained Fast Track system until ‘the right structures are in place to minimise any risk of unfairness’. This follows a...

Majority of people risking their lives in unseaworthy boats to Europe are fleeing war and persecution, UNHCR states

3rd July 2015 | News

03 July 2015 In a report published this week, UNHCR announced that 137,000 people reached Europe’s shores in the first six months of the year. According to the UN Agency’s report, the majority of those taking the Mediterranean route are refugees who are fleeing war,...

Vacancy: ECRE is recruiting a Media and Communications Assistant

2nd July 2015 | Vacancies

03 July 2015 ECRE is offering an 11-month Media & Communications internship, starting preferably at the beginning of September 2015. The assistant will support the Media & Communications Team in a wide range of tasks, including write articles for the ECRE...

EU Council meeting reveals a lack of common vision amongst Member States, a breakdown of trust and little regard for the plight of refugees

30th June 2015 | News

30 June 2015. Heated discussions at the European Council meeting of 25 June following up on recent Commission proposals on the relocation of 40,000 persons in clear need of international protection, and the resettlement of 20,000 refugees from regions outside of the...

European Council: 40,000 asylum seekers to be relocated voluntarily and 20,000 refugees to be resettled

26th June 2015 | News

26 June 2015 At the European Council meeting in Brussels on 25-26 June, European leaders agreed on a voluntary plan to relocate a total of 40,000 Syrian and Eritrean asylum seekers from Italy and Greece to other EU Member States. Hungary and Bulgaria were excluded...

Hungary reverses suspension of Dublin Regulation

26th June 2015 | News

26 June 2015 Hungary announced, on 23 June, that it would suspend applying the Dublin III Regulation, a key European Union asylum rule, raising concerns among rights monitors and at the European Commission. However in a surprise move, it reversed its decision the next...

UK announces ‘modest expansion’ to Syrian resettlement scheme

26th June 2015 | News

26 June 2015 On Friday 19 June at a speech at the GLOBSEC Forum in Slovakia, UK Prime Minister David Cameron announced a ‘modest expansion’ to the national resettlement scheme for particularly vulnerable people fleeing Syria. The Vulnerable Person’s Relocation scheme...

Registrations open for ECRE Annual General Conference & UNHCR NGO Consultations 2015

26th June 2015 | News

26 June 2015 ECRE’s Annual General Conference (AGC) and UNHCR NGO Consultations will be held in The Hague on 14-16 October. Each year, over 100 representatives from the refugee-assisting community in Europe gather for the ECRE AGC. It is a key moment for the ECRE...

First quarter 2015 EU asylum applications see an 86% increase compared to 2014

26th June 2015 | News

26 June 2015 In the first quarter of 2015, Eurostat reported that 185,000 people applied for asylum for the first time in the EU-28 states. This figure shows an increase of 86% in the number of asylum applications submitted in EU countries compared to the same period...

European Migration Network Annual Report: 30% increase in asylum seekers

26th June 2015 | News

26 June 2015 The European Migration Network (EMN) have released their annual report on immigration and asylum for 2014, providing an overview on the main legal and policy developments in the area of migration and asylum taking place at EU level and within EU Member...