Angela Merkel and François Hollande address the European Parliament

8th October 2015 | News

8 October 2015 German Chancellor, Angela Merkel and French President, François Hollande appeared together before the European Parliament in Strasbourg this week to deliver a call for European Union countries to act together in dealing with the challenges currently...

Germany: measures to toughen asylum laws approved by government

2nd October 2015 | News

2 October 2015 A package of legislative proposals, which have been condemned by ECRE Member Pro Asyl for their exclusion and deterrence of asylum seekers and refugees, has been approved by the German government. The measures will now be debated in parliament before...

Refugees cross the Western Balkans with no rights

2nd October 2015 | News

2 October 2015 From 16 to 22 September, in the registration centre of Vinojug, in Gevgelija, Macedonia, 11,187 people expressing the intention to seek asylum have been registered by the Macedonian Young Law Association (MYLA). This acceleration of registration...

“Hotspots”: the Italian example – conversation with Christopher Hein from CIR

2nd October 2015 | News

2 October 2015 According to the Italian Refugee Council (CIR), the first “hotspot” started to function on 17 September in an ‘experimental way’ on the Italian island of Lampedusa. In an interview with ECRE, CIR spokesman Christopher Hein underlined the...

Nils Muižnieks welcomes German efforts but is concerned at surge in racial attacks

2nd October 2015 | News

2 October 2015 On 1 October, Nils Muižnieks, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, presented his report on Germany following his visits to the country on 24 April and from 4 to 8 May 2015. The Commissioner welcomed the efforts undertaken by Germany in the...

ECRE Annual General Conference and UNHCR NGOs Consultations 2015

2nd October 2015 | News

2 October 2015 From 14 to 16 October, ECRE members will gather in The Hague for the 2015 Annual General Conference (AGC) and to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the consultation that led to the founding of ECRE. UNHCR will hold NGO Consultations, creating the space...

EU starts the ‘active phase’ of a critical operation against human smugglers

1st October 2015 | News

1 October 2015 The European Union’s naval mission against human smugglers becomes operational next week, after getting a green light from the EU Council’s Political and Security Committee on 27 September. ECRE and several other civil society organisations fear that...

EU Commission calls on Greece to return to the Dublin system within six months

1st October 2015 | News

1 October 2015 In a document setting out the priority actions for the management of the refugee crisis, the European Commission called for Greece to normalise the asylum situation within their territory and return to the Dublin system in the coming months. The...

After Dublin – the urgent need for a real European asylum system

1st October 2015 | News

1 October 2015 On 29 September, in Strasbourg, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) adopted a resolution that called for the urgent reform of the EU Dublin system which determines the country responsible for treating an asylum application....

EU Council agrees on relocation of thousands of asylum-seekers

25th September 2015 | News

25 September 2015 On 22 September, the Justice and Home Affairs Council (JHA) reached a decision to relocate thousands of people in clear need of international protection from Italy and Greece. The provisional measures foresee the relocation of 15,600 people from...