Med: Pope Denounces EU Asylum Policies, Pre-removal Detention in Italy Deemed Unjustified, EU and Italy Increase Cooperation with Libya Amid Legal Action by NGOs
During his recent visit to Cyprus and Greece, Pope Francis harshly criticised failed EU asylum policies and urged solidarity and fair allocation of people in need of protection. An Italian rights monitor deems the deprivation of freedom “unjustified and an end...
EU Eastern Borders: Poland Celebrates its Border Guard and Restricts Border Access Amid Deadly Humanitarian Crisis, EU Condones Restriction of Rights
On 6 December Poland’s public broadcaster featured a concert in honour of the border guards “defending the border”. The controversial event follows renewed restrictions of access to the border with Belarus where a deadly humanitarian crisis is unfolding. The European...
Balkan Route: CPT and Border Monitoring Reports Confirm Croatian Violence and Pushbacks, Commissioner Praises Accountability Efforts, Slovenia Blames Croatia for Asylum Requests, New Lipa Camp Opens
A previously-suppressed Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) report confirms serious ill-treatment of people on the move by Croatian police. Separately, the first half-year report of Croatia’s Independent Border Monitoring Mechanism confirms that police are...
Editorial: Commission Proposal Leaves Little Solutions but Plenty of Contradictions
As its President forewarned, the European Commission this week launched a proposal to respond to events at the EU border with Belarus. It was met with exacerbation and bafflement by journalists and fury by political groups in the European Parliament. For civil society...
Belgium: Accommodation Shortage Leaves Men in the Cold, Court Insists on Reception Conditions, Charities Launch Judicial Challenge, Media Access Curtailed
Thousands of people have been left destitute and sleeping rough in Belgium over the past month due to a lack of reception places. The reception crisis has restricted access to asylum procedures and accommodation facilities, forcing asylum seekers to go to court to...
Greece: Government Continues NGO Crackdown, Closed Controlled Centres Close in on Asylum Seekers, Significant Jump in Negative Decisions Since Turkey Declared Safe Third Country
The denial of registration for Refugee Support Aegean (RSA) the implementing partner of the ECRE Member PRO ASYL in Greece, marks yet another step in the ongoing crack-down on NGOs supporting asylum seekers and refugees. As protests took place in the recently opened...
Germany: Incoming Coalition Agreement Signals Significant Change in Asylum and Integration Policy
The coalition agreement presented by the incoming German government marks a significant change in Germany’s asylum and integration policies. While the agreement outlines the removal of punitive measures, prioritised access to residency, EU coordinated search and...
Channel: Frontex Plane Deployed, Dehumanisation Decried, NGOs Hope for Turning Point on Safe Passage, UK Ploughs Ahead with Pushback Plan Despite Challenges
In the aftermath of the worst ever shipwreck in the Channel, EU states have agreed to deploy a Frontex plane to monitor the strait. Last week’s tragedy has reignited discussion of the dehumanising effects of the term ‘migrant’ when used in media and political...