France: Evictions Continue amid Winter Emergency while Council of State Allows Preventing Media Access
Constant evictions of makeshift camps and confiscation of people’s personal belongings continue in northern France despite winter emergency. The Council of State have dismissed complaints from journalists, effectively allowing the prevention of media oversight...
AIDA 2020 Update: Bulgaria
The updated AIDA Country Report on Bulgaria provides a detailed overview on legislative and practice-related developments in asylum procedures, reception conditions, detention of asylum seekers and content of international protection. COVID-19 and access to the...
Colombia: 1.7 Million Displaced Venezuelans to Receive Ten-year Temporary Protection Status
Colombia announced the decision to grant ten-year temporary protection status to the 1.7 million displaced Venezuelans living in the country, including nearly one million people who currently don’t possess any legal status. The UN Refugee agency (UNHCR) welcomed the...
Greece: Detainees on Hunger-strike Protesting Torture, Government to Pay Compensation for Inhumane Conditions, New Reports of Systematic Pushbacks
A group of detainees in the Paranesti pre-removal detention centre in the Northeast Drama region of Greece began a hunger-strike on 30 January, protesting torture by police officers. The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has confirmed a settlement in which the...
Balkan Route: Croatia Blocks MEPs from Visiting Border where Abuse and Pushbacks also Target Children
Croatia has blocked MEPs from visiting its border with Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and claims the intention of the visit was to damage the country’s reputation. Several thousand people continue to fend for themselves in neighbouring BiH, including families with small...
Atlantic Route: Ombudsman Demands Free Movement for Asylum Seekers, Investigations into Possible Hate Crimes, Covid Outbreak in Reception Centre
As several thousand people continue to be trapped in the Canary Islands, the Spanish Ombudsman has called on the interior ministry to stop preventing asylum seekers to move freely within Spanish territory. The public prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation...
New EU Agreement with Afghanistan Amid Deteriorating Security Situation
A new agreement called the ”Joint Declaration on Migration Cooperation between Afghanistan and the EU’ (JDMC) is set to be approved by the Council of the EU. The agreement which is leaked by Statewatch aims to increase deportations amid a deteriorating security...
Agreement on the European Social Fund+ for Social inclusion, Including Integration of Third Country Nationals
Last week, on the 28 of January, the European Parliament and the Council have reached a provisional agreement on the EU Social Fund Plus (ESF+), which will replace the current ESF by merging it with the existing Youth Employment Initiative (YEI), Fund for European Aid...