Malta: Court Condemned Arbitrary Detention, Concern over Revisions of Policy on Humanitarian Protection, Minister of Foreign Affairs Praises Cooperation with Libya

4th December 2020 | News

A Maltese court has ordered the immediate release of four men held in arbitrary detention for 166 days calling their detention ‘abusive and farcical’. Revisions to the criteria to qualify for a 2018 regularisation scheme has meet severe critique from NGOs concerned...

UK: A New Deal to Curb Channel Crossings and a Deportation to Jamaica Despite Protests

4th December 2020 | News

The UK and France have reached a new agreement aimed at curbing migration across the Channel, including an increase in police patrols at French shores and investments in surveillance technologies. A deportation flight to Jamaica took off on 2 December despite links to...

Ethiopia: UN Given Access to Deliver Aid as Conflict Continues, Eritrean Refugees Abducted in Tigray

4th December 2020 | News

On 2 December, Ethiopia agreed to give the UN ‘unimpeded’ access to deliver desperately needed humanitarian aid to Tigray after a month of war has ravaged the northern region. This comes as reports are emerging that Eritrean refugees have been abducted by Eritrean...

ECRE Working Paper: Contribution de la Société Civile à la Coopération UE-Afrique en Matière de Retour, de Réadmission et de Réintégration: Le Cas du Maroc

30th November 2020 | News

This working paper (In French) by Mohamed Khachani analyses the cooperation between the European Union and Morocco on return, readmission and reintegration. It is part of a series of papers that aim to collect analysis from civil society on the impact of previous and...

Op-ed: Detention in Malta Might be the Norm but it is no Solution

27th November 2020 | News

By Dr. Neil Falzon, director for aditus foundation ECRE member in Malta Hundreds of asylum-seekers are currently illegally detained in Malta’s squalid detention centres. Having reached the island by boat, often after days or weeks out at sea desperately waiting for...

Atlantic Route: Containment, Return, Deterrence – Spain’s Response to Increased Sea Arrivals

27th November 2020 | News

The Spanish government does not agree to transferring migrants who arrive in the Canary Islands to the Spanish mainland, despite reception offers from several regions. Instead, it seeks to cooperate with African states on returns and deterrence. The Spanish government...

Greece: Frontex Denies Involvement in Pushbacks, Expert Council Critique of NGO Registration Rules

27th November 2020 | News

According to Der Spiegel, Director of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex), Fabrice Leggeri, denied involvement of the agency in pushback operations from Greece during an extraordinary board meeting called by the European Commission. In an addendum...

The European Commission releases its new Action Plan for Integration and Inclusion 2021 – 2027

27th November 2020 | News

On the 24 November 2020, the European Commission has released its new Action Plan on Integration and Inclusion, announced in its Communication for a New Pact on Migration and Asylum and preceded by an open consultation with stakeholders in integration. The action plan...

France: Excessive Force by Police During Paris Evictions, Illegal Detention and Violations at the Border with Italy, Reduction of Protection of Afghans Amid Wave of Violence

27th November 2020 | News

Hundreds of people were evicted from tents in central Paris by police using excessive force attacking migrants, media and protestors causing investigations, complaints and political condemnation. French NGOs have initiated proceedings to litigate illegal detention and...

UK: Home Office Cover-up at Barracks Housing Asylum Seekers, Incorrect Age Assessment Causes Harm, Inquiry into Windrush Compensation Scheme

27th November 2020 | News

As more details about disturbing conditions at military barracks housing asylum seekers come to light, charities reiterate their calls for closing the sites. It is reported that volunteers at the barracks had to sign confidentiality agreements underpinned by the...