BALKAN ROUTE: Significant decrease in irregular border crossings via Balkan route ― Croatian border police accused of pushbacks and burning people’s belongings ― ECRE member organisation calls for re-opening of reception centres in Serbia ― Hungary, Serbia and Slovakia criticise EU asylum and migration policies; call for more ‘regional co-operation’ ― ECRE member organisation wins human rights award

BALKAN ROUTE: Significant decrease in irregular border crossings via Balkan route ― Croatian border police accused of pushbacks and burning people’s belongings ― ECRE member organisation calls for re-opening of reception centres in Serbia ― Hungary, Serbia and Slovakia criticise EU asylum and migration policies; call for more ‘regional co-operation’ ― ECRE member organisation wins human rights award

The number of irregular border crossings into the EU via the Balkan route decreased significantly in the first nine months of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. An NGO has accused the Croatian border police of burning the personal belongings of people who have...
BALKAN ROUTE: Significant decrease in irregular border crossings via Balkan route ― Croatian border police accused of pushbacks and burning people’s belongings ― ECRE member organisation calls for re-opening of reception centres in Serbia ― Hungary, Serbia and Slovakia criticise EU asylum and migration policies; call for more ‘regional co-operation’ ― ECRE member organisation wins human rights award

BALKAN ROUTE: Bulgaria Pressures Frontex to Ignore Abuse to Experience ‘How Border Guarding Works’ ― Hungary Will Not Pay ‘Completely Unfair’ €200m Fine ― EU Signs New Frontex-Serbia Cooperation Agreement

Internal documents from the European Union Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) indicate that Bulgaria pressured Frontex officers into ignoring migrants’ rights abuses in exchange for experiencing “how border guarding works” in practice. Hungary has declared that...
UK: Rwanda Bill Approaches Finishing Line as Implementation Obstacles Continue to Grow ― Government Looking to Negotiate Migration Deals with Other Countries ― NGOs Planning ‘People’s Inquiry’ to Campaign for Closure of Accommodation Barge ― Asylum Seekers Moved Off Largest Accommodation Site Due to Safety Risks ― Dozens of Home Office Staff Under Criminal Investigation

UK: Rwanda Bill Approaches Finishing Line as Implementation Obstacles Continue to Grow ― Government Looking to Negotiate Migration Deals with Other Countries ― NGOs Planning ‘People’s Inquiry’ to Campaign for Closure of Accommodation Barge ― Asylum Seekers Moved Off Largest Accommodation Site Due to Safety Risks ― Dozens of Home Office Staff Under Criminal Investigation

After another week of ‘parliamentary ping-pong’, the final vote on the Rwanda bill is expected to take place within days but issues relating to legal challenges, airlines and housing continue to jeopardise the eventual implementation of the scheme. Despite the ongoing...
Atlantic Route and Spain: Spanish Prime Minister Praises “exemplary” Co-operation with Morocco Despite Increase in Arrivals and Ongoing Tragedies — Moroccan Smuggling Groups Operate Along Coast of Western Sahara and in Mauritania — Migration a Hot Topic in Senegal’s Presidential Election Campaigns — Spanish Judiciary Launches Investigation into Network Trafficking Migrant Corpses

Atlantic Route and Spain: Spanish Prime Minister Praises “exemplary” Co-operation with Morocco Despite Increase in Arrivals and Ongoing Tragedies — Moroccan Smuggling Groups Operate Along Coast of Western Sahara and in Mauritania — Migration a Hot Topic in Senegal’s Presidential Election Campaigns — Spanish Judiciary Launches Investigation into Network Trafficking Migrant Corpses

Nearly 12,000 migrants arrived in the Canary Islands in the first two months of 2024. The European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) has reported an increase in “criminal groups dedicated to human trafficking in Mauritania”. Presidential candidates in Senegal...