EDITORIAL: The new Commission: Jobs for the boys and bigger jobs for the girls; an unwanted job for Austria

20th September 2024 | Editorials / Op-eds, News

By Catherine Woollard The big news of the rentrée in Brussels is the new Commission. EU member states (MS) put forward their nominees during the summer and this week returning Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, presented her proposal for the allocation of...

EU EXTERNAL PARTNERS: Frontex Denies Involvement in Pushbacks and Defends €400 Million ‘Expansion’ Tender ― Thousands Pushed Back to Niger from Algeria, Libya and Tunisia ― Discussions on Closer EU-Egypt Co-operation on Migration ― NGO Report Reveals Pushbacks and Pullbacks in Cyprus and Lebanon ― UN Increases Aid for Sudanese Refugees in Libya

13th September 2024 | News

The executive director of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) has denied allegations of the agency’s involvement in pushbacks and defended the need for €400 million of surveillance equipment. Alarme Phone Sahara has reported that nearly 20,000 people...

BALKAN ROUTE: Decrease in Number of People Using Balkan Route ― More Deaths in Drina River on Serbia-Bosnia & Herzegovina Border ― Frontex Officers Intimidated Into Silence Over Migrant Abuse in Bulgaria ― Immigration ‘Most Significant Challenge’ for Croatia, Says President ― Criticism Over Closure of Reception Centres in Serbia ― Slight Decrease in Number of Irregular Arrivals in Slovenia

13th September 2024 | News

The European Union Coast Guard and Border Agency (Frontex) has reported a major decrease in the number of irregular border crossings along the Balkan Route At least 12 people have died while trying to cross the Drina river that forms part of the border between Serbia...

OP-ED: Marking Three Years Since the Taliban’s Takeover of Afghanistan: A Grim Reflection

6th September 2024 | Editorials / Op-eds, News

Tuesday 15 August was the third anniversary of the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan – a day that shattered the hopes of millions and forced hundreds of thousands of Afghans (mostly highly educated) to flee their homeland. This date symbolises not just the Taliban’s...

MEDITERRANEAN: Over 1,000 Recorded Deaths in Central Mediterranean Sea in 2024 ― NGOs Mark Ten Years of Civilian Sea Rescue in Central Mediterranean Sea Amid Accusations of ‘Double Standards’ Surrounding Bayesian Yacht Tragedy ― Human Rights NGO Accuses Cyprus of ‘Secondary Refoulement’ of Syrian Refugees ― Greek Coastguard Warns of Dangerous New Tactics Used By People Smugglers; Stands Accused of Causing Death of Migrant By Firing on Boat ― Third Detention Order for Geo Barents Rescue Ship ― Human Rights Award for Maltese NGO

6th September 2024 | News

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has estimated that more than 1,000 people have died or been reported missing in the central Mediterranean Sea since the start of 2024. Civilian search and rescue (SAR) organisations have commemorated the tenth...