PRESS REVIEW
 

29 October 2024
 

 

• EUROPEAN DEVELOPMENTS

ATLANTIC ROUTE & SPAIN (InfoMigrants) Canary Islands: Four people rescued after days on ship’s rudder – Four people were rescued Saturday night near Gran Canaria, Spain, after spending six days at sea on the rudder of a ship, the regional news outlet Canarias7 reported on Sunday [27 October]. 

BALKAN ROUTE (CNA) The number of irregular immigrants to the EU through the Western Balkan routes is falling – According to the data of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (FRONTEX), the so-called “Western Balkan Route”, which also includes Albania, this year marked the largest decrease in people arriving irregularly, compared to all other main routes migration to the European Union. 

EXTERNAL PARTNERS (EUobserver) After years of delays, Libya’s EU-funded rescue centre set to become operational – Libya’s EU-funded search and rescue centre is soon set to become fully operational following years of delays, marking another step towards the externalisation of migration. 

EXTERNAL PARTNERS (Guardian) EU refuses to publish findings of Tunisia human rights inquiry – The European Commission is refusing to publish the findings of a human rights inquiry into Tunisia it conducted shortly before announcing a controversial migration deal with the increasingly authoritarian north African country. 

EXTERNAL PARTNERS (EUobserver) Egypt to register refugees itself, instead of relying on UN agency – “We are currently preparing ourselves for the transition from UNHCR, who since 1954 has been taking up some of the responsibility,” Wael Badawi, a senior migration official in Egypt's foreign affairs ministry, said on Tuesday [22 October]. Badawi said Egypt aims to adopt a law on refugees and asylum seekers this year, noting that it received input from the European Union Agency for Asylum. 

MEDITERRANEAN (Al Jazeera) Bodies of 16 migrants recovered off Tunisia’s eastern coast – “The bodies were found at the weekend and on Monday (…) The victims have not been identified because the bodies had decomposed,” said a senior official in the National Guard, Houssem Eddine Jebabli. 

• NATIONAL DEVELOPMENTS

BELGIUM (Soir) “Dangerous and unacceptable”: the relocation of the Immigration Office’s registration centre is causing tension among NGOs – The registration centre located on Avenue Pacheco is temporarily moving to Rue Belliard. A relocation that does not please NGOs. According to Riet Dhont of Vriendschap Zonder Grenzen (Friendship without Borders), the street is far too busy to host a registration centre for asylum seekers from all over the country. “There are cars speeding past, fast cyclists, and now also refugees, who are stuck between the barriers and the wall of Rue Belliard,” said Dhont.

CYPRUS (Philenews) Cyprus seeks EU solution for unaccompanied migrant minors – The Deputy Ministries of Migration and Asylum and Social Welfare are in advanced talks with European Union member states regarding the potential relocation of some unaccompanied minors, sources told Philenews. The initiative aims to promote EU solidarity and equal distribution of migration-related responsibilities. 

FINLAND (Daily Finland) Migri to reduce 2000 places at asylum centres by year-end – The Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) will reduce the capacity in the reception centres by 31 December this year, said Migri in a press release on Wednesday. The contracts for the more than 2,000 additional places will not be continued after 31 December 2024. No actual reception centres will be closed down due to the adjustments. 

FRANCE (Euractiv) France eyes tighter partnership with Morocco on return migration – The Elysée confirmed the issue of migration would be at the very centre of discussions during Emmanuel Macron’s State visit in Morocco. 

ITALY (ANSA) Italian judge gets ‘death threats’ over Albania centres case – Judge Silvia Albano, who did not authorise the detention of 12 asylum seekers taken to Albania, filed a judicial complaint on 24 October after receiving death threats.  

LUXEMBOURG (Luxembourg Times) Children’s rights should be key concern in asylum cases, ombudsman says – Luxembourg’s ombudsman for children has criticised the country’s asylum procedures, after a couple from Cameroon and their four-year-old daughter were evicted from accommodation and are facing deportation after refusing a voluntary return. 

NETHERLANDS (Reuters) Netherlands to limit asylum permits in bid to curb migration – The Netherlands will limit permits for asylum seekers to a maximum of three years and will introduce border controls next month, as part of a broader clampdown on asylum migration, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said on Friday. 

NETHERLANDS (Dutch News) Syrians protest in The Hague against plan to send back refugees – Hundreds of Syrians took to the streets of The Hague at the weekend to protest against the Dutch government’s plan to declare parts of the country safe to return to. The coalition parties want to identify so-called “safe” regions before the end of the year so that it can begin returning asylum seekers as part of a wider programme to reduce the number of refugees in the country. 

POLAND (Euractiv) Polish government insists new EU migration pact poses national security threat – “The Polish government has a critical approach to the Pact on Migration and Asylum. We believe that the proposed regulations do not solve the real problems related to migration,” the government's press service told Euractiv in a written statement. 

SWEDEN (Euractiv) To deter migration, Sweden calls for a better link between aid and migration policy – Aid policy should be more clearly linked to migration policy to encourage people who want to come to Sweden to stay in their own countries, the Swedish government and its far-right partner, the Sweden Democrats, announced Thursday [24 October]. 

SWITZERLAND (AP) Switzerland to close 9 centres for asylum seekers as fewer people arrive than expected – Swiss authorities said Tuesday they will shut nine temporary centres for asylum seekers because the number of people seeking asylum recently has been below expectations. 

UK (BBC) Man dies while trying to cross Channel to UK – According to the prefecture in Calais, the man was of Indian heritage and had a cardiac arrest after the boat he was in with about 50 other men, women and children deflated minutes after leaving the French shore. 

• FEATURE STORY 

GERMANY (Guardian) As a recent migrant to Germany I say this: the border clampdown is an insult to the values championed here – By hardening the borders and turning in on itself, Germany risks not only undermining the EU project and damaging its economy. It is also sacrificing its values. For ordinary citizens, like the staff and students at the VHS, this is not who we aspire to be. Germany faces a dangerous moment. The writing is quite literally on the wall. 

 

• IN OTHER NEWS

MIDDLE EAST (Enab Baladi) Syrians in Europe at the heart of a two-way policy – Syrian refugees in Europe find themselves facing increasing challenges posed by political efforts by officials calling for the deportation of refugees based on “safe areas” in Syria, while there is a legal trend that counteracts these efforts. 

Please note that the information included in the ECRE Press Review is taken from the public pages of media organisations’ websites. All sources are clearly attributed and ECRE does not claim any authorship over the content. The ECRE Press Review does not necessarily reflect ECRE’s views. If you have any comments or questions about the ECRE Press Review, please contact Ben Moore.

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