PRESS REVIEW
 

 

• INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENTS

SYRIA (Al Jazeera) UN urges patience as European countries suspend Syrian asylum decisions – The United Nations high commissioner for refugees calls for “patience and vigilance” in returning Syrian refugees to Syria after the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad.

See more (Reuters) UN refugee chief urges patience as Syrian refugees weigh options – The U.N. refugee chief on Monday [9 December] called for patience as millions of Syrian refugees displaced by the 13-year civil war weigh a possible return to the country after the toppling of autocratic president Bashar al-Assad.

• EUROPEAN DEVELOPMENTS

SYRIA (AP) Germany and other European countries suspend decisions on Syrians’ asylum bids after Assad’s fall – Germany and several other European countries said Monday [9 December] they are suspending decisions on asylum claims by Syrian nationals because of the unclear situation in their homeland following the fall of Bashar Assad.

See more (BBC) Syrian asylum seekers in limbo as countries stop applications – A number of European countries, including the UK, have suspended the processing of asylum applications for Syrians, after the downfall of former president Bashar al-Assad.

See more (Euractiv) EU member states halt Syrian asylum applications following Assad regime fall – The decision of some European Union member states to halt asylum application processes for Syrians has led to questions on the future of Syrian refugees already in the EU.

See more (France 24) European countries suspend Syrian asylum bids following Assad’s fall – A growing number of European countries including Austria, Britain, Germany, Sweden and Norway on Monday [9 December] announced they were suspending their processing of Syrian asylum applications after rebels ousted the country’s dictator Bashar al-Assad over the weekend [7-8 December].

See more (Guardian) UK and other European states suspend Syrians’ asylum applications – The UK and other European countries have said they will suspend the processing of asylum applications from Syrians after the fall of the Assad regime in Damascus, with Austria already preparing a “repatriation and deportation” programme to the country.

See more (Monde) Several European countries suspend Syrians’ asylum requests – Several European countries, including Germany, France, Austria and several Nordic countries, said on Monday, December 9, that they would freeze all pending asylum requests from Syrians, a day after former president Bashar al-Assad was ousted.

See more (Reuters) European countries put Syrian asylum bids on hold after Assad’s fall – European countries put asylum applications from Syrians on hold until further notice on Monday [9 December] after rebels seized the Syrian capital and President Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia following 13 years of civil war.

See more (EUobserver) Syria not yet ‘safe’ for return of refugees, says EU commission – With Syrians topping the list of nationalities of asylum seekers in Europe, the dramatic fall of Bashar Assad’s regime is posing questions on their fate.

See more (Euractiv) EU urges peaceful transition in Syria, but faces engagement dilemma – While the European Union on Monday (9 December) urged a peaceful political transition in Syria, the bloc will need to solve the tricky puzzle whom to engage or not engage with in the aftermath of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's ouster.

See more (Euronews) EU holds off contact with Syrian liberators after Assad fall pending ‘actions’ – The fall of Bashir al-Assad’s dictatorial regime has forced the European Union to review its long-standing policy on Syria.

See more (Reuters) Turkey to open border gate for safe return of Syrians, Erdogan says – Türkiye is opening its Yayladagi border gate with Syria to manage the safe and voluntary return of the millions of Syrians it hosts, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday [9 December], after President Bashar al-Assad’s sudden ouster by rebels.

ATLANTIC ROUTE (Vanguardia) The Spanish migration route is widening due to the increase in arrivals of Asians – The punctual arrivals of Asians – mainly Pakistanis and Bangladeshis, and to a lesser extent Afghans and Syrians – in the Canary Islands on boats coming from the coasts of Mauritania at the beginning of summer are becoming increasingly common in recent months of the year.

EU EASTERN BORDERS (EUobserver) New Russia-Belarus visa pact spooks EU over migrants – A pending mutual recognition of visas between Russia and Belarus is sparking fears more people will try crossing into the EU to ask for protection.

EU EXTERNAL PARTNERS (EUobserver) Commission to enforce human rights criteria under EU-Tunisia deal – The European Commission is setting specific conditions linked to the respect of human rights on future budget support under the EU-Tunisia deal, an official told MEPs in the human rights subcommittee during a debate on Wednesday (4 December).

EU EXTERNAL PARTNERS (EUobserver) Frontex boat sightings led to at least nine interceptions by Libyan militia – A notorious Libyan militia intercepted refugee boats at least eight times in 2023 and another earlier this year following initial sightings by the EU’s border agency Frontex.

See more (InfoMigrants) Libya’s coast guard has intercepted and returned nearly 21,000 migrants in 2024 – The Libyan coast guard, supported by the European Union, continues to intercept people trying to cross the Mediterranean and return them to Libya, despite international organisations repeatedly insisting that the North African state is not a safe place.

CHANNEL (Guardian) Police raid migrant smuggling ring accused over small boat Channel crossings – Police have carried out dawn raids in several cities in Germany and France in an internationally coordinated operation to smash a network accused of smuggling people to Britain in small boats.

• NATIONAL DEVELOPMENTS

AUSTRIA (POLITICO) Austria prepares to deport Syrian migrants after Assad regime falls – Austria prepares to deport Syrians after Assad regime falls.

AUSTRIA and GERMANY (Euractiv) Germany and Austria freeze Syrian asylum applications, local media report – The decision comes as millions of refugees are now able to return to Syria following the fall of al-Assad’s regime.

FRANCE (Guardian) French authorities rescue 85 migrants trying to cross Channel – The French navy rescued 85 people trying to cross the Channel from France to England on Wednesday [4 December], maritime authorities said, the latest in a deadly series of dangerous crossings.

GERMANY (Euractiv) Fears of anti-refugee election campaign in Germany after collapse of Assad regime – Regime change in Syria is impacting refugees in Europe, as Germany’s opposition questioned the protection of Syrians seeking asylum and government lawmakers warned against exploiting the issue in elections.

GREECE (To Vima) Pylos Shipwreck: Greece Shunned Evidence, Jailed Innocent Migrants – Greece imprisoned 9 people for over a year on trumped-up charges of smuggling in connection to the Pylos Shipwreck, says a special investigation by Solomon and ARIJ, and published by El País, Die Tageszeitung, and the New Humanitarian.

IRELAND (Journal) Asylum seekers in tented accommodation to be moved indoors temporarily during storm – Some people seeking asylum living in tented accommodation have been moved indoors temporarily while weather warnings are in place. 

See more (Journal) Dozens in tents outside Dáil seeking international protection to be re-housed – A large number of people are to be re-accommodated after they set up at least 60 tents outside the Dáil in Dublin.

ITALY (ANSA) Italy: Tough migration decree becomes law – The Italian Senate this week [2-8 December] passed the Migrant Flows Decree. But a council of senior judges immediately rejected a provision known as the “Musk law”.

ITALY (Reuters) Italy’s top court to take weeks to rule on Albanian migrant camps plan – Italy’s supreme court heard cases related to the government’s plan to divert people to Albania on Wednesday [4 December], but will take weeks to rule on its legitimacy, sources said, leaving Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's flagship initiative in limbo.

LITHUANIA (LRT) Lithuania’s incoming interior minister plans to continue migrant pushbacks – Lithuania’s Interior Minister-designate Vladislav Kondratovič says he will continue the controversial policy of pushing back people into Belarus.

NETHERLANDS (Netherlands Times) Lawyers raise alarms over asylum minister’s rush to push out new legislation – The Netherlands Dutch Association (NOvA) has strongly criticised the rapid pace at which Minister Marjolein Faber (Asylum and Migration) is pushing new asylum laws. The NOvA warns that the speed, limited consultation process, and confidentiality surrounding the proposed legislation could severely compromise the quality of the country’s legal framework.

POLAND (Euronews) Poland says it will maintain strict asylum policy during EU presidency – Over the last three years, Poland has faced an increase of attempted border crossings from Belarus, prompting stronger security measures and ongoing discussions over migration policies.

SPAIN (Euractiv) Sánchez, centre-right, failed to reach a deal on ‘solidarity sharing’ of migrant minors – The government of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and the centre-right Partido Popular failed on Thursday [5 December] to reach an agreement for the country’s regions to take in hundreds of unaccompanied minors under a solidarity quota scheme.

SWEDEN (Euractiv) Sweden to track refugees travelling to their home countries – The Swedish government on Thursday [5 December] ordered several agencies to monitor the travel patterns of refugees to ensure asylum protection is not abused by those who may no longer be in need of protection.

UK (BBC) UK pauses decisions on Syrian asylum claims – The UK has paused decisions on Syrian asylum claims, after the country’s President Bashar al-Assad was overthrown.

UK (Guardian) Home Office says only half of UK asylum decisions meet its quality standards – Only half of the Home Office’s recent asylum decisions have met its own internal quality checks, significantly fewer than before Rishi Sunak’s push to clear a backlog of old claims.

UK (Guardian) Home Office trial doubles time refugees have to find home before eviction – Charities and politicians have welcomed a Home Office trial that will double the number of days refugees have to find a home before being evicted from asylum accommodation.

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.

This email was sent to <<<<Email Address>>>>