Do you want to receive this or other newsletters from ECRE? You can subscribe by following this link.
- INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENTS
SCHENGEN VISA (Naija247 News) “Nigerians Demand 50% Refunds for Visa Denials as EU Earns €3.4M from Schengen Rejections” – Marta Foresti, founder of LAGO Collective and senior visiting fellow at the Overseas Development Institute, emphasized the tangible consequences of visa inequality, stating that the world’s poorest bear the brunt of these costs. She likened the costs of rejected visas to “reverse remittances,” where money flows from poor to rich countries. Foresti called for a shift in discourse to acknowledge and address these hidden costs associated with aid and migration discussions.
See more (EUobserver) EU cashes in on €130m in rejected visa applications – The total sum is likely to increase in 2024 since the visa application fee to travel to the EU will increase from €80 to €90 for adults on 11 June, following a recent decision by the EU Commission.
BALKAN ROUTE (InfoMigrants) Hungary’s ‘legal’ pushbacks lead to more border violence – Radoš Đurović, a lawyer and executive director of the Asylum Protection Center (APC), a Serbian NGO, told InfoMigrants that “physical barriers, pushbacks and violence have been happening for many years, but now they have skyrocketed.” When migrants and refugees are sent back to Serbia, rather than to their countries of origin, they often remain in a precarious situation and are likely to try again.
EASTERN BORDERS (Reuters) Tensions flare on Poland-Belarus border as more migrants arrive – Poland and the European Union have accused Belarus and Russia of trying to spread chaos since 2021, opens new tab by pushing migrants over the frontier in what Warsaw calls a “hybrid war”. Minsk and Moscow have dismissed the accusations.
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ELECTIONS (Euractiv) EU elections: Capitals affected more than EU Parliament – The results of the EU elections have had a bigger impact on many EU countries than the European Parliament itself. The new balances in the EU Parliament show that a steady pro-EU coalition is a realistic scenario despite the rise of far-right across Europe.
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ELECTIONS (Euractiv) UN warns of ‘politicised’ migration after EU’s far-right tilt – The United Nations’ refugees chief denounced Monday [10 June] the politicisation of migration in European elections, warning that demonising refugees would only make the issue more difficult to deal with.
EXTERNAL PARTNERS (Washington Post) Stranded migrants confront violence and despair as Tunisia partners to keep them from Europe – Migrants will likely continue to transit through Tunisia and Karbai said Saied uses them as fodder for populist rhetoric that positions him as a defender of struggling Tunisians and also to secure more assistance from Europe.
EXTERNAL PARTNERS (DW) Migrants turn to Mauritania as new EU transit route – Thousands of Africans continue to try to reach Europe either over the Sahara Desert or by sea, facing inhumane conditions. The EU wants to discourage the trend, but migrants are increasingly going through Mauritania.
MEDITERRANEAN (Al Jazeera) ‘Bloody policies’: MSF recovers 11 bodies from Mediterranean off Libya – “As we cannot determine the reason behind this tragedy, we know that people will continue to take dangerous routes in a desperate attempt to reach safety, and Europe must find safe and legal pathways for them,” MSF said in a post on X. “This catastrophe must end!”
BELGIUM (Soir) Asylum and migration: report denounces persistent violation of rights in Belgium – Based on data collected from October 2023 to March 2024, the report warns of the situation of applicants for international protection (mainly single men) on the streets in Brussels, the lack of reception, protection, and access to services medical.
CYPRUS (Cyprus Mail) Syrian asylum seekers waiting five years for applications to be processed – Syrian asylum seekers in Cyprus are waiting up to five years for their applications to be processed, a human rights report revealed on Friday [7 June]. In the report, Ombudswoman Maria Stylianou Lottides urged the asylum service to improve its communication with applicants and adhere to legislative requirements regarding information dissemination.
GERMANY (Euractiv) Germany vows to deport crime-committing migrants to Afghanistan – Germany wants to start deporting migrants who commit crimes on its territory to their home countries, including Afghanistan, following a suspected Islamist knife attack in late May, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Thursday [6 June].
GERMANY (InfoMigrants) Germany: Deportations up by 30% – Germany has deported 6,316 people so far this year, up from 4,792 during the same period last year. Total deportation figures for last year were recorded at 16,430, while in 2022, an estimated 12,945 people were deported.
GREECE (EUobserver) Greece issues arrest warrant for Norwegian helping refugees – Human rights defender Tommy Olsen, from Norway, is facing up to 20 years in prison after Greece issued a national warrant for his arrest last month. Olsen runs the Aegean Boat Report, a Norwegian non-governmental organisation (NGO) set up in 2018 to monitor and share data on people seeking refuge on the Greek islands.
ITALY (InfoMigrants) Migrant rescue organization wins court case in Italy – An Italian court has ruled that the seizure of a rescue ship earlier this year was “illegitimate and invalid”. The Sea-Eye 4 was impounded in March by Italian authorities who alleged the crew had not followed the orders of Libya’s coast guard.
IRELAND (RTE News) Number of asylum seeker tents at Leeson St doubles since Friday – The Irish Refugee Council, which advocates for refugees, has warned the figure is likely to breach 2000 in coming days. It said the Government's response was inadequate and that kilometres of what it called “ugly fencing” would not solve this issue.
NETHERLANDS (NL Times) EU court advises Netherlands not to fine refugees for failing integration exams – The case revolves around a man from Eritrea who was recognized as a refugee in the Netherlands at age 17 and obliged to participate in an integration program at 18. Because he did not pass the final exam within four years, the Dutch government fined him 500 euros. He also had to repay the 10,000 euros that the government had lent him to take courses.
UK (BBC) Refugees sent to Rwanda from remote UK island speak to BBC – A group of migrants was transferred to Rwanda from a remote UK territory by the British government over a year ago. They say they feel isolated and unsafe - with one describing the African country as an “open prison”.
UK (BBC) Whitehall union challenges Rwanda law – The union for senior civil servants has told the High Court its members could be made to break the law, under the government’s plan to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda. The union says Civil Service rules mean they must abide by all laws, including orders from the Strasbourg-based court.
|
