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PRESS REVIEW
10 September 2024
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EUROPEAN COMMISSION (EUobserver) EU commission on fence on whether Syria is safe for return of Syrian refugees – The European Commission has declined to say whether any parts of Syria are safe for the return of Syrian refugees, stating instead that it will follow the issue closely – as political pressure mounts to send people back.
EXTERNAL PARTNERS (AP) Rights group alleges Lebanon and Cyprus violated refugees’ human rights and EU funds paid for it – European aid sent to Lebanon in an attempt to regulate migration by sea is funding practices that violate human rights, according to a global watchdog report published Wednesday [4 September].
FRONTEX (DW) Rights groups criticize EU plans to strengthen Frontex – As the EU decides to strengthen Frontex and combat what it says is in part a Russia-orchestrated migrant crisis, activists fear the move could lead to pushbacks driving migrants back into authoritarian regimes.
See more (EUobserver) Frontex ‘dangerously’ overstretched despite billion euro budget – The EU’s border agency Frontex wants more funds to expand its operational footprint abroad, purchase drones, surveillance equipment, planes and helicopters.
FRONTEX (Anadolu Agency) Frontex’s executive director defends agency, denies allegations of pushbacks – Concerns have arisen over the agency’s transparency, particularly regarding its role in alleged human rights abuses.
FRONTEX (InfoMigrants) Sea rescue not a pull factor, says Frontex chief – The presence of NGO-run migrant rescue ships in the Mediterranean does not encourage migrants to attempt the dangerous sea crossing to Europe, the director of EU border guard agency Frontex has said. Research into the often alleged link supports his statement.
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BELGIUM (POLITICO) Belgium slams Hungarian plan to bus asylum seekers to Brussels – The proposal is a “provocation that contradicts European obligations,” says Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib.
See more (Euractiv) Belgium condemns Hungarian threat to bus migrants to Brussels – Belgium’s migration chief Nicole de Moor responded to the Hungarian government’s threat to send busloads of illegal immigrants to Brussels, saying it “undermines solidarity and cooperation within the [European] Union,” on Monday (9 September).
See more (EUobserver) Brussels’ mayor wants Belgium to stop Orban’s ‘migrant buses’ at border – The mayor of Brussels, Philippe Close, has said he wants any buses of migrants sent by Viktor Orban’s Hungarian government to Brussels to be stopped at the Belgian border.
BULGARIA (Balkan Insight) EU Border Force Officers Intimidated into Silence on Migrant Abuse in Bulgaria – Documents obtained by BIRN show that EU Frontex officers deployed to Bulgaria’s border with Turkey are being intimidated into silence in the face of pushbacks and brutality against migrants and refugees, prompting warnings that the agency’s credibility is on the line.
CROATIA (AP) A van apparently packed with migrants veers off a road in Croatia, injuring 14, including 7 children – A van apparently packed with migrants veered off a road and hit a lamp post in Croatia while speeding to escape police on Monday, injuring 14 people, police and doctors said.
DENMARK (VOA) Chinese activist risks deportation after Denmark rejects asylum bid – Chinese dissident Liu Dongling is at risk of deportation back to China after Denmark rejected her asylum application in June, a situation some rights advocates say reflects challenges Chinese dissidents face when seeking refuge abroad, especially in Europe.
FRANCE (RFI) French minister says EU, UK need ‘migration treaty’ after Channel deaths – France’s Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin called for a treaty on migration between the EU and Britain Tuesday, after 12 migrants died trying to cross the Channel in the worst such incident this year.
See more (BBC) Twelve die after migrant boat sinks in Channel – Six children and a pregnant woman were among 12 people who died after a boat carrying dozens of migrants sank off the French coast, in the English Channel.
GERMANY (Euractiv) Germany introduces checks at all borders, moves to refuse entry to migrants – Following increased political pressure, German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser announced on Monday (9 September) that she will introduce checks at all border crossings and develop a model to refuse entry to irregular migrants.
See more (Reuters) Germany tightens controls at all borders in immigration crackdown – Germany’s government announced plans to impose tighter controls at all of the country’s land borders in what it called an attempt to tackle irregular migration and protect the public from threats such as Islamist extremism.
GERMANY (BBC) German official suggests Rwanda scheme using UK facilities – Germany could make use of facilities funded by the UK to process some asylum seekers in Rwanda, the country’s migration agreements commissioner has suggested.
ITALY (InfoMigrants) Italian non-assistance likely led to shipwreck, claims NGO – Two days after a migrant shipwreck off Lampedusa, 21 people remain missing. The incident has sparked controversy, with Sea-Watch accusing Italian authorities of delaying assistance despite prior warnings of the boat being in distress.
See more (ANSA) Sant’Egidio urges more legal migration after deaths at sea – The Community of Sant’Egidio has called for more legal migration channels after over 20 people died off the Italian island of Lampedusa on September 2. Meanwhile, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has criticized the obstacles facing NGO rescue ships.
ITALY (ANSA) 60 migrants rescued by Frontex reach Lampedusa – Sixty migrants have reached the Sicilian island of Lampedusa after the two boats on which they were travelling were rescued by two cutters operated by EU border agency Frontex.
LATVIA (VOA) Russia weaponized migration to help bolster populists, say Latvian experts – European Union governments have accused Russia of “weaponizing” migration by helping illegal migrants cross into the EU, stoking political tensions in countries such as Finland, Poland and Latvia.
SPAIN (Euractiv) Madrid and the EU working on emergency plan to alleviate migration crisis – The Spanish government is working against the clock to come up with a temporary “strategic plan” to alleviate the severe migration crisis in the Canary Islands and the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in North Africa.
SPAIN (BBC) Venezuelan opposition leader lands in Spain after fleeing homeland – The opposition candidate in Venezuela’s recent presidential election has arrived in Spain after fleeing his homeland.
UK (Electronic Immigration Network) New report highlights barriers to healthcare access for asylum seekers and proposes framework for improvement – A report published last month by the British Red Cross reveals that people seeking asylum in England often face significant barriers to accessing adequate healthcare, despite their complex health needs.
UK (Big Issue) Asylum seeker still waiting for decision from Home Office after 16 years in limbo: ‘It's degrading’ – An asylum seeker has waited 16 years for a decision on their claim, the longest wait on record in Home Office figures obtained by the Big Issue.
UK (Guardian) Labour bid to ‘smash the gangs’ could add to death risk for Channel migrants – Government ‘hoping’ it will not have to create safe and legal route or change asylum law, says Home Office source.
See more (BBC) UK working with European police to tackle boat gangs – The UK government is “determined” to go after criminal people-smuggling gangs and is working with European police to prevent small boats crossing the English Channel, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has said.
UK (Guardian) Man jailed for smuggling people into UK who were found screaming for help – A people smuggler who was discovered after stowaways were heard screaming for help as they struggled for oxygen in a hidden compartment of his van has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.
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SPAIN (ANSA) ‘I wanted my son to be born in Europe’: Pregnant woman swims to Ceuta to give birth – A woman in her eighth month of pregnancy swam for two hours to reach the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in Morocco so her child could be born in Europe.
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EUROPEAN DEVELOPMENTS (CNA) Will Europe be able to ease the problem with immigrants? – Wearily, they exit the bus and enter the besieged temporary center in El Hierro, one of the Canary Islands. Spanish police register each one, reading the number on a wristband given to them at the port.
UKRAINE (Voxeurop) Fleeing war, finding exploitation: Ukraine’s refugees in Europe – Widespread exploitation of Ukrainian refugees in host nations’ labour markets undermines the European narrative of seamless integration.
UK (Guardian) The big idea: why we’re getting the immigration debate all wrong – It’s not a problem that people want to come to the UK – it’s a major competitive advantage.
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