Europe’s human rights watchdog urges Greece to end ‘pushbacks’ of migrants
Athens has consistently denied the pushback allegations, maintaining that its border control measures comply with international law.
pushbacks
Greece must face punishment over abuses against migrants, Frontex official says
Athens has 13 open cases into alleged human rights violations involving migrants, the single largest number of incidents across the bloc.
Hamoudi v Frontex: Advocate General Norkusโ Opinion – Reversing the Burden of Proof and the Presumption of Frontexโs Privileged Access to Evidence
Antje Kunst*
*Antje Kunst is
an international lawyer and barrister of Garden Court North Chambers, admitted
to the Bar of England and Wales, and the Bar of Berlin, advising and
representing individuals in a wide range of matters related to …
EU border agency threatens to slash Greece funding amid alleged illegal pushbacks of migrants
Greece has the highest number of open investigations on its practices across the European Union.
Poland shuts asylum door at Belarus border with EU backing
Warsaw will suspend protection for new asylum seekers crossing into Poland from Belarus, PM Donald Tusk says.
Poland accused of brutality as Belarus border crackdown escalates
The EU has poured millions into Polandโs border enforcement โ even as human rights groups accuse Warsaw of illegal pushbacks.
Hamoudi v Frontex, an EU Courts pushback case: Shifting the burden of proof and a duty to assist the Court (a duty of candour?)
Antje Kunst*
* Antje Kunst is
an international lawyer and barrister of Garden Court North Chambers, admitted
to the Bar of England and Wales, and the Bar of Berlin, advising and
representing individuals in a wide range of matters related to…
Conservative victory could spell disaster for Germanyโs health workforce
Medics fear his tough stance on immigration could push vital international health workers to leave the country.
EU borders recorded over 120,000 migrant pushbacks in 2024, says report by NGOs
According to a new report, the number of pushbacks in Europe has risen “sharply” in recent years to the point of becoming a “systematic” practice.
Hands On, Eyes Closed? CJEU Grand Chamber hearing on Frontexโs role in unlawful pushbacks (WS and Others v Frontex, C-679/23 P)
Jan-Hendrik Seelow, Dutch
Council for Refugees*
*The Dutch Council for Refugees has
closely worked with the applicantโs counsel to support the case from the
beginning Photo credit: Francesco Placco, via Wikimedia Commons
Introduction
It is a f…
Syrian family sues Frontex over illegal pushbacks in landmark EU court case
Syrian family sues Frontex over illegal pushbacks in landmark EU court case
Greece guilty of โsystematicโ pushback of asylum seekers, court rules
In โpotentially trailblazingโ decision, European court of human rights finds country engaging in illicit deportationsThe European court of human rights has found Greece guilty of conducting โsystematicโ pushbacks of would-be asylum seekers, ordering it…
Trump shrugs off โsmartโ Elon Muskโs European meddling
US president-elect says DOGE pick “doing a very good job” amid beef with numerous foreign governments.
Greece systematically pushing back migrants, rules ECHR
This is the first time a court has confirmed the systematic nature of Greece’s violations of migrants’ rights.
The post Greece systematically pushing back migrants, rules ECHR appeared first on Euractiv.
Brussels allows member states to limit access to asylumย
Regarding pushbacks, member states’ measures must align with EU law, the Commission said.
The post Brussels allows member states to limit access to asylumย appeared first on Euractiv.
Puigdemont joins forces with Spanish right as he enters political โcold warโ with Sรกnchez
In todayโs edition of the Capitals, find out more about Romaniaโs pro-European parties starting coalition talks, Human Rights Watch urging EU action against Polandโs illegal pushbacks, and so much more.ย
The post Puigdemont joins forces with Spanish ri…
Human Rights Watch urges EU action against Polandโs illegal pushbacks
HRW reported 87 people died near the border between September 2021 and October 2024.
The post Human Rights Watch urges EU action against Polandโs illegal pushbacks appeared first on Euractiv.
Von der Leyenโs holiday to Greece prompts criticism from top EU watchdog
The European Commission took way too long to provide documents about the trip, European Ombudsman says.
Pyrrhic victory for the Greek government: the CJEU rules on Turkey as a โsafe third countryโ
Professor Steve Peers, Royal Holloway University of London
Photo credit: Mstyslav Chernov, via Wikimedia
Commons
Hamster idiom credit: Adam Sharp
(Thanks to Zoe Gardner for discussion of the case;
the following analysis is my own)
Introduc…
The EU is helping Turkey forcibly deport migrants to Syria and Afghanistan
European taxpayers finance ill-treatment and forced expulsion, an investigation found.
Greece โ the country that lets people escape justice
Cover-ups, botched investigations and a general feeling of impunity set alarm bells ringing.
Greek coastguard fires on migrant boat, one dead
A 39-year-old migrant was found dead on Friday (23 August) after the Greek coastguard opened fire on a vessel carrying migrants off the island of Symi in the eastern Aegean Sea, authorities said.
Does Finland’s new migration bill break international law? | Radio Schuman
The Finnish government has approved a migration law which enables border guards to block migrants from entering the country. A move seen by many civil society organisations as legalisation of so-called ‘pushbacks’.
After Finland legalised migrant pushbacks, many fear a ‘dangerous precedent’
Finland’s new law to deal with cases of instrumentalised migration has set alarm bells ringing for its far-reaching provisions.
Finlandโs deportation law puts EUโs migration norms to the test
Human rights organizations sound the alarm over the controversial measure.
Greeceโs watchdog summons head of coast guard to explain deadly shipwreck
As many as 650 people may have died in the June 2023 disaster.
A more humane approach to asylum is in Europeโs interest
In the coming years, thereโs a real opportunity for fresh thinking that both protects those seeking safety and benefits newcomers and EU citizens alike.
Recent asylum case law of the CJEU: Distinction, Integration or Extension from ‘Mainstream’ EU law?
Professor Steve Peers, Royal Holloway University of
London
Photo credit: Luxofluxo, via Wikimedia Commons
Introduction
While attention has been focussed
on the overhaul of EU law on asylum โ which I have analysed in an upcoming
article…
Greek coastguardโs treatment of migrants โclearly illegalโ, says ex-officer
BBC records former special operations chief saying abandoning people at sea was an โinternational crimeโA former Greek coastguard officer has described as โclearly illegalโ the actions of colleagues who abandoned nine migrants at sea in one of 15 alleg…
Greece denies report on migrant resettlement deal with the US
โThere is neither an agreement nor a request from the U.S. to resettle legal immigrants in Greece,โ said the Greek migration minister.
Hope is like the sun: Court of Justice ruling extends right to family reunification for refugee minors
Chiara De Capitani (PhD)
is a linguist agent at the European Commission and member of Amnesty
International Belgique francophoneโs Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
(OSIG) coordination. The views, thoughts and opinions expressed in this paper
are …
The new EU asylum laws, part 6: the new Dublin rules on responsibility for asylum-seekers
Professor Steve Peers,
Royal Holloway, University of London
Photo credit: Ggia, via Wikimedia Commons(last updated 10 June 2024: changed text marked by an asterisk)Just before Christmas, the
European Parliament and the Council (the EU body consi…
Polish border โpushbacksโ back in spotlight after pregnant womanโs ordeal
Activists say little has changed in treatment of migrants and refugees under Donald Tuskโs new governmentThe case of a woman from Eritrea who was forced to give birth alone in the forested border area between Poland and Belarus has raised questions abo…
The new Screening Regulation โ part 5 of the analysis of new EU asylum laws
Professor Steve
Peers, Royal Holloway University of London
Photo credit: Rock Cohen, via Wikimedia
Commons(Amended on 14 May and 10 and 18 June 2024 – changed sentences marked with an asterisk)
Just before Christmas, the European
Parliament and…
Migration Pact โcomes at expense of human rightsโ, Amnesty International warns
The Asylum and Migration Pact adopted by the European Parliament on Wednesday (10 April) will โweaken the right to asylumโ and enshrine in law an ailing approach to migration policy, Eve Geddie, head of Amnesty Internationalโs Brussels office, told Eur…
Migrant pushbacks inside EU to be codified in law, say critics
The EU is set to pass a law allowing police to return suspected irregular migrants to bordering EU member states โ in what critics are describing as internal pushbacks based on racial profiling.
EUโs Johansson dismisses need to reform Frontex
There is no need to reform the EUโs border and coastguard agency known as Frontex, EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson said on Monday in Madrid, despite years of scandals, criticisms, and allegations of inaction, complicity in illegal pushbacks…
Rule of law in Greece is marred by violence, pushbacks, and humanitarians on trial
Walking the corridors of European institutions, we pass posters and banners trumpeting our continentโs commitment to rights, freedoms, and justice.
These should be values we live, not words we use when politically expedient, MEP Cornelia Ernst and Spy…
Videos show migrants stripped of clothing in freezing temperatures at Serbian border
Exclusive: footage of semi-naked men is evidence of increasing abuse during illegal pushbacks on Europeโs borders, say rights groupsVideos appearing to show groups of men stripped of their clothing in near-freezing temperatures and being forced back fr…
Former EU border agency chief joins Franceโs far-right RN
The former director of the EU border agency Frontex, Fabrice Leggeri, announced Saturday (17 February) he had joined France’s far-right National Rally (RN).
How a Syrian refugee is standing up to brutal Croatian pushbacks in court
Sami Barkal filmed border guards beating fellow asylum seekers and is challenging Croatia in Europeโs court of human rightsA Syrian refugee who secretly filmed Croatian border guards beating his travel companions is to take Croatiaโs authorities to the…
Migrant return bill ‘obstructed’ as EU states mull new position
EU states may drop their 2019 position on a bill on returning rejected migrants and instead put forward new ideas that include “innovative solutions” to work around illegal pushbacks.
Responsibility in Joint Returns after WS and Others v Frontex: Letting the Active By-Stander Off the Hook
Melanie Fink and Jorrit J
Rijpma
Melanie Fink is APART-GSK Fellow of the Austrian Academy of
Sciences, Central European University and Assistant Professor, Europa
Institute, Leiden University
Jorrit Rijpma is Professor of EU law, Europa Inst…
EU judges slam Franceโs migrant pushbacks
Ruling examines decision to shut French border to non-EU nationals.
EU Commission defends Baltic states accused of pushbacks
The European Commission has defended policies enacted by Latvia and Lithuania to stem migration at their shared borders with Belarus โ despite widespread criticism that the Baltic EU states are trampling on asylum rights.
Greece normalised pushbacks during COVID-19, expert rescuer says
The first COVID-19 lockdown, combined with a rise in anti-immigration rhetoric has resulted in systemic pushbacks by the Hellenic Coast Guard, sea rescue expert Giannis Skenderoglou told EURACTIV in an interview.
EU, Tunisia sign โstrategicโ deal on migration, economy
The European Union and Tunisia on Sunday (16 July) signed a memorandum of understanding for a “strategic and comprehensive partnership” on irregular migration, economic development and renewable energy. The deal, which includes financial as…
Libyan militia illegally returned 250 migrants near Malta
A vessel belonging to the militia of Libyan warlord Khalifa Haftar illegally returned about 250 migrants onboard a fishing boat in distress in Malta’s waters to Benghazi, in an operation at the weekend.
Create new Europe-wide migrant rescue mission, EU parties implore
European parliamentarians proposed a cross-party motion in the wake of a deadly migrant shipwreck in Greece.