EU gears up for tariffs and Ukraine peace plans on Trumpโs first day
Also in this newsletter: How criminals are circumventing the crackdown on cocaine smuggling in Antwerp
smuggling
11 deadly trip wires for Keir Starmer as UK politics roars back
MPs are returning to parliament afresh in 2025. But numerous dangers lurk for the British government.
WHO chief at Yemen airport during deadly Israeli air strike
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was about to board his plane when the airport was hit.
Polish government hits back at migration policy critics
The ministry saidย Belarusโ smuggling of migrants aims to destabilise the EU.
The post Polish government hits back at migration policy critics appeared first on Euractiv.
EU states to vote on smuggling rules amid fears of harming migrants and aid efforts
The proposal introduces an offence targeting “public instigation,” addressing those who deliberately encourage migrants to violate EU migration laws.
The post EU states to vote on smuggling rules amid fears of harming migrants and aid efforts appeared …
The controversial EU-level talks on borders, smuggling and asylum procedures
In this episode, host Giada Santana and Euractiv’s politics reporter Nicoletta Ionta look at the controversial migration debates at the EU level and their potential outcomes.
The post The controversial EU-level talks on borders, smuggling and asylum pr…
PMQs: Starmer wins by taking migration fight to Badenoch
Kemi Badenoch ripped into the government’s migration plans โ but the PM could easily point to the Tories’ own record.
UK and Germany agree to joint action against people-smuggling gangs
UK and Germany agree to joint action against people-smuggling gangs
Germany to tighten people-smuggling law in UK deal
The Joint Action Plan sees Germany commit to making it easier to prosecute those facilitating people-smuggling to the UK.
The Councilโs position on proposed EU law on migrant smuggling: cynical political theatre?
Professor Steve Peers, Royal Holloway University of
London
Photo credit: Ggia,
via Wikimedia Commons
Introduction
Member Statesโ ministers (the EU
Council) are likely to agree a negotiating position this week on replacement of
existing EU law …
French Navy rescues 85 migrants trying to cross the Channel
More than 70 migrants have died trying to cross the Channel to Britain this year, according to the Pas-de-Calais authorities. Tens of thousands more have reached Britain, whose government has vowed to crack down on people-smuggling gangs.
Police raid migrant smuggling ring accused over small boat Channel crossings
More than 500 officers participated in the operation, which was co-ordinated with British, French and European agenciesPolice have carried out dawn raids in several cities in Germany and France in an internationally coordinated operation to smash a net…
A single point of failure
Why Europe’s diamond control node undermines African sovereignty and the Kimberley Process
UK to sign new agreements on people smuggling with Western Balkan countries
The UK government says that almost 100,000 migrants from third countries transited through the Western Balkans last year, making it “a key route used by those who end up in the EU or UK illegally”.
‘Merchants of death’ people-smuggling gang jailed
The conviction of members of the prolific smuggling gang is the culmination of a Europe-wide operation.
‘Merchants of death’ people-smuggling gang jailed
The conviction of members of the prolific smuggling gang is the culmination of a Europe-wide operation.
French court convicts 18 people in major migrant smuggling trial
French court convicts 18 people in major migrant smuggling trial
French court convicts 18 in migrant-smuggling trial
The defendants were detained in a pan-European police operation in 2022 that led to dozens of arrests and the seizure of boats, life jackets, outboard engines and cash.
UK’s Starmer to double border security funding to curb Channel migrant crossings
Prime Minister Keir Starmer will announce plans on Monday to double UK border security funding and treat people-smuggling gangs as terror networks to curb Channel crossings. Addressing Interpol, he will call the gangs a โserious threat to global secur…
Everyoneโs tough on drugs again
Traffickers are to blame, the candidates say. Virtually no oneโs talking about treatment.
Why Georgiaโs EU future is on the ballot in historic parliament vote
Also in this newsletter: Russian migrant-smuggling ring busted
How one engineer beat the ban on home computers in socialist Yugoslavia
In Lewis Packwoodโs book Curious Video Game Machines, Voja Antoniฤ explains how he built a console and published instructions for anyone to make their ownVery few Yugoslavians had access to computers in the early 1980s: they were mostly the preserve of…
The โnorth Cyprus trapโ: migrant students lured with false promises
Government in the south condemns people-smuggling into EU from Turkish-occupied zone
‘Merchants of death’ trial steps up fight against Channel smugglers
A court case involving 33 alleged members of a Kurdish smuggling gang is under way in northern France.
‘Merchants of death’ trial steps up fight against Channel smugglers
A court case involving 33 alleged members of a Kurdish smuggling gang is under way in northern France.
Trump allies rage at UK Labour help for Kamala Harris. Thereโs more to come.
Some U.S. progressives see Britain’s Keir Starmer as a lone center-left warrior if Donald Trump wins.
EU announces 30-million-euro package to prevent irregular migration from Senegal
The European Commission already funds a 5.75-million-euro project strengthening the capacity of Senegalese security forces to combat irregular immigration, trafficking and migrant smuggling.
Eurocrats canโt read Boris Johnsonโs memoir because of โฆ Brexit
“Itโs ironic,โ says Brussels bookseller.
The Place Where War in the Middle East Will be Won or Lost
The Biden administration is taking action in the West Bank, but it may be too late.
EU must confront Azerbaijan at COP29 over human rights crackdown, top NGOs demand
The fossil fuel-rich climate summit host has said criticism of their domestic record is merely foreign ‘provocations.’
Child โtrampledโ to death among fatalities on Channel boat, says French minister
Young child reportedly found on overcrowded boat trying to cross Channel, hours after G7 countries agree plan to combat smuggling gangsA two-year-old child was crushed to death and three other migrants died in two attempts to cross the Channel from Fra…
Macron tried to punish me for Brexit, Boris Johnson complains
Former British prime minister says Macron “would notย hesitate to put his Cuban-heeled bootee into Brexit Britain.”
How sailors say they were tricked into smuggling cocaine by a British man
The BBC sets out to find the man allegedly behind a plot to smuggle 1.2 tonnes of cocaine to Europe.
โAll must be beheadedโ: Revelations of atrocities at French energy giantโs African stronghold
Mozambican soldiers operating out of TotalEnergies’ natural gas plant abducted, raped and killed dozens of civilians.
โPablo Escobar of beaversโ calls on Polandโs Tusk to cover dams, not shoot animals
The wildlife manager โย and self-professed “good guy” โ says Warsaw does not need to kill beavers to protect its dams.
German police arrest four over alleged people smuggling
A total of 400 police officers took part in the operation, which involved federal police, the public prosecutor’s office, and central customs authorities.
Even Britainโs left-wing government seeks lessons from Giorgia Meloni
Keir Starmer wants to ape Italy on tackling irregular migration. He should brace for controversy.
UK Starmer pledges migration cooperation with Meloni ahead of Italy talks
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged a “new era” of cooperation to tackle people smuggling gangs, ahead of talks with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Starmer, prioritising European relations since his July election win, will emphasize ta…
Bulgaria seizes โฌ5 million worth of gold on border with Turkey
Bulgaria, being a key transit point for drugs traveling from the Middle East to Western Europe, has ramped up its efforts in recent years to combat drug trafficking and smuggling.
Libya migration: Trafficking in folly
The EU is trusting those benefiting from human smuggling and trafficking through Libya to stop it. Unsurprisingly, the result is shaky and unsustainable, writes Anrike Visser.
UK and Germany plan new treaty as part of post-Brexit ‘reset’
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his German counterpart Olaf Scholz agreed on plans for a bilateral treaty, as well as discussing aid for Ukraine and how to crack down on migrant smuggling.
Sex, drugs andโฆ paperwork: Brexit steals spotlight from British bands
A diminishing number of grassroots U.K. musicians are performing at the continentโs festivals.
Can Britainโs Labour Party teach Kamala Harris how to win?
From immigration to housing and confronting the left, new U.K. PM Keir Starmer appears to offer a playbook for victory to the Democrats in the U.S.
UK announces new measures to crack down on migrant crossings from France
The UK on Wednesday announced new measures to curb the number of migrants from arriving illegally from France via the English Channel. The measures include recruiting specialist officers tasked with dismantling smuggling gangs and sanctioning employer…
A paradise for corruption: Britain tries to clean up its dirtiest secret
The British Virgin Islands mix fun in the sun with dark money. Will the UK’s new Labour government act?
โThis is breaking himโ: Putinโs prisoner swap leaves hundreds behind
The deal that freed Evan Gershkovich was bittersweet for those political detainees still trapped in Russia.
Bulgaria failing to tackle medicine smuggling from Asia, putting patients at risk [Advocacy Lab Content]
Local authorities are failing to crack down on illegal imports of medicines from Asia. A truck smuggling 114,000 packages of medicines has been seized by Bulgarian authorities at a Turkish-Bulgarian border crossing.
Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskiy salutes Joe Bidenโs โunwavering supportโ
Russians claim capture of two villages; squeeze on smuggling of chips through Chinese territory to Russia is having effect. What we know on day 880Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Ukraineโs president, has released a statement after Joe Biden stood down from the US…
Spy-linked Russians restart trade with German toolmaker
Heller Tools exported machinery to entities linked to a covert FSB smuggling network
Ukraine war briefing: Germany to halve military aid to Kyiv, draft budget reportedly shows
Weโll fight on regardless of Washington support, says Ukrainian defence minister; US jails Russian military parts smuggler. What we know on day 876Germany plans to halve its military aid to Ukraine in 2025, to โฌ4bn, despite concerns over continued US s…
Von der Leyen will skip Britainโs biggest European summit in years
New U.K. leader Keir Starmer is hosting the European Political Community this week. EU officials wish he wasnโt.ย
Ukraine seizes cargo ship, alleging grain shipments via Crimea
The vessel under flag of Cameroon is suspected of visiting Sevastopol in November 2023 and May of this year.
6 things UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer wants to fix in his first month
Britain’s new leader already has an overflowing in-tray.
Why a disillusioned, angry Britain voted for change
A tour of Britain’s provincial towns reveals a restless nation with no love for its political class.
Calaisโ Jungle is gone, but the migrants keep coming
French and British efforts to stop small boats have done little to prevent migrants from crossing the Channel.
Export controls on Russia might be working better than you think
The fact Moscow is so keen to discredit export controls may well be a clue that the measures arenโt ineffective.
Sunak praises โfantasticโ Meloni as G7 launches bid to halt people-smuggling
UK prime minister says he sees โeye-to-eyeโ with his Italian counterpart on the issue of migrationRishi Sunak has praised his โfantasticโ Italian counterpart, Giorgia Meloni, as he announced the launch of a G7 coalition to tackle people-smuggling.The p…
Turkey rejects claim Lord Elgin had permission to take Parthenon marbles
Official says no sign of permit in Ottoman archives, in blow to British Museum, which defends legal right to statuaryGreece has won an unlikely ally in its campaign to retrieve the Parthenon marbles from the British Museum after Turkey publicly rejecte…
Labourโs election policy positions, tracked
Absolutely everything you need to know about what the opposition party is promising ahead of the July 4 election.
20 years of product excellence in Europe
Making Europe safer for citizens and businesses.
โThe real smugglers are rarely on the boatโ: activists in Greece question jailing asylum seekers
Hundreds of people โ including children โ face lengthy prison sentences under harsh Greek anti-smuggling law Mohanad was 15 years old when he was arrested by the Greek authorities in November 2022 after arriving in Crete on a vessel that had departed f…
US curator denies smuggling scorpions from Istanbul
Lorenzo Prendini tells the BBC he had official permits allowing him to take the samples out of Turkey.
US curator denies smuggling scorpions from Istanbul
Lorenzo Prendini tells the BBC he had official permits allowing him to take the samples out of Turkey.
How we found Europeโs most wanted migrant-smuggler
Barzan Majeed, aka Scorpion, is on the run after smuggling thousands of migrants into the UK.
How we found Europeโs most wanted migrant-smuggler
Barzan Majeed, aka Scorpion, is on the run after smuggling thousands of migrants into the UK.
UK opposition leader sets out plans to tackle small boats crossings
British opposition leader Keir Starmer will say on Friday (10 May) a Labour government would hire hundreds of enforcement officials and use counter-terrorism powers to target people-smuggling gangs to stop asylum seekers arriving in England on small bo…
The smuggling trail keeping Russian passenger jets in the air
Sanctions have caused imports of spare parts to collapse. But airlines have found new ways to get components into the country
Restoring the Borderless Schengen Area: Mission Impossible? Summary of a new report
Professor Steve Peers, Royal Holloway University of LondonPhoto credit: BlueMars, via Wikimedia CommonsMy European Policy Analysis report on the amendments to the
Schengen Borders Code, published
today by the Swedish Institute of European Policy …
EU pledges โฌ1B in aid for Lebanon
Ursula von der Leyen announces aid package to last until 2027.
Azerbaijan puts activist in pre-trial custody on smuggling charge he denies
An Azerbaijani pro-democracy activist was placed in pre-trial custody on Tuesday (30 April) on smuggling charges he denied in the latest of a series of cases that have prompted Western concern about free speech and human rights.
The new EU asylum laws, part 8: the โcrisisโ Regulation โ and conclusions
Professor Steve Peers,
Royal Holloway, University of LondonPhoto credit: Sam Zidovetski, via Wikimedia Commons(Last amended June 18 2024: amendments marked by asterisks)
Just before Christmas, the
European Parliament and the Council (the EU body…
Four Vietnamese nationals arrested in London over people smuggling
Joint UK-French investigation alleges group advertised small-boat crossings of Channel on social mediaFour Vietnamese nationals have been arrested in London after an investigation into alleged people smugglers advertising small-boat crossings of the Ch…
Will he stay or will he go? 6 things to know about Pedro Sรกnchezโs threat to resign
Spain’s prime minister has announced that he’s thinking of giving up running the country.
UK slams MEPs for saying Gibraltar is undermining Russian sanctions โ and calling it a โcolonyโ
European Parliament vetoes British territory’s removal from money-laundering watchlist amid EU-U.K. talks on its future.
‘Business as usual’ for Channel crossings despite migrant deaths
Prospective migrants trying to reach the UK from France say smuggling operations are continuing after Tuesday’s tragedy.
โWe just want Johan backโ โ an EU diplomat has spent 2 years in Iranโs most notorious prison
Authoritarian governments have learned they can trade Western humanitarian workers and journalists for convicted killers and intelligence agents.
Why Ukraine is losing the war with Russia
The Westโs failure to send weapons to Kyiv is putting Putin on course for victory.ย
The EUโs new migration pact is intended to neutralise the far right โ it risks empowering it | Daniel Trilling
With a heavy focus on deterrence, the agreement shows how far Europeโs centre has shifted to the rightThe Oscar-nominated Io Capitano, now showing in cinemas, is a sensitive and moving portrait of the trials faced by two teenage boys as they attempt to…
Climate-warming gases being smuggled into Europe, investigation says
Large amounts of climate-warming refrigerant gases from China and Turkey are being smuggled illegally into Europe, undermining a global pact to phase them out, a report by the London-based Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) said on Monday (8 April).
Bulgarian customs chief under investigation for money laundering
Bulgarian prosecutors have opened an investigation into officials, including new customs chief Petya Bankova and her deputy Lyudmil Marinov, as prosecutors claim to have evidence of smuggling, money laundering and bribery.
DIY spaces of remembrance: Artistโs tribute to Bulgariaโs gulag prisoners
Installation aiming to โun-silenceโ former inmates by recreating interior of their homes to go on display at Venice BiennaleWhen Petko Ogoyski was released from communist Bulgariaโs gulag in 1953, he built a six-storey memorial tower in his home villag…
Egypt seeks border security support from US amid Gaza negotiations
Cairo wants help through funding and equipment if an Israeli operation into Rafah sends Gazans fleeing to its border
From โI Love Youโ to โAssholeโ: How Joe Gave Up on Bibi
After decades of building a โclose, personalโ friendship with Benjamin Netanyahu, Joe Biden has had it with the Israeli prime minister. Now heโs hitting him hard โ and it may be working.
UK at last confirms European Political Community summit date
Downing Street pitches forum on July 18 after PM Sunak rules out spring election.
Dutch drug criminals overrun port of Antwerp, top prosecutor says
“At one point in 2022, it was so bad that an entire wing of the Antwerp prison was full of Dutch people,โ said Franky De Keyzer.
UK inks deal with EUโs Frontex on illegal migration
Pact stops short of a returns agreement, but will allow the two sides’ border agencies to work together more closely.
Calais people-smuggling gang broken up with 19 arrests, says Europol
Year-long investigation leads to arrest of Iraqi Kurdish gang leader and five key organisers in GermanyOne of the most active and largest people-smuggling gangs operating in Calais has been dismantled with 19 โhigh-value targetsโ arrested by German, F…
Albania demands action from TikTok, Meta over crime, hate speech
The Albanian government has called on social media platforms, including Meta and TikTok, to crack down on illegal activities such as revenge porn, bullying and facilitating human smuggling, demanding tougher measures and adequate monitoring capacity in…
Dover Port health body fears gangs of meat smugglers looking to bypass new post-Brexit checks
Authority weighs up legal action against government over new checks on imported meat taking place 22 miles inlandThe Port of Dover could become a target for criminals smuggling illegal and diseased meat into the country under new post-Brexit plans that…
Hamburg bank suspected as โfinancial hubโ for Iranian terrorย
Investigation has led Varengold Bank to all but close commercial banking operations.
Azerbaijan accused of crackdown on journalists in run-up to election
Sevinc Vaqifgizi is one of 13 independent journalists detained since snap presidential vote announcedIn late November last year, the investigative journalist Sevinc Vaqifgizi was arrested upon arrival at Heydar Aliyev international airport in Azerbaija…
Netherlands arrests 3 on suspicion of dodging Russia sanctions
Raids were also carried out in Estonia, Latvia, Germany and Canada as part of the investigation.
3 Belgian cops arrested in large drugs bust
Police arrested 22 people in total, some of whom were suspected of planning to smuggle drugs to the UK by helicopter.
Greek mafia boss killed in hail of bullets
Vangelis Zampounis is thought to have been involved in fuel and tobacco smuggling, as well as extortion.
Spainโs migration policy is no shining example | Letter
Ruben Andersson and David Keen respond to an article by Marรญa Ramรญrez that said Spain was not panicking about migrants like BritainMarรญa Ramรญrez underestimates the securitisation of migration at the Spanish borders (In Spain, we donโt share Britainโs m…
Unlocked: Top 10 behind-the-paywall stories of 2023
A Christmas gift for all the policy wonks out there.
Germany extends checks at Polish, Czech, Swiss borders until mid-March
Measures seek to combat smuggling and limit irregular migration.
โWeapons of mass migrationโ: how states exploit the failure of migration policies
Just like the war on drugs and the war on terror, efforts at stopping population movement by force often just fuel the problem. But for many claiming to confront the perceived threat, that suits all too wellLook at the business of tackling the migratio…
Nepal: Twelve arrested for smuggling Nepalis into Russian army
Kathmandu has asked Moscow to return all Nepali mercenaries after six of them were killed.
Greece, Turkey target migrant smugglers to revive ties
In another effort to turn the page in their troubled bilateral ties, Greece and Turkey are expected to take a first step at a high-level meeting in Athens on Thursday with a new agreement aiming to tackle migrants smuggling.