EU cooperation instruments with North African states: promoting or restricting migrants and refugee rights?
01 April 2019
Support our work: become a Friend of Statewatch from as little as £1/€1 per month.
Statewatch News
EU
EU cooperation instruments with North African states: promoting or restricting migrants’ and refugee rights?
1.4.19
Follow us: 
| 
| Tweet
Two new briefings by the EuroMediterranean Human Rights Network look at the implications for migrants and refugees of EU policies and financial aid to North African states. The first examines the main cooperation agreements aimed at realising the rights of migrants and refugees, while the second looks at policies and projects dedicated to border management "and their often negative consequences on the rights of persons migrating."
See: EU’s external cooperation on migration & border management: promoting or restricting migrants’ and refugee rights? (EuroMed Rights, link):
"...many concerns are raised about the real reasons and consequences of the European programmes deployed in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. Beyond the unprecedented financial and technical resources dedicated by the EU and its Member States, “external cooperation” on migration issues takes place in countries with no effective framework for the protection of the rights of people on the move, and where independent and autonomous civil society is too often the target of restrictions. In light of these facts, can European cooperation on migration and border control be a useful tool for the effective respect of the rights of migrants and refugees in the Maghreb countries?
The two briefings presented here summarise the main cooperation instruments in place in the Maghreb countries, and present recommendations for civil society actors to be able to better invest these cooperation channels and contribute to their definition, implementation and evaluation."
Briefing 1: "Access to rights for people on the move" (link to pdf): "presents the main existing European programmes aimed at enabling migrants and refugees to access their rights in the Maghreb countries. The limits of these actions are discussed, as well as examples of civil society mobilisation."
Briefing 2: "People on the move facing human rights violations at borders" (link to pdf): "presents the main programmes dedicated to border management and their often negative consequences on the rights of persons migrating."
There is also an annex table (link to pdf) which "sets out the main international legal frameworks applicable to migrants and refugees and their implementation in the Maghreb countries."
Search our database for more articles and information or subscribe to our mailing list for regular updates from Statewatch News Online.
Our work is only possible with your support.
Become a Friend of Statewatch from as little as £1/€1 per month.
Spotted an error? If you've spotted a problem with this page, just click once to let us know.