News
Launched in 1999 and updated regularly, Statewatch News includes our own reporting and writing as well as articles, announcements, documents and analyses from elsewhere on civil liberties, EU policies and state practices. You can receive updates in your inbox by signing up to our mailing list, or use our RSS feed to get instant alerts.
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A review of our work in 2024, and a call for your support in 2025.
Pylos shipwreck will "neither be forgotten nor forgiven," says joint statement
"The state crime of Pylos will neither be forgotten nor forgiven." A statement to mark the death of more than 600 people in the 2023 Pylos shipwreck condemns the failure to bring prosecutions against those responsible. The statement, signed by more than 50 NGOs (including Statewatch), notes that "the perpetrators continue to carry out their duties with impunity, not only posing a constant threat to people on the move but also exemplifying the immunity they receive."
Italian security decree "most serious attack on right to protest in recent decades"
A bill under discussion in the Italian senate is "the most serious attack to the freedom of protest ever waged in recent decades," says a joint statement signed by 26 organisations from across Europe, including Statewatch. The bill, targeted at the climate and environmental movements, would criminalise protest roadblocks. Other measures would increase punishments for resisting major infrastructure projects. The bill would "further criminalise and marginalise vulnerable communities, including immigrants, beggars, the homeless, Roma people, those residing in squats, and detainees," says the statement.
EU police data plans pose "substantial security and privacy threats"
EU plans to increase police access to personal data could weaken "fundamental rights, legal safeguards and the European economy." The warning comes in an open letter addressed to the EU Justice and Home Affairs Council, and is signed by more than 50 organisations, including Statewatch. The signatories include NGOs, businesses, journalists' unions, lawyers' associations, and others.
Germany and UK unveil new joint action plan on Channel migration
A new action plan on irregular migration is being agreed between the UK and Germany today. A document summarising the plan, obtained by Statewatch, says it marks a joint “commitment to secure borders” that will involve increased political and police cooperation. The plan is to be adopted at a meeting of the Calais Group, made up of Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK.
Case filed at ICC to prosecute Israeli officials for incitement to genocide
A Franco-Israeli lawyer has filed a case with the International Criminal Court (ICC), calling for the prosecution of eight individuals for the crime of incitement to genocide: seven current and former high-ranking Israeli government and military officials, and a journalist. The submission, obtained by Statewatch, is published here.
UK: Decisions about peoples' lives "made solely by machines" must be banned
Changes to data protection law proposed by the UK government threaten to eliminate protections for individuals against automated decision-making. An open letter signed by almost 20 organisations, including Statewatch, calls on the government to ensure that this does not happen. "The government should extend AI accountability, rather than reduce it, at this critical moment," says the letter.
Policing by design: EU “operationalises” police data access plans
The final report by the EU's High-Level Group on access to data for effective law enforcement has been published, calling on law and policy-makers to "operationalise" its proposals. This could mean reintroducing mass telecoms surveillance and creating backdoors to undermine encryption.
Italy has nullified the right to transparency regarding borders
The State Council has confirmed an “absolute” lack of access concerning acts related to the “management of borders and immigration”. Meanwhile, the government’s procurement worth millions of euros for Libya, Tunisia and Egypt continues.
Tunisia: No to the criminalisation of solidarity with migrants
Dozens of organisations and individuals, including Statewatch, are demanding the release of individuals detained by Tunisian authorities for their work supporting migrants and refugees. The call comes in response to the recent arrest and detention of Abdallah Said, whose organisation, Les Enfants de la Lune, cares for disabled Tunisian and non-Tunisian children. His arrest is the latest incident in "a troubling trend of criminalizing solidarity in Tunisia, which has intensified since May 2024," says a joint statement.
Border externalisation: documents from the Coordination Group on Migration published
Statewatch is publishing more than a dozen documents from the Coordination Group on Migration, a secretive body in which the European Commission and EU member states coordinate expenditure on external migration control projects.
France, Germany and the Netherlands push for EU-wide "tracking and bugging of vehicles"
Germany, France and the Netherlands are advocating for a reform of the European Investigation Order (EIO) to simplify cross-border surveillance of vehicles. A joint non-paper sent to other EU member states aims to amend the 2014 law to enhance cross-border surveillance cooperation. The reform would allow police to continue using GPS trackers and bugging devices on vehicles when they travel into other EU member states, without requiring additional legal approval in each country.
European Commission must take a "decisive and unequivocal stand against" Poland's suspension of asylum
More than sixty organizations, including Statewatch, and 10 MEPs, have signed a letter to the European Commission demanding a "decisive and unequivocal stand against" the Polish government's decision to suspend the right to seek asylum. The country's prime minister, Donald Tusk, announced the plan last month in response to people arriving across the Polish-Belarussian border.
Open letter condemns "illegal, immoral, and unworkable" immigration and asylum policies
A letter to EU leaders backed by 200 organisations and individuals, including Statewatch, condemns the renewed "violent, punitive and immoral turn in European migration politics." This turn can be seen in recent proposals to suspend the right to asylum, introduce offshore deportation camps, and create new common lists of "safe" countries, says the letter. "Rather than orient policies toward safety, protection and social provision for all, European leaders have settled for a politics of securitisation, criminalisation, and violence," it says. The letter goes on to make proposals for "human rights, toward economic well being, safety and community care, and invest in long-term solutions to address climate degradation, conflict, and economic decline."
New externalisation bulletin: Sudan, North Africa, dozens of official documents
The latest edition of the bulletin Outsourcing borders: Monitoring EU externalisation policy is now available, featuring analyses on the EU’s position with regard to refugees fleeing the war in Sudan, the EU’s ongoing support for authoritarian and violent regimes in North Africa, and the release of dozens of previously-unavailable official documents.
European support for human rights violations in Tunisia "must end"
"European policies to externalize border management to Tunisia are supporting security authorities who are committing serious violations" of human rights, says a joint statement signed by dozens of organisations from Europe, North Africa and beyond, including Statewatch. The statement calls on the EU and its member states to demand that Tunisian authorities respect human rights, end their crackdown on civil society organisations, ensure that people rescued at sea are not disembarked in Tunisia, and to end their financial and technical support to Tunisian security authorities.
EU: Hungarian Council presidency takes aim at refugees and asylum-seekers
In a move that is unlikely to surprise anyone, the Hungarian Council Presidency has kicked off discussions on reviewing the status of international protection beneficiaries, and how member states deal with individuals whose asylum applications have been refused, but who cannot be deported.
EU: Definition of “potential terrorists” opens door to broad information-sharing
EU member states can now collect and share information on “potential terrorists”. This category is based on a new informal definition that was agreed with no democratic scrutiny. While claiming to target those who may engage in political violence, there is potential for far broader application.
European data protection authorities urged to take action on new cybercrime convention
A letter signed by Statewatch and a number of other organisations calls for the European Data Protection Board to issue an opinion on the new UN Convention on Cybercrime, due to the "serious risks" it poses to human rights. Those risks include provisions that would empower national authorities to obtain access to encrypted communications and force communications service providers to retain large amounts of user data.
Increased number of EU laws face scrutiny from internal security officials
Security issues need to be considered in all EU policies, say draft "strategic guidelines in the field of Justice and Home Affairs" obtained by Statewatch. The guidelines will be adopted by the European Council to guide law and policy-making between 2024 and 2029. They also call for "adequate EU funds" to ensure implementation of the Pact on Migration and Asylum, the expansion and interconnection of policing and migration databases, and for other issues such as plans to increase deportations.
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