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Refugee crisis: latest news from across Europe 16-17.4.16

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01 April 2016

EU: Council of the European Union: New asylum policy, EU-Turkey resettlement and Visa Code

 

- Discussion paper on Commission Communication "Towards a reform of the Common European Asylum System and enhancing legal avenues to Europe" (LIMITE doc no: 7861-16, pdf): Discussion on Commission's new asylum paper.

- Draft Council Decision amending Council Decision (EU) 2015/1601 of 22 September 2015 establishing provisional measures in the area of international protection for the benefit of Italy and Greece (LIMITE doc no: 7500-16, pdf) Resettlement issues -EU-Turkey plan

- Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the Union code on Visas (Visa Code) (recast) - mandate for negotiations with the European Parliament (LIMITE doc no: 7714-16, pdf) Council deal on visa code, no humanitarian clause. Only benefits states agreeing readmission deals

EU Eurostat: Record number of over 1.2 million first time asylum seekers registered in 2015 Syrians, Afghans and Iraqis: top citizenships (pdf)

 ECHR case opened against Macedonia and Greece: Are You Sryious (link)

"European Court of Human Rights opened up the case against Macedonia and Greece for last Sunday's tergas bombing, plastic bullet shooting and torturous unannounced military exercise yesterday – all of it at Idomeni Camp. They still did not find room for indicating an urgent measure at this point. The applicants, women fleeing war alone with their children, in their majority, are invited to complete their submissions by May 9th."

 Italy proposes 'migration compact' to EU (ANSA, link): " Italy has sent a wide-ranging 'migration compact' to the presidents of the European Commission and the European Council, Jean-Claude Juncker and Donald Tusk, to cut migrant flows, EU sources said Friday. "

See: Italian Italian Non-Paper: MIGRATION COMPACT: Contribution to an EU strategy for external action on migration (pdf): Like current EU policy it avoids the issue of "safe countries" to use forced returns to or states where EU-funded: "reception centres" (open or closed?) are set up.

 Electra (link): "European Court of Human Rights opened up the case against FYROM and Greece for last Sunday's tergasbombing and plasticbullet shooting and about torturous unannounced military exercise yesterday, all at Idomeni Camp. Still found no room for indicating an urgent measure at this point. The applicants, women fleeing war alone with their children, in their majority, are invited to complete their submissions by May 9th." and

Electra (link): "Confirmed. The "safe 3rd country" principle started applying in cases of asylum seekers detained in Moria after March 20th.

We expect from lawyers whose "clients" got such asylum claim rejections to immediately communicate with lawyers practicing in Greece so that the rejections are urgently appealed within the 5 day time limit set. The concerns are huge. HUGE."

 Protection and pragmatism: EU-Turkey refugee deal in historical perspective (rightsinexile.tumblr.comm link)) by Jeff Crisp:

"The EU-Turkey refugee deal is just the latest effort of EU members trying to keep refugees out. A contribution to the openGlobalRights debate on the future of refugee protection.

In the short time since it was announced, a great deal has been written about the EU-Turkey refugee deal, with some commentators suggesting that the proposed arrangement represents a new turn in European asylum policy. In fact, it is simply the latest episode in a longstanding effort on the part of EU members and other industrialised states to curtail and manage the arrival of asylum seekers."

 Frontex launches talks on possible use of remote piloted aircraft systems (link):

"This week, Frontex launched discussions with industry representatives about a possible use of remote piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) for maritime border surveillance and the potential for industry to provide these kinds of services to Frontex.

While at the moment there is no European legislation that allows the use of remotely piloted aircraft in shared airspace, the preliminary discussions were meant to explore the feasibility of extending the pool of assets providing aerial surveillance services to include medium altitude long endurance RPAS." [emphasis added]

Tony Bunyan, Statewatch Director, comments:

"I'm sure the "industry" will be very interested in extending its markets. But is Frontex going to consult more widely on the desirability and ethics of using drones to police EU sea borders to exclude people fleeing from war, persecution, poverty and climate change or is it just a practical question of whether they can be supplied?"

 Greece: The idealists of Lesbos: volunteers at the heart of the refugee crisis (Guardian, link):

"Pope Francis is to visit the island where more than 50,000 people are thought to have spent time helping those fleeing war.

More than 50,000 volunteers are thought to have passed through since men, women and children – the vast majority fleeing war in Syria – began to land on its shores in flimsy boats last summer.

At no other time in modern history have NGOs or individuals stepped in to make up for the limited resources of a near bankrupt country that has struggled to cope with the influx." [emphasis added]

 This Is What a Refugee’s Funeral Looks Like in Greece (muftah.org, link):"Ahmed’s funeral took place on the top of a small Greek mountain on the island of Chios, overlooking the Aegean Sea that he died crossing.*

Standing around his four-foot-long grave on Thursday, February 25, 2016 were four members of his family, three dozen humanitarian aid workers, two EU border police, and the team of Spanish medics who had lifted Ahmed’s small body off of a boat two days earlier. He was three years old.

According to the UNHCR’s best estimates, 13,144 refugees arrived in small dinghies on Chios’ beaches and cliffs in February 2016. Ahmed’s funeral was not the only one held that month."

Greece: Understanding refugees’ repugnance of the camps (New Europe, link): "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here’ – Dante Alighieri, Divine Comedy"

 News (16-17.4.16)

Turkey 'fires live rounds to drive away Syrian refugees fleeing Islamic State' (Telegraph, link)

Swedish minister 'had dinner with Turkish fascists' (The Local.se,link): "The Swedish Minister of Housing, Mehmet Kaplan, has sparked controversy after a photograph of him emerged having dinner with members of the far-right Turkish organization, Grey Wolves, according to Swedish daily newspaper, Aftonbladet."

Europe can't take in millions: German ex-chancellor (The Local.de, link): "Former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl has warned that Europe can't become "a new home" for millions of migrants, in a veiled criticism of incumbent Angela Merkel's liberal asylum policies. ... Orban -- whose country has erected razorwire border fences to deter migrants -- earlier this year said that an uncontrolled influx exposes Europe to the risks of "terrorism, criminality, anti-Semitism and homophobia".."

Italy: It's a 'spike', not an invasion (The Local.at, link): "Italy insisted Friday it was not facing an "invasion" after a spike in migrant boat crossings from Libya exacerbated fears the country is on the verge of becoming the main entry point for people trying to reach Europe."

Pope in Greece: Pope brings hope to migrants, chastises leaders in Lesvos visit (ekathimerini.com, link): "Declaring “we are all migrants,” Pope Francis on Saturday brought a message of hope to thousands of people facing expulsion from Greece as he slammed the world community for failing to end the wars fueling the crisis... The vast majority have requested asylum but will likely be deported under a controversial agreement reached last month to tackle Europe’s refugee crisis by sending all irregular migrants who land in Greece back to Turkey... "

Pope Francis takes refugees to Rome after Lesbos visit (Guardian, link): "Pontiff visits Greek island to highlight refugee crisis, telling crowds: ‘We hope the world will heed these scenes of tragic need’... Pope Francis has taken a dozen highly vulnerable refugees who faced deportation from the Greek island of Lesbos back to Rome, offering them refuge in a rebuke to the EU’s policy of sending migrants and refugees back to Turkey. The leader of the Roman Catholic church made the unprecedented intervention on Saturday during a trip to the island to highlight the refugee crisis unfolding across the continent. "

School For Children In Idomeni (News That Moves, link): "Greek media is reporting that a group of volunteers have set up an informal school for refugee children at the Idomeni camp, in northern Greece, near the Greece-FYROM border. According to the Greek news agency ANA-MPA, at the makeshift ‘Idomeni cultural centre’ daily classes includes maths, Kurdish and Arabic language. Courses for adults are also held. Refugees who have have studied maths, science or languages are teaching in the school."

A family reunification dilemma for the EU (Global Government Forum, link): "Many of the asylum seekers heading for Europe hope to bring their families over later – so governments are squeezing refugees’ rights to family reunification. But Yermi Brenner finds that this may hamper the integration of those who’ve already found asylum in the EU."