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Refugee crisis: latest news from across Europe 30.8.16

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01 August 2016

 6,500 migrants rescued off coast of Libya in one day (euractiv, link):

 

"Around 6,500 migrants were rescued off the coast of Libya on Monday (30 August), the Italian coastguard said, in one of its busiest days of life-saving in recent years....

“The command centre coordinated 40 rescue operations” that included vessels from Italy, humanitarian organisations as well as the EU’s border agency Frontex, saving 6,500 migrants, the coastguard wrote on Twitter."

See also: Dramatic photos show refugees fleeing Libya being rescued at sea (Guardian, link)

 Mediterranean Missing: Understanding Needs of Families and Obligations of Authorities (mediterraneanmissing.eu, link):

"Project findings are all available here through public reports, covering legal analysis, and empirical work with families of missing migrants, and in the contexts of Lesbos, Greece, and Sicily, Italy."

See: Missing migrants and managing dead bodies in the Mediterranean A briefing note (link)

And: Fatal Journeys Volume 2: Identification and tracing of dead and missing migrants (GMDAC, link)

 Turkish FM warns migrant pact will collapse unless EU meets committments (ekathimerini.com. link):

"In an interview with Kathimerini published on Tuesday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has warned the EU that if it doesn’t grant Turkish citizens via-free travel to Europe by October “at the latest,” then Ankara will not continue implementing a deal struck in March with Brussels to stem the flow of migrants to Europe.

“Despite the fact that irregular migration in the Aegean is now under control, we do not see the EU keen on delivering its promises,” he said, insisting that Turkey cannot continue on its own to stop irregular migration toward the EU while the latter does not assume its obligations."

See: Full interview (link)

 Greece: 462 refugees arrive in last 24 hours, as Turkey insists: No visa liberation, no EU Deal (Keep Talking Greece, link):

"Slowly but gradually the number of refugees and migrants arriving from the Turkish coast started to rise again and the flow is on daily basis. In the last 24 hours alone, a total of 462 refugees and migrants arrived on the Greek islands of the eastern Aegean Sea in the last 24 hours, that is from morning of August 29th until morning of August 30th 2016.

According to Migration Ministry data, 176 people arrived on the island of Lesvos, 88 on Chios, 124 on Kos and 70 on Rhodes.

At the same time, Turkey insists on trading visa-free for its citizens in order to keep implementing the EU Turkey Deal."

 Greece: New inflows stretching migrant, refugee centers on islands (ekathimerini.com. link):

"As the number of refugees and migrants trapped on Greece’s islands officially rose to nearly 12,000 Monday, concern is mounting regarding overcrowding at camps.

At the country’s main island of entry from Turkey, Lesvos, official figures put the number of people at the hot spot in Moria and at an open facility at Kara Tepe at 5,059, which is twice the facilities’ capacity. Another 124 migrants who landed on the island Monday were allowed to camp at the port after staff at Moria – an official camp set up in cooperation with European authorities to process all new arrivals – said they could not take in anymore arrivals."

 More than 300 refugees, migrants arrive on Greek islands (ekathimerini.com, link)

"More than 300 refugees and migrants reportedly crossed from Turkey to Greece to reach the islands of Lesvos, Chios and Kos, early on Monday, according to Kathimerini sources.

According to reports, 176 refugee and migrants arrived on Lesvos, 89 on Chios, while 50 ended on Kos. The figures were confirmed by local authority officials on Monday."

 Polish foreign minister criticises EU actions in refugee crisis (Daily Sabah, link):

"Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski on Monday criticised the European Commission's handling of last year's migrant crisis, saying that Brussels had exacerbated the problems rather than offering real solutions.

The EU took "hasty, irresponsible and not-fully thought through steps" in response to a massive influx of refugees from Iraq, Syria and other war-torn regions, Waszczykowski said at a news conference with his German and French counterparts."

 Wasted Lives. Borders and the Right to Life of People Crossing Them (2017) (link) by Thomas Spijkerboer, Professor of Migration Law:

"States are obliged to protect the right to life by law. This paper analyses the way in which states do this in the field of aviation law, maritime law, and the law on migrant smuggling. A comparative description of these fields of law shows that states differentiate in protecting the right to life."

See: Article (link)

 Interior Minister: Czechs not to accept any migrants from Turkey (Prague Daily Monitor, link):

"The Czech Republic will not accept any migrants from Turkey due to the unclear situation after the coup there till the end of the year, Interior Minister Milan Chovanec (Social Democrats, CSSD) told the public broadcaster Czech Television (CT) on Sunday.

The Czech Republic should start a tough diplomatic offensive in order to make Greece fulfil its duties over the displaced persons, Chovanec said."

 News (30.8.16)

Home secretary stands firm as row over Calais border deal intensifies (Guardian, link): "Home secretary to visit Paris, with talks set to be dominated by border controls as Nicolas Sarkozy calls for the Jungle to be relocated to UK." and Britain maybe forced to “take back control” of its border, along with asylum processing (New Europe, link)