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EU: Refugee crisis: latest news from across Europe (25.7.16): migrants march to Serbia-Hungary border, Council wants EU migration budget increase, new detention centre to open in Spain.

25 July 2016

- Balkan Route: migrants march to Serbia-Hungary border

"Hundreds of refugees and migrants have set off marching from the Serbian capital to the Hungarian border in protest against closed borders and European Union restrictions on entry.

A group of several dozen refugees and migrants first arrived on Sunday in northern Serbia's Subotica, a town situated around 10km from the Hungarian border, after taking a train part of the way from Belgrade."

- EU: Policing the internet: 91% of Europol's 11,000 requests for content removal succesful

"Since its launch one year ago, Europol’s European Union Internet Referral Unit (EU IRU) has assessed and processed for the purpose of referral towards concerned internet service providers over 11 000 messages across some 31 online platforms in 8 languages. The content had been put out by criminals to spread violent extremist online content materials.

91.4% of the total content has been successfully removed from the platforms by the social media and online service providers.

Additionally, EU IRU has expanded its open-source and internet monitoring activities in order to contribute to the disruption of illegal migrant smuggling networks. Content advertising smuggling services for migrants and refugees was referred for the purpose of removal." [emphasis added]

- EU: Council pushes for big increases in EU migration and security budgets

With the Council and the Parliament moving towards negotiations on the EU's budget for 2017, the Council has agreed its position and is calling for "€5.2 billion in commitments for specific migration-related expenditure" and increases of millions of euros in both commitments and payments from the Internal Security Fund.

- News (25.7.16)

SPAIN: Algeciras abre la puerta a un nuevo CIE mientras las grandes ciudades plantean su cierre general [Algerciras opens the door to a new immigration detection centre as Spain's big cities plan for their general closure] (El Diario, link):

Following a local council vote in which only representatives of the Partido Popular voted in favour, Algeciras will use some 10,000 square metres of land ceded to the town by the Ministry of Interior to construct a new immigration detention centre (CIE, Centro de Internamiento de Extranjeros). The new centre will be located next to a prison, which campaigners have said will add to the stigmatisation suffered by people held in the CIE. The move to open a new centre comes as the administrations of cities such as Barcelona, Madrid and Valencia have shown their support for the closure of CIEs within their jurisdiction, although the power to do so remains with the Minstry of Interior.

GERMANY: Ansbach blast: Syrian asylum seeker kills himself and injures 12 in Germany (The Guardian, link): "A Syrian man has killed himself and injured 12 others after setting off an explosive device outside a music festival in the German town of Ansbach.

Authorities said the 27-year-old had been denied asylum a year ago and had a history of making attempts on his own life. Three of those injured are in a serious condition.

It is believed a device he was carrying exploded although it is not clear whether it was a suicide bombing or whether the man intended to plant it and harm others."