Refugee crisis: latest news from across Europe 9.11.16

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 European Commission (9.11.16):

 

Relocation and Resettlement: Member States need to sustain efforts to deliver on commitments (Press release, pdf):

"Today the Commission adopted its latest progress report on the EU's emergency relocation and resettlement schemes, assessing actions taken since 28 September 2016." [emphasis added]

Seventh report on relocation and resettlement (COM 720, pdf)
Annex 1: Greece (pdf): Relocations: Pledged:11,305, Carried out: 5,376 and Places needed: 63,302
Annex 2: Italy (pdf): Relocations: Pledged: 4,954, Carried out: 1,549 and Places needed: 34,953
Annex 3: Resettlement (pdf)
Relocation and Resettlement - State of Play (pdf)

 Czech Republic: Interior min: EU officials' words on CzechRep, migrants are scandalous (Prague Dsily Monitor, link):

"Czech Interior Minister Milan Chovanec yesterday labelled scandalous the words of some EU politicians who have described the Czechs and the other Visegrad Four (V4) states as unreliable in tackling migration, and he warned that such attacks might foment anti-EU moods in the states concerned.

"In recent days, some European politicians and also EC officials have intensified their efforts to describe the Czech Republic and other V4 states as countries that fail to fulfil their duties in tackling illegal migration. The offensive includes open extortion, or threats to reduce the subsidies we receive from structural funds, unless we start accepting migrants from Italy and Greece at a pace that would make the two countries satisfied,"

 Greece: Golden Dawn says Trump win a victory for ethnically 'clean' states (ekathimerini.com, link):

"Greece's far-right Golden Dawn party hailed Donald Trump's election as president of the United States, calling it a victory against "illegal immigration" and in favor of ethnically "clean" nations."

 Shocking CCTV footage shows refugee being attacked with bricks and fireworks in Springburn (Glasgow LIve, link):

!A Zimbabwean refugee living in Springburn was subjected to a horrific attack this week and pelted with lit fireworks and bricks outside his home.

The attack was caught on CCTV installed by the victim himself at the property.

Able Miller, 62, who stood as a member of parliament in his home country, came to Scotland when seeking a safe haven in 2002 after he was shot and burned by political rivals."

 Greece: Gov’t planning new migrant center for Chios (ekathimerini.com, link):

"A crisis meeting chaired by State Minister Alekos Flambouraris on Tuesday about the problem of overcrowding at the migrant reception center on Chios yielded a decision to create a new facility on the eastern Aegean island despite objections by local residents....

Currently some 4,211 migrants are being housed at the Souda facility, nearly four times its maximum capacity of 1,100. The pressure on the center keeps building as more migrants arrive from Turkey daily, sometimes more than 100 per day."

 Juncker tells Turks to blame Erdogan if visa-free deal fails (euractiv, link):

"The European Union stepped up criticism yesterday (8 November) of Turkey’s crackdown on opponents and alleged plotters behind a failed coup, drawing a sharp retort from Ankara, which accused Europe of failing to grasp the threats it faces.

But neither seems ready to take the kind of active reprisal that might completely damage a delicate relationship of mutual dependence. Brussels needs Ankara to keep stopping migrants reaching Europe and Turkey, seeing its currency hit record lows on instability fears, wants to keep access to European markets."

 Syrian families held in Greece sue Ireland, EU over rights breaches (Irish Times, link):

"Case says migration deal, which allows for return of migrants to Turkey, goes against European law .

Members of two Syrian families detained in Greece after fleeing the beseiged city of Aleppo have taken an unprecedented action in the Irish courts against the European Council, EU and Ireland over alleged breaches of their human rights.

The core claim of the families is that the EU-Turkey deal on migration agreed on March 18th by the European Council - the 28 EU Heads of State including Taoiseach Enda Kenny - was made outside the EC’s powers and breaches EU law. The deal allows Greece return to Turkey “all new irregular migrants” arriving there since March 20th. "

 European Parliament Study: Smart Borders Revisited: An assessment of the Commission’s revised Smart Borders proposal (pdf):

"This study, commissioned by the European Parliament's Policy Department for Citizens' Rights and Constitutional Affairs at the request of the LIBE Committee, appraises the revised legislative proposals (‘package’) on EU smart borders adopted by the European Commission on 6 April 2016. It provides a general assessment of the package, focusing in particular on costs, technical feasibility and overall proportionality, and a fundamental rights check of the initiative."

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