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• Refugee crisis: latest news from across Europe (26 stories and documents, 28.10.15) See: <a href="http://statewatch.org/eu-med-crisis.htm"> Rolling Crisis News updated during the day</a>

Refugee crisis: latest news from across Europe (26 stories and documents, 28.10.15) See: Rolling Crisis News updated during the day

28 October 2015

- EU: Civil protection mechanism activated at last? EU struggles with migration edicts (politico, link): "Greece recoils at demands to “create a ghetto for 50,000 refugees.” and see: EU Civil Protection Mechanism (link)

Greece may seek EU help to meet migration pledges (ekathimerini.com, link): "Sources told Kathimerini that authorities were mulling a request that the European Union’s civil protection mechanism be activated to help Greece meet the targets. The mechanism coordinates the bloc’s humanitarian aid efforts, channeling financial support and sending specially equipped teams to disaster areas.

“We had been prepared for 2,500 places – not for 20,000 in two months and another 20,000 via the rent-assistance program,” a source who wished to remain anonymous told the newspaper."

- Opening remarks by Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights at the Graduate Institute for International and Development Studies, Maison de la Paix, Geneva: Lessons from the Syrian Refugee Crisis: Towards New Global Coordination 27 October 2015 (Full-text, pdf)

and see: Derogatory speech against migrants can lead to murders, UN official warns (euractiv, link): "Politicians who use derogatory language about refugees and migrants may be responsible for causing violence and racism, UN Human Rights Commissioner Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein warned yesterday (27 October). "Once you classify people along lines such that they pose a threat - that these are 'hordes', that we are being 'invaded', that there are 'swarms' of people coming, you have started the process of dehumanizing them as we know from history," he said." and U.N.'s Zeid says politicians' anti-migrant rhetoric can be deadly (Reuters, link)

- Frontex begins testing accelerated registration process in Lesbos (link):

"Frontex began testing a new accelerated process of identifying and registering migrants on the Greek island of Lesbos today. The entire process takes place at a mobile office, set up as part of the implementation of the “hotspot” approach. Inside, a team composed of two Frontex guest officers works together with Greek authorities to register migrants and provide them with information on international protection.

More than 35 people, including several Syrian families, have already passed through the new facilities established by Frontex in Moria, where they were registered and had their fingerprints scanned electronically with a Eurodac device. At the end of the process, a European Asylum Support Office (EASO) official explained the possibility of requesting international protection and the relocation mechanism." [emphasis added]

- News (28.10.15)

Over 700,000 migrants reached Europe's shores in 2015: UN (Yahoo News, link): "More than 700,000 refugees and migrants have reached Europe's Mediterranean shores so far this year, amid the continent's worst migration crisis since World War II, the UN refugee agency said Tuesday. Some 562,355 people desperately fleeing war and misery reached Greece's shores, while around 140,000 arrived in Italy this year. Taking into account arrivals in other European countries, the total number of people landing on the continent's shores was more than 705,200, the UN said."

Slovenia expects German police help with migrants from Wednesday (Reuters, link): "The pledge of 400 extra border guards from other European Union states was made at a meeting on Sunday of EU and Balkan leaders that agreed 17 steps to share the burden of the biggest migration crisis to hit Europe since World War Two. Sefic said the 400 would come from Germany, Austria, Italy, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Spain and France. Eight Austrian police officers arrived earlier to assist Slovenia"

Austria in border disputes with Slovenia and Bavaria (euobserver, link): "Austria threatened on Tuesday (27 October) to erect "technical barriers" at its border with Slovenia, and has been accused of waving migrants on to Germany's Bavaria region, which itself threatened to close its border with Austria.... She said the government would take "special building measures" to strengthen the border. A government paper leaked in Austrian media later on Tuesday mentioned "solid, technical barriers several kilometers on the left and right of the border crossing". "The point is to provide a controlled approach," the document added." and Austria plans border fence with Slovenia (DW, link) "Vienna has said it will erect a barrier along its border with fellow EU member Slovenia. The Austrian interior minister says up to 8,000 migrants have been crossing daily." and Austria accused of waving through refugees into Bavaria (euractiv, link)

Calais: un chauffeur ayant percuté quatre migrants activement recherché par la police (nordlittoral.fr, link):[A driver collided with four migrants injuring three and killing one.The migrants were walking along the side of the road in Calais around midnight when the accident happened. The police are still looking for the driver.]

Europe’s right-wing “civil war” against refugees (ROARMAG, link)

FRANCE: Refugee crisis: Story of two Syrian men who died trying to swim to England (The Independent, link)

French, Britons more hesitant about migrants than Germans (EUobserver, link)

Frontex to strengthen operations in Greece and launch additional activities on land borders (Frontex, link)

Refugee spending to be exempt from EU deficit rules (EUobserver, link)

Russian attacks trigger refugee exodus from Syria (Irish Times, link)

Spain tests new refugee reception plan (EurActiv, link)

Refugees could promote anti-Semitism, Jewish group says (euobserver, link): "The Central Council of Jews in Germany warned German chancellor Merkel Tuesday refugees could stoke anti-Semitic feeling in Germany because they "come from countries in which Israel is viewed as the enemy”"

Understanding Migration and Asylum in the European Union (Open Society Foundations, link)

Germany drafts bill to ease bank account access for homeless, refugees (Dw, link): "A proposed law from the German government would mandate banks to provide universal access to basic bank accounts. The law would particularly affect homeless people and refugees."

Dispatches: On Board a Rescue Boat in the Aegean (HRW, link)

Sweden's new migrant restrictions will not be in place before 2016 (euractiv, link): "New rules aimed at tightening Sweden's migration policies to discourage further asylum seekers from seeking to enter the country will not come into force until at least next year, and possibly 2017, according to the Ministry for Justice and Migration."

Spain tests new refugee reception plan (euractiv, link): "In a first screening exercise (to select possible candidates for asylum), Spanish authorities will work on the basis of specific profiles, taking into consideration whether immigrants are willing to stay and live in Spain, or just want to temporarily settle in the Iberian country, and then continue their journey to northern Europe and stay there."