Spain’s 500,000 migrant regularisation — pragmatism or pull factor?
Spain’s move forces a harder conversation. Is it better to pretend half a million workers do not exist, or to regulate the reality already on the ground?
Migration
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Greece moves to arrest Nordic aid worker supporting migrants
Greek authorities have issued an European Arrest Warrant against Norwegian human rights activist Tommy Olsen, who leads the Aegean Boat Report, supporting migrants.
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EU Parliament set to adopt tougher asylum laws amid far-right pressure
New anti-asylum laws are likely to be rubber-stamped by the European Parliament on Tuesday, amid further alarm over the far-right influence on migration
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THIS WEEK: EU leaders’ retreat on competitiveness, Munich Security Conference, and Ukraine
This week, EU leaders will meet in Alden Biesen to discuss economic reforms and competitiveness, while the Munich Security Conference takes place from Friday to Sunday. In Strasbourg, MEPs will vote on housing, defence, climate, migration, and Ukraine aid.
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North Africa holds key to EU-Africa trade boost, says IMF chief
North African countries can drive a multi-billion euro increase in EU-Africa trade, IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva told a conference in Algiers.
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The latest Greek tragedy — what the law actually says about maritime intercepts
This week’s fatal collision between a Greek coast guard vessel and a migrant boat off the island of Chios has once again brought European maritime enforcement practices under scrutiny, raising questions about accountability and balance between border control and the protection of human life at sea.
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Critics blame Greek coast guard tactics for migrant sea interception that left 15 dead
Greek authorities are facing criticism for launching an interception operation rather than a rescue mission for migrants stranded on a raft near a Greek island, after more than a dozen people were killed when their vessel collided with a high-speed patrol boat.
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EU ‘caving into the floodgates of anti-migrant rhetoric’ warns Human Rights Watch
The EU’s obsession with migration has radically shaped its foreign policy — while at home its laws are eroding away asylum, warns Human Rights Watch.
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Behind EU’s December asylum relocation pledges: More deal-making, fewer transfers
Most commitments made by EU states in December to receive asylum seekers arriving primarily in Italy and Greece are actually alternative forms of support.
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Leaked EU paper envisions dumping migrant sea rescues onto non-European states
The EU has been mulling sending people rescued in the Mediterranean directly to coastal states outside of Europe, according to an internal EU document.
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Listen: Spain wants to regularise half a million undocumented migrants, in full contrast with European migration policies
Spain wants to regularise half a million undocumented migrants. Meanwhile, the rest of Europe is busy toughening migration rules. Is Spain the very last country on the continent to have a positive message around migration?
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Fear, power politics and migration: whatever happened to Germany’s ‘welcome culture’?
Ten years ago, Germany symbolised Europe’s ‘Willkommenskultur’ (Welcome Culture). Chancellor Angela Merkel’s decision to open borders to refugees in 2015 was framed as a moral and historical responsibility. What has happened since?
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EU Commission argues preventing migrant arrivals is cheaper than deportation
The European Commission has argued that preventing irregular migrant arrivals to Europe is far cheaper than funding subsequent deportations.
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Chief liberal MEP negotiator edging towards far-right in deportation clash
Ongoing disputes over a series of deportation amendments in the European Parliament suggest that the liberal MEP steering the negotiations is edging closer to the far-right.
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Why Europe’s anti-racism strategy fails to deliver
The real question is not whether Europe has an anti-racism strategy, but whether it is willing to let the strategy shape its core political actions, narrative and leadership. We should not confuse adopting a strategy with mainstreaming anti-racism across the policies that most affect people’s lives to tackle it at its roots.
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MEP who tried to shield humanitarians risks far-right defenestration
A socialist MEP might have to relinquish her role as lead negotiator on a migration dossier following right-wing pressure over proposals to shield humanitarians from criminal prosecution.
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Vienna institute scouts Indian IT workers, even as Europe hardens borders
A Vienna-based migration organisation is setting up operations in India in an effort to attract IT specialists to Europe, even as EU governments move to tighten asylum rules.
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EU’s €620m for Syria aims to send refugees home
The EU’s earmarked €620m in aid for Syria is largely aimed at restoring basic services and living conditions in an effort to encourage Syrian refugees in Europe to go home.
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Europe turns it back on refugees as resettlement quotas plunge
Eighteen EU member states, including Germany, have refused to commit to any resettlement quotas for primarily UN-recognised refugees, as the bloc collectively spurns those with legitimate claims to international protection.
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EU switches focus to Middle East amid crises in Gaza, Syria and Iran
The European Union has shifted its focus to the Middle East, amid renewed turmoil in the region — from the conflict in Syria to worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza and protests throughout Iran.
