Cells without windows, showers that can’t be used, poor safety standards and random medical check-ups: Belgium's new detention center for irregular migrants is coming under increasing fire for the "inhuman" conditions people are forced to endure while staying there. Four police unions have now called for a strike action demanding the controversial center to be closed down.
The EU-IOM Joint Initiative recently launched a website where it will provide first-hand migrant accounts as well as data and updates on the migration situation in the Mediterranean.
The European Asylum Support Office (EASO) might soon have expanded powers under a draft law presented by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. However, the motion still has to pass through the EU Parliament and needs support from all member states.
Detaining migrants who are in transit, doubling the number of places in holding centres, and increasing police controls: Belgium on September 10 announced a vast new plan to fight illegal immigration.
Controversy has erupted in Belgium over a measure that authorizes the detention of migrant families with children as they await repatriation. Meanwhile, the government has announced new tougher controls on its trains to identify "passeurs", those who move migrants through Belgium.
The European Asylum Support Office (EASO) has said that in June asylum applications slightly decreased from May while their number went down 15% in the first half of 2018 compared to the same period last year.
Following recent divisions over migration and Italy’s hard-line anti-immigrant policy, the EU proposed financial incentives to EU countries to admit migrants. Interior Minister Matteo Salvini dismissed the offer as mere "charity."
In its Fundamental Rights Report 2018, the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights highlights progress and concerns in terms of the protection of the fundamental rights of migrants and refugees across the Union.
The European Court of Auditors has recently published a report setting out seven key challenges for integrating migrants from outside the EU and the actions that need to be taken to meet them.
EU leaders have ended 12 hours of "virulent" talks in Brussels with a deal on migration. German Chancellor Angela Merkel's future in office had been tied to whether she could come up with an "acceptable" EU agreement.
A group of citizens in the Belgian capital has asked authorities for centers to host migrants arriving in the city.
Human Rights Watch has denounced that the failure of European policies cause suffering in the migrant population, issuing a number of recommendations for policies that are respectful of their human rights ahead of a summit of EU countries on June 28-29.