Ahmad* is a migrant from Afghanistan. He hopes to reach Norway in order to get an education but has been repeatedly stopped at the Hungarian border. A few weeks ago he was faced with a choice, apply for asylum in Romania, or be sent back to Afghanistan. He has applied but he is adamant he doesn’t want to stay in Romania. He told his story to InfoMigrants:
Over 200 suspected traffickers and migrant smugglers have been arrested in an Interpol-led operation. Victims of the rings came from 14 different countries.
Germany desperately needs medical professionals, and many in the Western Balkans are just as keen on a way out of their home countries. Highly skilled migrants are rushing westwards in a seemingly unstoppable wave.
France and Italy have agreed on a new system to distribute migrants across the European Union. It comes ahead of an interior ministers meeting in Malta next week.
The UN Migration Agency IOM has just completed an EU-funded pilot project called LINK IT. The project intended to boost integration outcomes for Syrian refugees resettled in the EU; namely in Germany, Portugal, Romania and the UK. LINK IT focused on strengthening links between pre-departure and post-arrival integration support for refugees.
The UN Refugee Agency UNHCR has published a set of recommendations for the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU), whose term runs January through June 2019. Among its list of suggestions, it urges for a "stronger and fairer response for refugees" and updates to the Dublin regulation.
No EU migration plan can succeed without the Western Balkans, says Michael Roth, Germany's deputy minister for European affairs. He spoke to DW ahead of a summit in London over the region's prospects of joining the bloc.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has partnered with Mastercard to support migrants and refugees in Romania, providing them with prepaid cards for financial independence and with training courses.
The Asylum Information Database (Aida) has raised concerns about persistent substandard living conditions in reception centres for asylum seekers in Romania.
A draft amendment to Romania's current law on migrant integration could "improve the integration process" for refugees and protection holders present in the country, according to the Asylum Information Database (AIDA).
The International Organization for Migration is launching a project to prepare Syrian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey for resettlement in Europe. The Link It project funded by the EU hopes to overcome problems faced by migrants in integrating successfully in host countries.
Although most borders on the Balkan route from Turkey to Western Europe have been closed for almost three years, the flow of migrants has not stopped. People smuggling is booming, and new trafficking hubs are being established.