EU countries adopt solidarity mechanism on migrants
Eighteen EU countries and three associated countries have agreed on a 'temporary mechanism of solidarity' to respond to migration challenges faced by Mediterranean member states.
asylum
Asylum requests doubled in Italy in 2021, ISMU
The ISMU foundation reports that over 56,000 people requested asylum in Italy in 2021, more than double the number seen in 2020, when there was a sharp decrease due to the COVID pandemic.
'You do your asylum interview wearing handcuffs': Sekou in Lithuania
Many migrants who have arrived from neighboring Belarus are currently stuck in the Pabradé camp in Lithuania that many have compared to a prison. Sekou, an asylum seeker from Guinea, has been there for seven months. He says the living conditions are deplorable and that the asylum interviews are a "charade" with an automatically negative outcome.
Italian court rules in favor of Afghans seeking asylum
A Rome court has ordered Italy to issue humanitarian visas to two Afghans. ASGI said the Italian state created unjustified obstacles for the Afghans seeking safety.
German conservatives slam 'coalition of willing' EU asylum policy plan
Germany's center-right opposition criticized a plan by the Social Democrats to build a coalition of willing EU states to take in asylum applicants, saying it would divide the European Union on important migration issues.
Italy's refugee policy remains 'in trial and error' after almost a decade
In 2013, thousands of migrants descended on the island of Lampedusa. In response, Italy hastily established a new policy for receiving migrants. From humanitarian protection to a controversial agreement with Libya, has this strategy been a success? InfoMigrants takes a look back at nearly a decade of Italy's migration policy.
Majority seek refugee protections after reaching Germany, report says
EU rules call for the nation where asylum seekers first enter the bloc to process requests for protection. But most applications in Germany come from people other EU countries failed to register, a media report says.
Germany: Asylum applications rebound as COVID fears wane
Asylum claims in Germany rose by a third in the first nine months of the year, as migration to Europe resumed following last year's COVID lockdowns.
Many more Afghans seek EU asylum after Taliban takeover
Citizens of Afghanistan were by far the biggest group of people applying for asylum in the EU, Switzerland and Norway in September 2021.
France: Many Bangladeshi asylum claims rejected without hearing
Many Bangladeshis in France have complained that since the start of the year their asylum applications have been dismissed by order without a hearing at the National Asylum Court (CNDA). Lawyers say these automatic rejections have become commonplace.
Poland: 'The conditions are very cold. We're not wearing shoes'
For migrants trying to survive in the woods on the Polish-Belarus border, the winter is set to put many lives at risk.
Greece: At Nea Kavala camp, 'a concrete wall blocks the view and cuts out the sound'
In northern Greece, not far from the Greek-Macedonian border, the Nea Kavala migrant camp houses 1,200 people. It is one of the largest in the region. Isolated, not served by public transport, and now surrounded by a huge concrete wall, the camp is an "open-air prison" for its occupants.