Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told reporters that the more than 8,000 arrivals in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta were a "huge crisis for Spain and the whole of Europe." Members of the European Commission too have called the arrivals "worrying," and called for stronger partnerships to manage migration.
The EU operation monitoring the arms embargo against Libya, named Irini, is entering its second year. Despite being active in the Mediterranean, it has not rescued any migrants.
The European Commission has proposed a plan to stimulate the economies of Mediterranean countries such as Algeria, Libya and Morocco. The goal: To support their attempts to recover from the COVID-19 crisis and to curb irregular migration.
Human Rights Watch has said that thousands of asylum seekers, aid workers and international personnel may be at risk of lead poisoning at the new migrant camp on the Greek island of Lesbos. The camp was constructed on a former military firing range after the Moria camp burned down.
EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson traveled to Morocco for a two-day visit this week. Her aim was to improve cooperation with Morocco on the return of migrants and start the discussion over visa facilitation.
EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson, speaking at Med Dialogues 2020 in Rome, highlighted that the new EU Pact on Migration "represents a new beginning" in which "the central element is to strengthen cooperation with our neighbors and with our partners."
The Italian trade unions CGIL, CISL and UIL have criticized the proposal for a new pact on migration and asylum presented by the European Commission, underscoring that the initiative ''upholds the mainly security-based approach'' on migration.
Fires that devastated Europe's largest refugee camp Moria once again put a spotlight on the EU's treatment of asylum-seekers. EU Commissioner Ylva Johansson told DW about her plans to improve solidarity among EU states.
Reactions to and speculation about the causes of a fire which has destroyed large parts of the migrant camp Moria on the Greek island of Lesbos are coming thick and fast. Now that almost 13,000 people are without shelter, what will politicians and the EU do? Some say the fire has sent current European migration policy up in flames too.
Ylva Johansson EU's commissioner for home affairs has rung the alarm bell over a possible coronavirus outbreak in one of the overcrowded Greek migrant camps. She told DW this must be avoided at all cost.
The president of the European Commission has pledged millions of euros and a fresh deployment of border guards to manage a new wave of migration. The flare-up on the border follows tension between the EU and Turkey.
Dunja Mijatovic, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, has called upon Italy to uphold the human rights of refugees in an open letter dated January 31. Addressed to Italy’s Prime Minister she declares she is "deeply concerned" about "some recent measures" taken in the country.