Migrants protest in Balkans over camp conditions
Hundreds of migrants staged a demonstration on Saturday in which scuffles broke out with the Bosnian police. The migrants were protesting conditions at camps and their treatment by border authorities.
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Morocco tightens border controls to Spanish enclave Ceuta
In the last few months, Morocco has ramped up arrests and clamped down on migration across its borders to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. Now migrants still hoping to cross the border in order to reach the EU prefer to keep themselves hidden.
Croatia in the spotlight amid allegations of migrant abuse
Croatia has assumed the six-month rotating presidency of the EU Council -- for the first time. The youngest EU member state is having a chance to prove itself on the world stage amid serious allegations of migrant abuse at its borders.
Italians believe migrants key issue and not asylum system
A Eurobarometer survey has found that over a third of all Italians felt that immigration is the most important issue for the EU to deal with. In contrast to other EU citizens, Italians seemed less convinced of the need to introduce a common EU-wide asylum system.
Greece renews calls for assistance from EU partners
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has renewed calls on Germany and other countries to take in migrants and refugees currently stuck in Greece. At the same time, his government plans to expedite deportations in the new year.
Migrant woman dies in Lesbos fire
A 27-year-old Afghan mother died after a small fire broke out in a migrant camp on the island of Lesbos. Firefighters are investigating the cause of the fire.
French defense ministry cancels delivery of boats to Libyan coast guard
The French Ministry of Defense announced in February 2019 that it would deliver six semi-rigid speed boats with gun ports to the Libyan coast guard by Spring 2020. On December 2, the government announced they would be halting this delivery after several NGOs filed a lawsuit against the action.
Questions on EU evacuation programs from Libya
A new document by the German government highlights strengths and weaknesses in ongoing EU efforts to evacuate migrants and refugees stranded in Libya. It focused in particular on recent initiatives to move migrants to Rwanda and Niger.
Serbia: Afghan migrants face an uncertain future
The majority of migrants and asylum seekers in Serbia are Afghan nationals. They hope to continue their journeys to western Europe, but many fail in the attempt.
Erdogan again threatens to send refugees to EU as he defends 'safe zone,' Syria offensive
One day after Turkey launched an assault on US-backed Kurdish fighters in northeast Syria, Turkish President Erdogan angrily rejected international criticism of his military campaign and reiterated his threat to "open the gates" to allow millions of Syrian refugees to leave Turkey for western countries - unless Europe halts its criticism. European politicians slammed Erdogan’s warning and reacted sceptically to his resettlement plan.
Austria extends border checks on Slovenia, Hungary borders
Austria’s interior minister has said his country will continue to conduct checks on the borders with neighboring Hungary and Slovenia. All three EU countries are members of the Schengen zone whose members don't have controls at their mutual borders. But six Schengen countries, including Austria, have reintroduced border checks for security reasons.
Italy's new migrant decree promises repatriations in 4 months
The Italian government has presented a new asylum decree, which would see the waiting time for an asylum decision cut from two years to just four months, resulting in faster repatriations in applicable cases. Speaking at a press conference in Rome, Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said the decree would also update the list of countries considered safe for repatriations.