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.
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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.
Germany to stop relocation if migrants in the 'thousands'
A spokesperson for the German Interior Ministry said the country could seek to leave the planned automatic redistribution mechanism for asylum seekers if the mechanism were to increase the number of migrants into the thousands.
Migrants: Libya unsafe, UNHCR tells Di Maio
UNHCR chief Grandi told the Italian foreign minister that Libya has to be ruled out as a country to send migrants back to due to ongoing conflict and the humanitarian conditions there. He stressed that letting migrants return to the North African country must be "avoided at all costs." However, Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio wants to keep Libya on board as part of the solution.
Migrants in Serbia recount acts of violence employed by Croatian border police
The Serbian Commissariat for Refugees and Migration confirmed that it has numerous reports of Croatian border police resorting to violence against migrants who enter the country illegally. In one case, an underage Afghan migrant even reported being "tortured by the police" with electric shocks. Croatian authorities meanwhile reject the charges.
Italy and Spain ask EU for more border support
Following a meeting of interior ministers in Rome, Italy and Spain are calling for increased involvement from the EU to support border countries facing migrant arrivals.
Von der Leyen calls for new pact on migration and asylum
The incoming head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen has outlined her agenda on migration in letters sent to the EU’s new Vice President Margaritis Schinas, who is tasked with migration affairs, and Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson. The letters stressed the need for a new pact on migration and asylum in Europe.