The European Commission's incoming President Ursula von der Leyen has been coming under fire ever since she announced some of the titles for her new Commissioners. She was in particular criticized for the portfolio she handed to the Commissioner in charge of migration, security, employment and education which she wants to call "Protecting our European Way of Life."
Asylum seekers detained at a migrant center in Malta on Monday staged a protest, demanding to be released. It was the second demonstration in a week.
European leaders have already agreed to a massive boost for the border protection agency, Frontex. The incoming head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, wants to bring forward the expansion.
Dealing with issues concerning migration, especially relations with Libya and the renewal of an EU anti-smuggling operation in the Mediterranean: Those are some of the difficult tasks Italy's new Minister of Defense Lorenzo Guerini is facing.
The Italian Interior Ministry said the European Commission is planning to distribute the 80 migrants rescued by NGO rescue vessel Open Arms. The migrants, currently on the islands of Sicily and Lampedusa, will be received by EU countries that have expressed willingness to take them in. Meanwhile, an Italian polician said the situation on Lampedusa is becoming increasingly unsustainable.
Last year, the European Union planned to introduce reforms to its migration policies, aimed at gaining better control over the migration situation into Europe. What's left of all those plans one year on?
The EU's executive has taken Hungary to court over the bill it passed last year making it a crime to help asylum seekers. The European Commission maintains the "Stop Soros" law is incompatible with EU law.
Calls for a political solution to sharing out the migrants arriving from the Mediterranean have been coming from almost all sides of the debate for some time. Now the EU Commissioner responsible for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship, Dimitris Avramopoulos, has proposed a new solution.
The European Commission has reiterated that its position on migrant detention centers in Libya has remained unchanged and that the facilities must be closed.
The EU did not provide support to Italy on the issue of migrants? Wrong, the European Commission President said on an Italian talk show.
The Italian government has confirmed the ''full legitimacy of Libyan rescue operations'' in the Mediterranean Sea in light of the opinion expressed by the European Commission that ''Libya can and must rescue immigrants at sea'' and can therefore be considered a safe port.
Following the case of the ship Mare Jonio run by the NGO Mediterranea, the European Commission has renewed its appeal to the EU to urgently find predictable solutions for migrant disembarkations.