The body charged with improving the way the EU spends its money says efforts to improve the situation for asylum seekers in Greece and Italy have largely failed. Migrants in the so-called hotspots continue to face years in limbo because of legal bottlenecks and poorly performing EU schemes.
An Italian parliamentary committee that monitors the Schengen system visited the island of Lampedusa. It found that the migrant hotspot on the island is on the verge of collapse.
Twelve humanitarian organizations have urged Europe and Greece to “break the vicious circle” which is blocking thousands of migrants on the Greek islands. The appeal was launched on September 18.
Authorities in Italy are concerned over so-called "phantom" migrant landings, which have become a daily occurrence on the coasts of Sicily, Sardinia, and Calabria.
The migration expert Gerald Knaus and the German refugee rights organization Pro Asyl are warning that the situation on the Greek islands is becoming insupportable, both for migrants and the Greek authorities. Their calls are backed up by the latest UNHCR figures.
Unaccompanied minor refugees and migrants in Greece are at risk of violence and abuse and often live in catastrophic conditions, a new report by the Germany-based organization "Equal Rights Beyond Borders" finds.
Oxfam and 24 other NGOs signed an open letter to EU leaders calling for modifications to EU migratory policies. They said the situation for migrants in Greece is "unsustainable".
The already inhumane conditions in migration hotspots on Greek islands have been worsening for months. Here's what options exist to ameliorate the situation — and why they don't seem to take.
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is sounding an alarm over the situation at the Moria refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos, where it said the situation is degenerating into chaos.There are currently 8,000 migrants housed in the camp, which is designed to hold a maximum of 3,000.
At the Italian migrant hotspot of Pozzallo, the first house for migrant children helps them forget their traumatic past.
The European Union is seeking ways to manage migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea and ensure their safety. Some EU member states have meanwhile decided to close their ports to NGO migrant aid organizations operating on open seas.
Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini has said hotspots for asylum seekers trying to enter Europe should be in southern Libya rather than Italy. However, Libyan Deputy Premier Ahmed Maiteeq ruled out the prospect of the North African country hosting camps for asylum-seekers, saying it was against Libyan law.