EU migration

Greece is turning more and more to the practice of administrative detention to manage people who arrive in Greece to claim asylum. This is according to the new report, Detention as the Default: How Greece, with the support of the EU, is generalizing administrative detention of migrants, from the Greek Council for Refugees (GCR) and Oxfam. The report found an excessive use of administrative detention with nearly 3,000 migrants in detention as of June 2021.

Today, marks three years since the EU activated the Temporary Protection Directive (TPD), which provided a safe pathway to protection for millions of people fleeing the war in Ukraine. It was a powerful demonstration of the EU’s unity and solidarity in the face of a humanitarian crisis, and proved to be an effective emergency mechanism for responding to large arrivals of people in a humane and orderly way. It alleviated pressure on national asylum systems and provided displaced people with immediate and collective protection, including the right to reside, work, study, and access health care and social support in the EU. 

This month, the European Court of Human Rights' (ECtHR) issued a seismic ruling in the case of A.R.E. v. Greece, condemning, for the first time ever, Greece for its “systematic practice of pushbacks”. This landmark verdict exposes not only Greece’s, but also Europe’s failure to handle migration fairly at its borders.

The case in question centres on A.R.E., a woman who entered Greece to seek asylum in 2019. Instead of examining her asylum application as required by international and European law, the Greek authorities forcibly returned her to Turkey after holding her in a police station where her phone, shoes, and money were taken from her. 

We, the undersigned non-governmental organisations in Poland and across Europe, are deeply alarmed by Poland’s declared intentions to suspend access to asylum, posing a significant threat to the fundamental rights of those seeking safety. We call for a responsible debate about human rights in the context of migration that is inclusive of the voices of civil society organisations as well as refugees and asylum-seekers themselves.

In light of recent policies aimed at preventing the arrival in the EU of individuals seeking international protection and safety, over 40 humanitarian and human rights organizations working to protect the rights of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants, call on EU member states and the European Commission to respect EU and international human rights legal frameworks and safeguard the global refugee protection system.

Read the joint briefing. 

In response to the EU’s decision to extend the Temporary Protection Directive for refugees fleeing Ukraine, Nicola Bay, Lead of Oxfam’s Ukraine response, said:

After years of deadlock, EU justice and home affair ministers will seek to reach an agreement this week on two key files: the border procedure which includes the potential detention of children, and the solidarity mechanism which puts relocations on equal footing with financial contributions.   

EU leaders will meet this week to discuss Europe’s response to migration. Ahead of this, Stephanie Pope, Oxfam EU migration expert said “The latest proposal attempts to bully non-EU countries into doing its work and following Europe’s narrow-minded political objectives. EU countries must create a migration policy that works for people, not one built on blackmail, forced returns and fences.”  
 

Today, EU migration ministers meet to discuss the Commission’s proposal to activate the temporary protection directive for people fleeing the crisis in Ukraine. If activated, the directive would allow those fleeing from Ukraine, access to a residence permit for up to three years along with access to education and employment in any EU country.

Unfair, incoherent and duplicit EU trade policies in North Africa have contributed to job losses, brain drains and overwhelmingly negative impacts on those who can least afford it, an Oxfam analysis released today has found.