migration

Today, European heads of state and government met in Brussels to discuss migration policy and EU-Turkey relations. They called for the intensification of ‘mutually beneficial partnerships and cooperation with countries of origin and transit’ while also condemning and rejecting ‘any attempts by third countries to instrumentalise migrants for political purposes’. 

Oxfam is concerned about the treatment of the 8,000 migrants who crossed from Morocco into the Spanish enclave, Ceuta last Tuesday, 2,000 of which were thought to be children.  

Conditions in Moria 2.0 (Mavrovouni) are below the minimum humanitarian standards, yet Europe wants to replicate the policies that caused it. This is according to the latest report, “Tipping the Scales: the role of responsibility and solidarity sharing in the situation on the Greek islands” and the Lesbos bulletin, a February update from the ground by the Greek Council for Refugees and Oxfam.    

With its action plan on inclusion and integration, the Commission has opened up an important opportunity for Europe to promoting inclusive and cohesive societies, where everyone has a stake, said Oxfam today. It’s now up to EU governments to set this plan into action, for the benefit of us all.

The new temporary camp on the Greek island of Lesbos is even worse than the original Moria camp, with inadequate shelter, hardly any running water, limited healthcare services, and no access to legal aid, said the Greek Council for Refugees (GCR) and Oxfam in their latest ‘Lesbos Bulletin’ news update.

The European Commission should trigger an infringement procedure against Greece for its systematic breach of EU law in its treatment of people seeking asylum in Europe, a coalition of human rights groups said in a legal complaint filed today, just a day before the Commission will release a new European pact on asylum and migration.

The first case of the new coronavirus in Greece’s biggest refugee camp highlights the need for immediate and radical changes from the Greek government and its EU partners to the reception of people seeking asylum in Europe.

EU policies and action have facilitated the containment of tens of thousands of people in Libya, a country where they have been exposed to appalling abuse, say 13 organisations in support of a complaint to the EU Court of Auditors.

Oxfam welcomes that Europe has begun developing prospects for a real and meaningful partnership with Africa. Ursula von der Leyen’s vision of a truly ‘geopolitical Commission’ must be grounded in European values and result in EU policies that actually work for people in Africa instead of making their situation worse.