A big sailing boat with 60 migrants on board was discovered on May 13 at 4am by an airplane of Frontex flying over the Ioanian. The sailing boat was heading towards Italy. The coast guard of Kerkyra arrested 58 Afghans and two Iranians, as well as two Russian citizens. The boat had collected the migrants from different points near Parga.
Frontex is since months patrolling the Ioanian Sea.
From Balkan Insight – news article, 4th of November 2011:
Bulgaria fails to integrate its refugees and routinely locks up asylum seekers, despite EU and national laws banning the use of detention centres, forcing even those who might otherwise stay to try their luck in western Europe.
What crime have I committed to be held a prisoner?
When will they set me free? They are telling me six months, why six months?” “On what grounds are they detaining me? I am a refugee, not a criminal.
Continue reading ‘Bulgarian Asylum System Pushes Migrants West’
Will there be again border guards at the internal EU borders? France and Denmark have temporarily recovered their border control guards. Now the EU-commission has made a proposal for the reintroduction of internal border controls under specific circumstances and preconditions.
According to the proposal of the 16th of September, decisions on the reintroduction of internal border controls at specific European borders should be made by the commission in the near future and not by the member states themselves. Germany, Spain and France already announced their disagreement. While the commission wants to hinder the solo of EU-member states, these insist on the national sovereignty rights.
Continue reading ‘Debate about reintroduction of internal border controls in the EU: The EU-Commission wants to take the decisions itself’
Berlusconi is “cleaning his backyard”
As far as we know, Italy readmitted for the first time refugees via the sea way and in a great number from the inland of the country to Greece. 81 sans-papiers from war torn countries such as Afghanistan and Iraq, women, minors and other vulnerable persons were arrested on their way through Italy and towards the European “golden” North, deported by ship to Patras and from there transferred to Athens.
Continue reading ‘Mass Readmission of 81 refugees from Italy to Patras / Greece – 20.04.2011’
A short report about the situation of refugees in Hungary
10th of December 2010
Hungary is a member state of European Union and of the Schengen Treaty. For refugees it is a main transit country as it lies a the cross roads to northern Europe. Within the last years a high number of refugees tried leaving Greece through the mountains of Macedonia and Serbia to Hungary in order to cross the border to Austria and move on to the North. Nevertheless, apart of the many who were deported back to Serbia due to interstatal agreements, a huge number of refugees have been caught up within the countries borders, being detained there and forced to apply for asylum. Due to the difficult living conditions most refugees decided not to stay and move on even after an asylum application. Hungary is applying European migration policy very strictly and, thus, is continuously accepting the returns of Dublin II cases back to its territory. this has been the case also for many unaccompanied minors who had applied for asylum in Hungary in order to be allowed to leave the camps.
Continue reading ‘Short report on the situation of refugees in Hungary’
EU European affairs ministers yesterday (13 September) decided to extend monitoring on Romania and Bulgaria, which was put in place to tackle their poorly functioning judicial systems and inability to curb corruption. France said the majority of countries are opposed to Bucharest and Sofia’s accession to Schengen until the monitoring has been lifted.
Continue reading ‘Bulgaria, Romania Schengen bid faces delay -14.9.2010’