Statewatch

The EU Commission plans to increase #detentions and speed up #deportations. As part of implementing the #MigrationPact, the Commission is planning for the new asylum border procedure. Through this, more applicants can be immediately detained, and their applications quickly refused. This will mean more people facing the prison-like conditions of EU border detention centres. And the procedure's timeline means they could be there for up to six months. But the Commission's focus is clear: “if international protection is refused… that person will be swiftly returned.” It plans to do this by using Article 25a to increase visa sanctions for countries with a high number of arrivals and a low asylum recognition rate. This is already in place for The Gambia and Ethiopia. Statewatch obtained the latest classified report on Article 25a. In it, 34 more countries are identified as candidates for sanctions. If those are put in place, citizens from those countries will face even more reduced access to Schengen visas. The document says it excludes Russia entirely because the Ukraine war “precludes engagement”. Yet, it claims Afghanistan, Libya, Palestine, and Syria, couldn't be assessed despite meeting the criteria. It says this is because "it is not possible to establish effective operational contacts due to the conditions on the ground." Read the entire overview and access the now-published documents here: https://buff.ly/3ySYDOj

#EU considers new systematic data-sharing agreement with the #US ❎ The US wants direct access to EU member state databases. They would use this for “routine traveller screening” in return for ongoing visa-free travel. This raises concerns about privacy, oversight, and compliance with existing EU laws. Key points: 🟩 A note by the Council Presidency questions the legality of this proposal under EU legislation. 🟩 Questions remain about "appropriateness" and what data protection safeguards will be in place. 🟩 A new agreement could spark more laws for systematic data-sharing across EU borders. Read the full article for details and to access the Council Presidency note: https://lnkd.in/dtwGk29Z To understand more about EU member state databases, see our interactive map: https://lnkd.in/eaq_PGeR

🚨 EU watchdog pressures Frontex to improve transparency—but is it enough? Frontex, the EU border agency, has long been criticised for its lack of transparency. New leadership promised to “restore trust by being very transparent,” but change has been slow. What changed? The EU Ombudsman urged Frontex to follow EU laws on access to information and stop delay tactics. New data shows some improvement since the Ombudsman’s recommendations in May 2023. The agency has since delayed or ignored fewer FOI requests. Yet, it is unclear whether this progress represents a genuine shift toward transparency. In fact, several aspects remain a concern: 1) Frontex’s justification of past practices 2) their slow response to the Ombudsman’s recommendations 3) their inadequate and difficult-to-use document register 4) their tactics of redaction and partial disclosure Why does it matter? Transparency is crucial for holding powerful agencies accountable. This is especially true for agencies like Frontex, whose past actions have led to human rights concerns. Without a cultural shift within Frontex, these improvements may remain superficial. As Lena Karamanidou from BVMN puts it, despite the improvements, “the underlying logic remains the same." For more, read the detailed analysis by Anas Ambri & Ed Carron, co-published with The New Arab:

A year and half after the appointment of an ostensibly pro-transparency leadership at Frontex, improvements in the agency’s information disclosure practices are begrudgingly following suit. The agency is notorious for delaying and obstructing access to documents requests. This investigation, co-published with The New Arab, found improvements - though Frontex still has many ways to keep things secret. https://buff.ly/4fSwJT1 2/2

Did you know? In our latest #ExternalisationBulletin, we 've published almost two dozen documents from the secretive Operational Coordination Mechanism for the External Dimension of Migration, #MOCADEM. Secret decision-making and policy implementation prevents individuals and organisations from understanding what is going on and making their views known, undermining their ability to engage in democratic processes and the possibility to influence policy. We're working to change this by increasing #AccessToDocuments. Find them here: https://lnkd.in/dXuCArRJ

New #EU document "The New SecEUrity Package" now released This document, which calls fundamental rights considerations something that 'waters down' proposals, outlines the EU's four-pronged approach to increasing police access to policy-making and personal data. In an article published today by @EUObs, @StaffaniDK remarks about the document: “…the government's non-paper now seeks to downplay the aspects of fundamental rights against the efficiency of police co-operation, an initiative not known to the public at large" The argument of "The New SecEUrity Package" is as questionable as its title. It is another attempt to cast "security" as the main priority while, in fact, undermining citizens' own security by disregarding their right to privacy. This is clear by a line from the paper itself: “Security is not in opposition to fundamental rights. On the contrary, the right to safety is a fundamental right. Personal safety is at top of citizens’ priorities and should be at the top of policy makers’ agendas.” Read the now public document here: https://buff.ly/46hAehq

The Migration Pact’s Screening Regulation, which outlines the process for “screening” non-EU arrivals, sets out several requirements for a fundamental rights monitoring mechanism. But what will happen when this law meets reality? A new analysis by Vasiliki A. breaks down the requirements for this mechanism to properly function to achieve its stated aims: 🟩 ensuring access to asylum procedures; 🟩 upholding the principle of nonrefoulement; 🟩 safeguarding children; 🟩 overseeing detention conditions. For this monitoring mechanism to genuinely protect migrants’ rights, EU member states must provide the necessary resources AND ensure the independence and effectiveness of these bodies. This includes upholding transparency and accountability. However, our current political context, in which states such as Hungary and Italy seek to circumvent fundamental rights obligations, poses a challenge. Combatting this will require continuous advocacy, awareness raising, and litigation by NGOs, civil society, and independent experts. See the analysis for more: https://lnkd.in/dFrReiEU #MigrationPact #FundamentalRights #EU

We are one of 95 organisations that are calling on EU institutions and member states to uphold the right to asylum, and to halt the pursuit of deals to outsource #asylum processing to third states. Doing so risks undermining the international protection system, and attempts to outsource asylum processing have caused immeasurable human suffering and rights violations. https://buff.ly/3S2xfn0

🚨Just released: The second edition of our bi-monthly bulletin “Outsourcing borders: Monitoring EU Externalisation Policy” with Migration Control and partners @Medico International, @Misereor, @Pro Asyl & Brot fur die Welt. This issue focuses on the approval of billions more euros for externalisation and the use of visa sanctions to coerce non-EU states to cooperate on deportations. ❌ The externalisation agenda is old and has failed. Yet, states continue to approve more funds to go towards projects with known negative human rights implications, now under the guise of a “preventative approach.” An analysis in this bulletin breaks down this approach, demonstrating how terms like “preventative” and “capacity building” legitimate repressive policy initiatives to exclude and target non-EU nationals. The repressive tactics are further exemplified in an analysis of how states use Article 25a of the Visa Code to threaten non-EU states with visa sanctions if they don’t cooperate on migration agreements–especially regarding deportations. Read these analyses and catch up on other regional and thematic updates, newly published documents, and more here: https://lnkd.in/dbnywyY4 #Externalisation #EU #MigrantJustice

Frontex has been accused of aiding the return of migrants who have fled Libya back to the country and to possible torture and blackmail. Their border guards spoke to journalists from the Mission Investigate at SVT and revealed the extent of this close contact with Libyan groups. Meanwhile, the so-called Libyan coast guard fired upon a rescue mission in the Mediterranean being documented by SVT. See the footage, and read more about #Frontex's cooperation with #Libya here: