Europe continues to externalise migration management to authoritarian regimes

EU leaders reached a €7.4 billion deal with Egypt, according to the EU to boost the economy, but largely aimed at Cairo preventing people from leaving for Europe. The three-year partnership involves soft loans, private sector investments, and grants for migration management.

Civil society has long been denouncing Egypt’s poor human rights record at home and at its borders, and critics argue that such deals only reward autocratic leadership and overlook human rights abuses.

This latest agreement also follows criticism by MEPs on the European Parliament’s human rights, justice and foreign affairs committees that the European Commission is “bankrolling dictators” in relation to €150m it gave to Tunisia last year in a migration and development deal that ended up directly in the president’s hands.

The EU’s approach to grant money to third countries so they keep people out of Europe has been proven harmful time and time again. The EU struck similar deals with Turkey in 2015, with Libya in 2017, with Tunisia as recently as last year. The UK is on its way to pass a deal to deport asylum-seekers to Rwanda, while Italy and Albania signed a deal that would see Italy transfer people rescued at sea to the Balkan country.

These deals have been greatly criticised by human rights organisations which point to the risk of rights violations at borders, during the transfers and inside the centres, with unclear ways for people to address abuse, get remedy and hold authorities accountable. More generally, such deals have been condemned for not providing options for people to move safely, instead pushing them into ever more dangerous routes to reach Europe.

BORDERS

UK-funded French border forces endanger migrants’ lives in Channel

Media investigations revealed that French border forces carry out operations in the Channel that endanger the lives of people trying to cross into the UK, potentially leading to a "mass casualty event." Tactics employed include aggressive maneuvers such as circling boats to create waves, ramming into dinghies, and puncturing boats, forcing migrants to swim back to shore. Despite criticisms, the UK has allocated substantial funds to France for migration control measures, while recently signing an agreement with Frontex to enhance coordination in addressing Channel crossings.

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DETENTION AND DEPORTATIONS

European conservatives call for Rwanda-style migration deals

In its new political manifesto, the European People's Party (centre-right) proposed measures that would involve deporting asylum seekers to third countries for processing, similarly to what the UK has been pursuing with Rwanda, and Italy with Albania. Despite widespread criticism from civil society around the rule of law and human rights risks these deals involve, the European Commission chief, Ursula von der Leyen, has also voiced support for such migration reforms.

Austria: Minister calls for deportations of Afghans, Syrians

Austria's Interior Minister is advocating for the EU to reconsider deporting people to war-torn Syria and Afghanistan, which is currently prohibited under EU law. The Minister argues that discussions on a bloc-wide ban should be initiated due to the high number of asylum applications from these countries, despite persisting concerns about the safety and voluntariness of such returns.

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JUSTICE

European Parliament improves crime reporting for undocumented victims

MEPs in the European Parliament’s LIBE and FEMM committees voted on their joint report revising the EU Victims’ Rights Directive to improve crime reporting for undocumented people. In particular, MEPs voted to allow third parties to report abuse to police (instead of undocumented people having to report a crime themselves) and ensure people held in (de facto) immigration detention can report abuse from any place of detention or restricted liberty. However, the MEPs failed to introduce comprehensive protections from immigration enforcement when undocumented victims report abuse to police.

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RESIDENCE PERMITS

Council stops negotiations on Long Term Residence Directive

The Council of the EU unilaterally stopped negotiations on the revision of the 2003 Long Term Residence Directive, which sets out the conditions under which non-EU nationals can get EU long-term resident status. The revision would have meant better clarity on conditions, people being able to move to/work in other EU countries more easily, and more long-term security and job opportunities for people in international protection.

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WORK

Greece nears labour migration deals with India

The Greek Prime Minister announced that Greece is nearing an agreement with India to facilitate the entry of workers into the country for employment in sectors such as agriculture, construction, and tourism. The agreement would permit workers in low-paid positions to stay for five years but requires them to return home for six months after 18 months in Greece, while workers in better paid positions would receive a three-year residence permit. Greece is pursuing similar agreements with Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, the Philippines, and Vietnam.

EU lawmakers reach political deal on ban of forced-labour products

EU lawmakers reached a provisional agreement to ban products associated with forced labour from the bloc's supply chains. The law, prompted by global calls for action against forced labour, seeks to remove from the EU market products made with forced labour, whether carried out by companies within the EU, outside the EU or by states. While welcoming the development, international civil society have highlighted significant weaknesses, warning in particular that without an obligation to remedy harm and lower evidentiary thresholds, it will be difficult for workers and their allies to bring complaints, which are crucial to the ban having its intended effects.

PUBLICATIONS

European Council on Refugees and Exiles, Pathways to Protection: Mapping visa schemes and other practices enabling people in need of international protection to reach Europe safely.

Focus on Labour Exploitation, UK agriculture and care visas: worker exploitation and obstacles to redress.

International Organisation for Migration, A decade of documenting migrant deaths.

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BOOKMARKS

Aljazeera investigates how an EU-trained Senegalese police unit, part of development funding dedicated to addressing the root causes of migration in Africa, was used to quash democracy protests.

Balkan Insight reveals how Frontex and the European Commission closed both eyes on Bulgaria’s dire human rights record on its border with Turkey, in order to expand Schengen.

The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatovi? writes about how Europe’s insistence on looking tough on migration is endangering rule of law across the Continent.

Le Monde reports the stories of people who underwent voluntary returns from France to Georgia and their persisting challenges.

US migration reporter John Washington Makes the case for abolishing the US-Mexico border.