News Highlights: Former Eritrean minister arrested, violence in Ethiopia, report warns EU to stop working with abusive militias
20 Sep 2018

News Highlights: Former Eritrean minister arrested, violence in Ethiopia, report warns EU to stop working with abusive militias

by | posted in: Africa, Asylum Seekers, Austria, Deportation, Detention, EEPA news and activities, Eritrea, Ethiopia, European Commission, European Parliament, European Politics, European Union, France, Frontex, Germany, Horn of Africa region, Human Trafficking, Italy, Libya, Mediterranean Sea, Migration, Netherlands, Refugees in the EU, Somalia, Sudan, The Netherlands, Torture, UNHCR, United Nations, United States, Weekly news highlights | 0

In this week’s news highlights: New peace deal signed between Ethiopia and Eritrea in Saudi Arabia; former Eritrean minister of finance arrested; rebels return to Ethiopia and deadly violence sparks; NGOs urge UN not to vote human rights abusers in … Continued

Reactions to the European Commission’s proposal to upgrade Frontex
19 Sep 2018

Reactions to the European Commission’s proposal to upgrade Frontex

by | posted in: Africa, Asylum Seekers, Austria, Deportation, Detention, EEPA news and activities, Eritrea, European Commission, European Parliament, European Politics, European Union, France, Frontex, Germany, Human Trafficking, Italy, Mediterranean Sea, Migration, Netherlands, Refugees in the EU, The Netherlands, Torture, Turkey | 0

The European Commission’s plan to upgrade Frontex from a European agency with 1 500 employees into a complimentary European border and coast guard with 10 000 armed guards by 2020 has caused mixed reactions in the European Union. Under the proposal, €12.6 bn would be allocated to Frontex between 2019 and 2027, with the agency supporting national border patrols as well as coast guards and operating at the command of national authorities.

Dutch minister Sigrid Kaag calls for closure of Libyan detention centres
3 Apr 2018

Dutch minister Sigrid Kaag calls for closure of Libyan detention centres

by | posted in: Africa, Asylum Seekers, Detention, European Union, Horn of Africa region, Human Trafficking, IOM, Libya, Mediterranean Sea, Migration, Netherlands, The Netherlands, Torture, UNHCR, United Nations | 0

After paying a visit to a detention centre in Libya, the Dutch minister of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, Sigrid Kaag, has declared that the conditions are inhumane. She calls for the closure of the detention centres as soon as possible. She is reported to be the first EU policy maker to openly state this. She continues that alternatives such as open reception centres should be created.