Take a look at AEDH latest newsletter and keep up to date with European news.
Invitation to the public event “Turkey is not a safe country!” on 7 June 2016 in Paris
30 May 2016 – AEDH, EuroMed Rights, the FIDH and the French Human Rights League (LDH) invite you to join us at our public event “Turkey is not a safe country” (La Turquie n’est pas un pays sûr !). During this event, our organisations will shed light on the violations of the rights of Turkish citizens and foreigners in Turkey and on the challenges generated by the current EU policies which are inefficient and in contradiction with the Union’s fundamental principles.
Greece: New austerity measures, new attacks on economic and social rights?
27 May 2016 – On the evening of 8 May, the Greek Parliament adopted a bill that provides for a unified system of social security and reform of the State’s pension and income tax systems aiming at reducing public expenditure. There is a political debate ongoing whether these are new budgetary austerity measures citizens will bear the consequences of.
The relaunch of the « Smart Borders » package: protection of travellers’ data is sidelined
30 May 2016 – The Smart borders package has been relaunched. While the European Parliament and the Council had difficulties finding a compromise on the initial proposal of the Commission (published in 2013), the most recent proposal of 6 April 2016 focuses only on the entry/exit system (EES) accompanied by a draft amendment of the Schengen Code necessary for its implementation.
Changing attitudes and combating misconceptions
29 May 2016 – These last few years have been characterised by an unprecedented increase in the arrival of individuals on European territory fleeing war, instability and poverty.
In this context, it is not surprising that anti-migrant and xenophobic discourses appeared in the European political landscape, and that these dynamics of fear and rejection were popularized in speeches and daily life in Europe. To combat these xenophobic tendencies and inward-looking attitudes, one must be aware of the weight of words and reduce the amount of prejudices on a topic as sensitive as the topic of migrations.
Frontexit : the associations express their concerns about Frontex agency’s new mandate
29 May 2016 – On 15 December 2015, AEDH decided to join the Frontexit campaign led by the Migreurop network. AEDH was especially worried about the state of play of the discussions on a new mandate for the European Agency Frontex which is currently in charge of the control of the European Union’s external borders. A regulation proposal is currently being considered by the different European institutions in order to redefine Frontex’s mandate. AEDH, along with the Frontexit campaign, is concerned with these measures that would extend the agency’s missions and powers, and that are characterised by the reinforcement of border controls, returns and repression.
Opacity of the negotiations on TTIP: certainly not a “storm in a tea cup”!
26 May 2016 – On 2 May, Greenpeace Netherlands published number of documents on the negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, better known as TTIP, between the European Union and the United States. This leak confirms the concerns of civil society on the impact this treaty may have on the protection of European sanitary, environmental and social standards, as well as its criticism of the dispute-settlement arrangements and of the lack of transparency and democratic debate in the negotiation process.
The European Union’s lists of “safe countries”: a denial of the right of asylum
26 May 2016 – The AEDH, EuroMed Rights and the FIDH wish to warn of the dangers of using the concept of safety in processing asylum applications (see analysis). No country may be deemed “safe”. By adopting such a list, the European Union (EU) and its Members States would institutionalise at European level a practice by which the Member States could refuse to fully comply with their responsibilities towards asylum seekers, in violation of their international obligations.
“Safe countries” : a denial of the right of asylum
26 May 2016 – The European Commission made a proposal for a regulation for the purpose of establishing an EU common list of “safe countries of origin”. This name means that, as far as is known, there is no risk of persecution for asylum seekers and that the rule of law is respected in those countries. AEDH, EuroMed Rights and the FIDH warn against the dangers of using the concept of safety in processing asylum applications. No country may be deemed “safe”. Our organisations are opposed to this proposal and have published an analysis of the concept of safety and lists of safe countries of origin, as well as fact-sheets on the countries and regions considered as “safe”.