ECRE and UNHCR in a joint collaboration assess the ‘future of asylum in Europe’

On October 23 and 24, the European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE) in a joint collaboration with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) held its annual conference on the topic of ‘The Future of Asylum in Europe: Assessing and Capitalising on Changes at EU Level’. Keynote speakers agreed that refugees and migrants should be more involved in EU policy-making, as their stories should be told. Speakers also stated that disembarkation should be on EU soil, since the deal with Libya is contravenes all principles of human rights. The future of asylum in Europe was discussed and views on the EU agenda brought forward.

News Highlights: Refugees protest mass-rejection of evacuation in Libya, Ethiopian Prime Minister wins Nobel Peace Prize, EU migration deals continue

In this week’s news highlights: Ethiopian Prime Minister wins the Nobel Peace Prize; Sudan transitional government and Sudan rebel groups are discussing peace; BBC journalist witnesses state control in Eritrea; Eritreans and Ethiopians stuck at US-Mexico border; EU member states defer export of weapons to Turkey, as President Erdogan’s actions are condemned; European countries unlikely to resettle promised number of refugees before deadline; New report urges Switzerland to improve protection of trafficking victims; Hungary likely to appear before the Court of Justice for non-compliance on EU migration law; Refugees protest mass-UNHCR rejection; journalist reports EU pays UN to keep refugees in Libya; Morocco and EU working on migration deal; and Rescue-boats save close to 300 people

CEPS and MEDAM conference discusses “Rethinking EU migration and asylum policies”

On October 16, Mercator Dialogue on Asylum and Migration (MEDAM) organised a conference along with the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS), celebrating the publication of its recent report on “Rethinking EU migration and asylum policies”. At the conference, European migration politics and EU-African partnerships were discussed amongst various panels with experts on the two matters.