European Commission Archives - Page 29 of 56

11 Jun 2021

News Highlights: EU-US meeting on Tigray ahead of G7, Tigrayans starving to death, Webinar highlights destruction of heritage

In this week’s news highlights: Webinar highlights the destruction of heritage and holy sites and massacres of Tigray religious leaders; In-depth report on Mai Kadra massacre published by Reuters; BBC interviewed Tigryans who said they are starving to death; UNHCR concerned about Ethiopian refugees returned from Djibouti against their will; MMC report on onward migration of refugees and migrants from East Africa; Libyan PM meets the EU Commissioner Johnsson on migration and political transition; EU and US talk about crisis in Tigray ahead of G7; People seeking asylum in Denmark could be deported according to new law; UK MPs call for parliamentary inquiry on Eritrea’s role in Tigray; Court of Auditors found “worrying” deficiencies in Frontex’s procedures; Kent threatens legal action against Home secretary over poor services for child asylum seekers; Kent council threatens to reject asylum seeker applications for speaking to the media.

21 May 2021

News Highlights: Famine and sexual violence “weapons of war” in Tigray, Tigray hospital raided in retribution, EU criticised over ‘chain pushbacks’

In this week’s news highlights: Alex de Waal says Tigray famine is systematic and used as weapon of war by Eritrean and Ethiopian troops; Famine in Tigray surges to highest emergency levels; Ethiopian soldiers stormed Aksum hospital in retaliation to CNN report; Rape used as an act of genocide in Tigray – Webinar; People in Tigray rural areas still cut off from essentials, says MSF; A religious humanitarian worker confirms atrocities in Tigray; NYT reporter expelled from Ethiopia; Eritrea diasporic communities have complex interaction with Eritrean politics – journal; Refugees die off Tunisian coast; Report heavily condemns “inhumane” prosed EU migration pact; Thousands illegally pushed back by EU states, including chain pushbacks, says DRC; Thousands of migrants and refugees enter in Spanish enclave of Ceuta; EU seeks a migration deal with Tunisia and Libya; New EU migration pact “inhumane” and Italian former Interior Minister will not stand to trial in Gregoretti inquiry; UNHCR warns against “externalisation” of refugees; The UNHCR High Commissioner asks not to abandon LGBTIQ+ refugees.

26 Apr 2021

Human rights violations and Tigray conflict cause EU to withdraw Eritrea funding and reconsider ‘dual-track approach’

by Lucy Murray | posted in: Eritrea, Eritrea Road Project, EU funding, European Commission, European Parliament, European Politics, European Union, Forced labour, Horn of Africa region, Human Rights abuses, Human Trafficking | 0

The use of conscripted labour in EU projects and Eritrea’s engagement in committing human rights violations in the Tigray Region have prompted the European Commission (EC) to “de-commit” more than €100 million from eight upcoming Eritrean development projects. A letter written by Jutta Urpilainen, European Commissioner for International Partnerships, revealed that nine projects worth €141.3 million were initially approved for implementation through the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa (EUTF) but due to concerns over Eritrea’s stance on human rights, only one project, valued at €19 million, was disbursed. This recent move has highlighted the friction within the EU’s “dual-track” approach to Eritrea which attempts to mix development assistance and political dialogue.