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: Sudan and Libya join UN Human Rights Council, Floods affect South Sudan refugees, EU Summit outcomes on migration

In this week’s news highlights: Floods in South Sudan; UNSC pushes for peace deal in South Sudan; Ethiopia drafts new law to combat human trafficking including proposal of death penalty; First IOM international charter flight to resettle refugees from Ethiopia to Germany; Eritrean opposition group changes its name; Additional EU funds for humantarian assitance in Libya; Migrants left without food and water in Hungary; Unrest at reception center in Malta; UNDP report on motivations for migration to Europe; European Council supports Eastern Meditterean countries on migration management; Libya and Sudan new members of the UN Human Rights Council; Worsening conditions in Libya; and African refugee women face increased sexual violence in Egypt.

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.