Latest news with #EUMigrationandAsylumPact
Euractiv
01-08-2025
- Politics
- Euractiv
EU Court deals blow to Meloni's Albania migration deal
The European Court of Justice has struck down the legal basis of Italy's Albania migration deal, casting legal uncertainty over Rome's €653.5 million plan to process migrants outside EU territory. At the heart of the case is the designation of so-called ' safe countries of origin' – nations that, in Italy's view, do not pose risks for returning asylum seekers. According to a ruling published on Friday by the ECJ, such classifications must be enshrined in national legislation and be subject to judicial oversight. The Court added that a country cannot be deemed "safe" if it does not offer "sufficient protection" to all individuals within its borders. The ruling follows preliminary questions raised by judges at the Rome Tribunal regarding the legality of detaining migrants who were rescued in the Mediterranean and then transferred to Albania. Many of those migrants were from Egypt and Bangladesh – countries the Italian government had unilaterally labeled as safe. The ECJ also clarified that its ruling applies under the current legal framework and remains in force until the new EU Migration and Asylum Pact takes effect in June 2026. The forthcoming regulation will allow member states to classify countries as safe with exceptions for clearly identifiable categories of people. However, the judges noted that EU lawmakers retain the power to bring that date forward. In a sharply worded response, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's office called the ruling ' surprising' and accused European judges of overstepping. ' Once again, the judiciary – now at the EU level – is claiming powers that do not belong to it, at the expense of political responsibility,' read a statement posted on Meloni' s social media. Still, Meloni vowed to press ahead: ' For the ten months remaining before the EU Migration Pact takes effect, the Italian government will explore every possible technical and legal solution to safeguard citizens' security.' However, Italy's National Association of Magistrates (ANM) pushed back on Meloni's claims of judicial interference, national media reported. ' No one was acting against the government,' said ANM president Cesare Parodi. ' Italian judges offered an interpretation that has now been upheld by the European Court. That's a matter of fact, not politics.' (cs)
The Journal
15-07-2025
- Politics
- The Journal
Ireland's planned overhaul of asylum system may end up mired in 'legal uncertainty and dysfunction'
IRELAND IS STRUGGLING to be ready for the EU's planned overhaul of the asylum system, according to a leading Irish human rights body. The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission has said it fears that the scale of changes – which are supposed to be implemented by next June – are simply not feasible for the government and will result in an asylum system 'prone to legal challenge, administrative dysfunction and human rights violations'. The government is proceeding with the fresh legislation to bring Ireland in line with EU requirements under the Asylum and Migration Pact. The EU pact seeks to create uniform rules around the identification and speeding up of decisions on asylum claims of people who arrive from outside the EU, and to develop a common database about new arrivals to Europe. A 'solidarity mechanism' is critical to the plan – this aims to ensure all countries share responsibility for asylum applications, rather than those that are at the edge of Europe, such as Italy and Greece. But in its initial analysis of legislation which proposes to introduce a new international protection system in Ireland , the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission said it has 'grave concerns' over the fairness and effectiveness of the new proposed asylum system. The commission raised concerns over the ability of the state to meet the challenge and as to whether it was going to trample over the rights of people seeking refuge. Advertisement Commission publishes observations on the General Scheme of the International Protection Bill 2025 In its observations on the General Scheme of the International Protection Bill 2025 (attached), the Commission expressed deep concern that implementation of the EU Migration and Asylum Pact ('the Pact') could introduce a system prone to legal challenge, administrative dysfunction, and human rights violations. Liam Herrick, Chief Commissioner said there were particular concerns over the proposals regarding detention of asylum seekers, access to legal representation and counselling, and the treatment of children vulnerable persons give rise to particular concerns. The proposed legislation for Ireland would broaden the circumstances under which an individual can be detained. It would include the power to arrest and detain applicants without a warrant if they refuse to travel to screening centres, with no absolute time limit on this detention. Children could also be arrested and detained without a warrant under the proposals. This was also of concern to the commission as Ireland is the only country governed by the EU Pact that has not yet ratified the Optional Protocol on the Convention Against Torture, meaning that the State will fail to afford applicants the protections deriving from the protocol. 'This is a once-in-a-generation overhaul of our asylum system. We must get it right,' Herrick said. 'In our analysis of the current draft proposals, the commission believes the State is in danger of introducing a system that fails to respect and vindicate the fundamental rights of international protection applicants.' While Herrick said the commission recognises the complexity and challenges facing the State in implementing the Migration Pact, it also believes that many aspects of new proposals are 'impractical and may lead to the new system becoming mired in litigation and uncertainty'. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Examiner
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Human rights watchdog warns that International Protection Bill could 'criminalise' asylum seekers
The State's human rights watchdog has stated that the Government's draft asylum bill 'greatly expands' detention powers and is concerned that it could include electronic tagging and tracking of applicants. It said the broad suite of powers under the International Protection Bill 2025 'will lead to the effective criminalisation' of asylum seekers in some cases. The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) warned the Government that many of its measures could end up being challenged in the courts, including access to legal advice and the treatment of applicants as adults when they might, in fact, be children. On Tuesday, IHREC is publishing its analysis of the general scheme of the bill, which will implement the EU Migration and Asylum Pact. Ireland signed up to the pact on July 31, 2024, and published the draft bill on April 29. IHREC chief commissioner Liam Herrick said: This is a once-in-a-generation overhaul of our asylum system — we must get it right. "In our analysis of the current draft proposals, the commission believes the State is in danger of introducing a system that fails to respect and vindicate the fundamental rights of international protection applicants. "The proposals regarding detention of asylum seekers, access to legal representation and counselling, and the treatment of children and vulnerable persons give rise to particular concerns.' 'Mired in litigaton' Mr Herrick said the commission recognises the 'complexity and challenges' facing the State in implementing the pact, but said many provisions could become 'mired in litigation'. The IHREC analysis said the pact aims to 'significantly shorten' the application procedure, with a first-instance decision on admissible applications in six months, with appeal decisions within a further three months. The commission said the general scheme totals 244 pages, and the task in implementing the full EU laws is 'considerable'. 'Inadequate consultation' IHREC said it was not happy with the level and quality of consultation to date. The watchdog said the EU legislative acts had already been in place for a year, and it feared issues that might well have been resolved during consultation and Oireachtas examination 'may now end up being resolved in the courts'. The analysis detailed concerns it had over the issue of legal access and the use in the draft bill of legal 'counselling' as opposed to legal advice and representation. It said it expected the 'limitations' on legal access and representation will be subject of court challenges. On the issue of assessing if applicants are children, IHREC said that, based on its experience, it was 'concerned that children will not be afforded the presumption of minority' and, with no credible age assessment process in place, 'will end up being treated as adults'. It said this will also result in litigation, and the issue should be addressed as a 'matter of urgency'. IHREC said the bill 'greatly expands' use of detention and includes power of arrest without warrant as well as the detention of applicants who refuse to travel to a centre for screening. It said it was concerned the final bill could include powers including requirements on applicants to sign in and out and obey curfews in accommodation centres, and they could be electronically tagged or tracked on phone apps.
RTÉ News
20-06-2025
- Business
- RTÉ News
High cost of IP housing 'not sustainable'
The Minister of State for Migration has acknowledged the high costs of providing accommodation for International Protection applicants and Ukrainian refugees, which he said was "neither sustainable nor acceptable in the long term". The State spent more than €401m on accommodation for International Protection applicants and Ukrainian refugees in the first three months of the year. That is according to new figures released by the former Department of Integration detailing its spending for the first quarter of 2025. In a statement, Minister Colm Brophy said the State had engaged in a series of actions to reduce these costs. He said this includes: "The purchase of State-owned facilities which will reduce costs and save the State 100s of millions in a relatively short period of time. "The renegotiation downwards of existing contracts with IPAS and Ukrainian accommodation providers. "The introduction of legislation this autumn will drastically shorten the length of time people stay in the system. This will reduce the overall costs of accommodation in the years ahead." The €401m figure is down on last year's quarterly spends on such accommodation, which ranged from €424m to €490m. Paying for private sector accommodation for refugees and asylum seekers made up 97% of the department's purchase order spends of €20,000 or more detailed in the Department report. While hundreds of providers are in receipt of Government payments, 91 were paid more than €1m in the first quarter of the year, and together the top five brought in €52.5m. Commenting on the figures, Nick Henderson, the CEO of the Irish Refugee Council, said it had always been concerned about money going straight to private providers. He said the Government's purchase of Citywest could be a step in the right direction and was likely to be better value for money for the taxpayer. The Citywest campus has been central to the Government's International Protection and Ukrainian refugee accommodation provision over the last number of years. However, Mr Henderson said this did not necessarily mean it would be a better-run facility. He said the IRC also had concerns that the border procedure, under the EU Migration and Asylum Pact, could be based in the future at Citywest. The IRC would also like to see an expansion of the remit of HIQA, which only has inspection powers for longer-term accommodation, expanded to include emergency accommodation.
Euronews
05-06-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Migration past crisis but still a big issue, says agency chief
Europe is past the worst of its peak migration flows but cannot afford to calm its efforts to deal with the issue, the head of the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) has told Euronews in an interview. The ICMPD is an international organisation that supports governments and institutions in developing and implementing long-term strategies to manage and govern migration. "We're not in an exceptional situation anymore,' said Michael Spindelegger, reflecting on the peak migration flows of 2015–2016 in the Vienna office of the agency, adding: 'But with nearly one million asylum applications again last year, we can't afford to calm down.' Despite a big drop in irregular migration to the EU this year, migration remains a thorny political issue in many countries. Michael Spindelegger, a former MEP from Austria, has been in charge of the ICMPD for almost a decade, told Euronews the EU is still in need of a 'balanced and creative' approach to migration policy. Spindelegger expressed support for emerging migration models, such as Italy's controversial plan to process asylum seekers in Albania—an initiative he described as 'innovative' and legally distinct from the UK's Rwanda scheme. 'The key difference is Italy remains responsible. It's their authorities running the process,' he said. 'If this works, it could be a model for other European countries.' Asked about proposals from countries like Denmark that have seen the country come up against the European Convention on Human Rights, Spindelegger was open. 'Everyone is invited to explore intelligent, modern ways of handling migration,' he said. To curb irregular migration, Denmark has deployed a mixture of policies from paying migrants to return to their home countries to the so-called "ghetto law" that aims to limit the concentration of ethnic minorities in certain neighbourhoods. Denmark and Italy published an open letter -backed by a handful of other EU nations - criticising the European Court of Human Rights for going "too far" in interpreting the law on migration matters. The recently ratified EU Migration and Asylum Pact—years in the making—has sparked division among member states, with Hungary, Poland, and the Netherlands voicing strong opposition. Still, Spindelegger called the pact a 'big step forward', dismissing claims that it's falling apart. 'There is always opposition in Europe. The fact that we reached a breakthrough after so many years of deadlock is a success in itself,' he noted. He emphasised that national initiatives like Italy's do not conflict with the pact, which is primarily about streamlining asylum procedures and strengthening border controls. On the contentious issue of returning migrants to countries deemed 'safe', Spindelegger highlighted the complexity of the debate—particularly in relation to Syria. 'It depends very much on developments on the ground,' he said. 'In parts of Syria, especially along the Mediterranean coast, conditions might be improving, but we need real guarantees for minority protection.' He urged EU states to engage directly with Syrian authorities before any broader policy shifts, warning against premature decisions. EU ministers will meet in Luxembourg next week for talks on migration and asylum. Syria's new government has agreed to give UN inspectors access to suspected former nuclear sites immediately, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has said. Rafael Grossi confirmed the development after talks with Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and other officials in Damascus. The UN agency's aim is "to bring total clarity over certain activities that took place in the past that were, in the judgement of the agency, probably related to nuclear weapons", Grossi said. He described the new Syrian government as "committed to opening up to the world, to international cooperation", and expressed hope that the inspection process could be completed within months. In 2024, an IAEA team visited some sites of interest while former President Bashar al-Assad was still in power. Since al-Assad's fall in December, the IAEA has been seeking to restore access to sites associated with Syria's nuclear programme. Under the former dictator's rule, Syria is believed to have operated an extensive clandestine nuclear programme, which included an undeclared nuclear reactor built by North Korea in the eastern province of Deir el-Zour. The IAEA described the reactor as being "not configured to produce electricity," raising the concern that Damascus sought to construct a nuclear bomb there by producing weapons-grade plutonium. The reactor site only became public knowledge after Israel destroyed the facility in airstrikes in 2007. Syria later levelled the site and never responded fully to the IAEA's questions about it. Grossi said inspectors plan to return to the reactor in Deir el-Zour as well as to three other sites. A miniature neutron source reactor in Damascus and a facility in Homs that can process yellow-cake uranium are among the sites under IAEA safeguards. While there are no indications that there have been releases of radiation from the sites, Grossi said the watchdog is concerned that "enriched uranium can be lying somewhere and could be reused, could be smuggled, could be trafficked". He said al-Sharaa, who has courted Western governments since taking power, had shown a "very positive disposition to talk to us and to allow us to carry out the activities we need to". Apart from resuming inspections, Grossi said the IAEA is prepared to transfer equipment for nuclear medicine and to help rebuild the radiotherapy, nuclear medicine and oncology infrastructure in a health system severely weakened by nearly 14 years of civil war. "And the president has expressed to me he's interested in exploring, in the future, nuclear energy as well," Grossi said. A number of other countries in the region, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Jordan, are pursuing nuclear energy in some form. Grossi said Syria would most likely be looking into small modular reactors, which are cheaper and easier to deploy than traditional large ones.
