Migrant boat row deepens as France slams ‘not serious’ Johnson

The row between the UK and France over boats carrying migrants in the Channel escalated on Friday (26 November) after France withdrew an invitation to Home Secretary Priti Patel to attend a summit in Calais and discuss how to respond to a migration crisis on the Channel.

Furious Macron scraps UK migrant talks after ‘unacceptable’ letter

France on Friday (26 November) scrapped planned talks with the UK about migrant crossings after an "unacceptable" letter from British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, pushing relations to new lows after 27 people died in the Channel.

France expands sea monitoring as migrants vow to pursue UK dream

France pledged to step up surveillance of its northern shores, but migrants huddling in makeshift camps said neither that nor a tragic drowning the day before would stop them from trying to cross the Channel to Britain.

Twenty-seven migrants perish trying to cross Channel to Britain

British and French officials traded blame on Wednesday (24 November) after 27 migrants died when their dinghy deflated as they made a perilous crossing of the English Channel.

Poland makes ‘unprecedented’ challenge to European rights pact

Poland’s Constitutional Court on Wednesday (24 November) ruled that part of the European Convention on Human Rights was incompatible with the Polish constitution, in an unprecedented challenge against a ruling from the European Court of Human Rights. “The Constitutional Court...

Immigration out of control in France, says presidency hopeful Barnier

Michel Barnier, the former European Union Brexit negotiator and now a challenger for the French presidency, said France had lost control of immigration and that a sense of impunity prevailed.

One Belarus border camp cleared as Iraqis fly home

A makeshift migrant camp on Belarus' border with Poland has been cleared, Minsk said Thursday (18 November), as hundreds of Iraqis who failed to make the crossing to enter the European Union returned home.

Macron: On migration, the British ‘oscillate between partnership and provocation’

France must reinforce cooperation with Britain on the thorny question of migrant Channel crossings, French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday (18 November), accusing London of "oscillating between partnership and provocation".

In wrinkle to Merkel, Morawiecki warns against direct talks with Lukashenko

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on Thursday (18 November) cautioned against holding direct talks with Belarus on the unprecedented migrant crisis along Poland's border, saying it would "legitimise" the regime.

Belarus and EU to hold talks on migrant crisis

Belarus said Wednesday (17 November) that President Alexander Lukashenko and German Chancellor Angela Merkel agreed in a telephone call that Minsk and the EU should discuss the migrant crisis on the Belarusian-Polish border.

Budapest to Luxembourg court: Judgment ‘practically’ means supporting human trafficking

Hungarian Justice Minister Judit Varga accused EU judges in Luxembourg of making Budapest "practically support human trafficking" in her response to a ruling that found Hungary's 2018 law threatening jail sentences on anyone helping asylum seekers had violated bloc rules.

Iraq to start repatriating citizens from Belarus on ‘voluntary’ basis

The Iraqi government said it was organising a repatriation flight this Thursday (18 November) for its citizens stuck on the Poland-Belarus border on a "voluntary" basis.

The Brief, powered by The Martens Centre — Word on the wire

Waves of desperate people are trying to reach the EU: Images coming from the Poland-Belarus border this week have reopened the wounds in the very tissue of Europe that have barely scarred over since the first migration crisis in 2015.

Bulgaria’s justice minister: ‘This chief prosecutor will bring us EU sanctions’

In an exclusive interview for EURACTIV Bulgaria, the caretaker justice minister Ivan Demerdjiev offered scathing criticism of Prosecutor-General Ivan Geshev, saying that unless he is removed, Bulgaria risks losing access to EU funding.

EU considers sanctions on Minsk airport over migrant crisis

The European Union is considering imposing sanctions on Belarus' main airport in a bid to make it more difficult for airlines to bring in migrants and exacerbate a crisis on the bloc's borders, two diplomats said on Thursday (11 November).

UN Refugee chief slams EU leaders for management of refugee crisis

EU leaders cannot justify xenophobia, pushbacks, and violence amid the current refugee crisis. UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi told European Parliament on Wednesday (10 November).

Greece says Turkish boats tried to force migrants into its waters

Greek authorities on Tuesday (9 November) aired a video showing a rubber dinghy filled with migrants and escorted by two Turkish boats which they said were trying to force it into Greek waters.

Lithuania declares state of emergency on border with Belarus

The Lithuanian parliament decided on Tuesday (9 November) to declare a state of emergency at its border region with Belarus, a first since the country declared independence from the Soviet Union in 1990. 

Greek PM defends migration policy in heated dialogue with Dutch journalist

A press conference of Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis' and his Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte was marked by a heated dialogue with a Dutch journalist, when the latter accused the Greek PM of pursuing an “illegal pushbacks” policy.

Polish PM accuses Putin of masterminding Belarus migrant attack

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on Tuesday (9 November) accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of orchestrating a wave of migrants trying to illegally enter Poland from Belarus, saying the "attack" threatens to destabilise the European Union.

Spanish PM reaches election mid-term amid renewed optimism

Spain’s socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez starts the second half of his term in office on Wednesday (10 November) amid growing confidence that his ruling coalition with the left-wing Unidas Podemos (United We Can) will last until the end of 2023.

Why the Commission should ignore Poland’s ‘false compromise’

If the European Commission bends to Polish government pressure it will not fix the rule of law crisis but deepen it, argue Tineke Strik and Thijs Reuten.

Poland must undo judicial overhaul to get EU COVID aid, commission chief says

Poland must undo its new disciplinary system for judges to unlock access to billions of euros of European Union aid aimed at helping revive economic growth after the coronavirus pandemic, the bloc's chief executive said on Thursday (28 October).

EU high court fines Poland €1 million a day for non-compliance

As Poland’s row over judicial independence continues to escalate, the EU’s highest court has imposed a €1 million daily fine on Warsaw for not implementing its summer orders. On 14 July, the European Court of Justice (CJEU) ordered Poland to...