Justice & Home Affairs
EU pushes Iraq to stem migrant flights to Belarus
The European Union said on Thursday (29 July) it was pressing Iraq to help stem the flow of migrants to Belarus who are then smuggled across the border into Lithuania.
Polish minister says European rights law breaches constitution
Poland's justice minister on Thursday (29 July) asked its Constitutional Tribunal to examine whether an article of the European Convention on Human Rights breaches the constitution, deepening an international row over the country's judicial reforms.
Italy government reaches accord on contested justice reform
The Italian government has reached an accord over a contested reform of the judicial system, a government spokesperson said on Thursday (29 July), apparently putting an end to weeks of friction in Mario Draghi multi-party coalition.
Turkey courts Biden with Kabul airport offer
Turkey is offering to protect Kabul's strategic airport after US forces leave in what experts view as a high-risk bid to improve Ankara's strained ties with Washington.
Turkey detains over 200 migrants in Aegean
Turkey's coast guard has detained more than 200 migrants, including Afghans and Syrians, who were crossing the Aegean Sea on a fishing boat in an attempt to reach Greece, local media reported.
Interpol nets 286 in global operation against human trafficking
Criminal groups behind human trafficking and migrant smuggling have been hit hard in a 4-day operation coordinated by Interpol with 286 suspects arrested worldwide, the international criminal police organization announced on Tuesday (27 July).
French ex-minister charged with corruption in Ghosn case
France's financial crimes unit said Tuesday (27 July) it had charged prominent rightwinger Rachida Dati, a former cabinet minister and close ally of ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy, over her dealings with disgraced former Renault chief Carlos Ghosn.
Polish justice minister says Warsaw cannot comply with EU’s court ruling
Poland's justice minister said on Wednesday (21 July) it was not possible to comply with a ruling by the top European Union court that the country's new system for disciplining judges broke EU law and should be suspended.
EU wants reforms before approving Hungary’s recovery plan
The European Commission won't approve Hungary's recovery plan until it carries out judicial reform and guarantees that corruption cases are investigated, justice commissioner Didier Reynders said in an interview published on Tuesday.
Commission struggles to defend usefulness of its rule of law report
Despite increasingly common violations of basic democratic standards, top EU officials say that the Commission's freshly released second annual rule of law report helps prevent future headaches, while critics warn that summaries of problems can do little to resolve deepening crises within the bloc.
The Brief – Flattery by imitation
There’s no flattery like imitation, at least when it comes to migration control. Taking their lead from aggressive migration control measures in Denmark and the UK, Lithuania’s parliament last week approved the mass detention of migrants, in a move meant to deter high numbers crossing into the EU from Belarus.
Legal split looms between EU and Poland, Brussels ‘deeply concerned’
As the EU's highest court and the Polish Constitutional Tribunal remained at loggerheads over bloc law, the European Commission warned Warsaw on Thursday (15 July) it would act to ensure that member states respect the precedence of EU law over their national systems.
Amnesty says migrants in Libyan camps forced to trade sex for clean water
Amnesty International said on Thursday (14 July) that migrants held in Libyan detention camps are subject to horrific sexual violence at the hands of guards, including being forced to barter sex for clean water, food and access to sanitation. The...
Lithuanian parliament votes to allow mass detention of asylum seekers
Lithuania’s parliament on Tuesday (13 July) approved the mass detention of migrants and curbed their right of appeal, a move meant to deter high numbers crossing the border with Belarus but which stirred an outcry among humanitarian groups. Eighty-four lawmakers...
Polish court delays ruling in landmark EU row case
Poland's top court on Tuesday (13 July) delayed issuing a ruling in a landmark case on whether the Polish constitution or EU law have primacy in the member state, amid a bitter row with Brussels.
Italy allows rescue ship with 572 migrants to dock
Italy on Thursday (8 July) authorised the Ocean Viking migrant rescue ship to dock in Sicily after the group urged EU members to allow 572 people picked up in the Mediterranean Sea over three days to be brought ashore.
Spanish police arrest suspects after fatal beating
Spanish police have arrested three people over their alleged involvement in the killing of a 24-year-old man named Samuel, who was beaten to death in the early hours of last Saturday near a nightclub, EURACTIV’s partner EFE reports.
Italy prosecutors to probe Libya coastguards firing at migrants
Italian prosecutors said on Wednesday (7 July) they are seeking permission from the foreign ministry to launch a probe into footage purportedly showing the Libyan coastguard firing at a migrant boat in the Mediterranean. If approved, the criminal investigation would...
NGOs slam UK plans to copy Danish offshore asylum centres
UK plans to follow the lead of Denmark in seeking to establish offshore asylum processing centres have been met with swift condemnation from civil society groups and lawyers who argue that it would breach the country’s international obligations on refugees.
EU condemns Belarus ‘pressuring’ Lithuania with migrants, says Michel
The European Union "speaks with one voice" in condemning a decision by Belarus to allow illegal migrants to cross into Lithuania in response to EU sanctions, European Council President Charles Michel said on Monday (5 July).
UK announces harsher sentences for Channel migrants
Britain has announced it will seek harsher sentences for migrants caught entering the country without permission amid a record-breaking surge in arrivals over the English Channel.
Italy breaks up fake EU COVID pass schemes
Italian police said on Saturday (3 July) they had broken up a number of online schemes offering to sell fake European Union digital COVID-19 status certificates or purported coronavirus vaccines.
Von der Leyen says flow of illegal migrants from Belarus ‘politically motivated’
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Friday (2 July) pledged support for Lithuania, which is experiencing a quickly growing flow of Middle East migrants though its 679-kilometre border with Belarus.