Justice & Home Affairs
The Brief, powered by VDMA – Wanted: A Guardian of Democracy
Last Friday, and without much media coverage, the Guardian of the Treaties dealt the latest blow to European citizens' shot at direct democracy by rejecting a petition proposing a protection package for national minorities that had garnered 1.1 million signatures across the EU.
What we might learn from the Trump administration’s downfall
The siege of the Capitol was one of the darkest moments, but not the last hour of modern democracy, writes Anna Donáth.
EU border chief refuses to quit over pushback claims
The head of the EU border agency will not step down, a Frontex spokesman said, as the force's board met Wednesday (20 January) to air claims guards were involved in illegal migrant pushbacks.
The mystery of Bulgaria’s ‘golden passports’ deepens
Bulgaria keeps delivering “golden passports” to wealthy non-EU foreigners in return for 'investment', but it turns out that in most cases, such investment does not materialise, so the country gains little and may even risk an infringement procedure from Brussels. EURACTIV Bulgaria reports.
Greece seeks to send 1,450 migrants back to Turkey
Greece is pushing to return 1,450 people currently in migrant reception centres on Lesbos and other Aegean islands to Turkey, Migration Minister Notis Mitarachi said on Thursday (14 January), calling on Ankara to respect asylum agreements with the European Union.
Bulgaria wrongly strips mother of residence rights, detains her and baby
The latest video report by EURACTIV Bulgaria investigative journalist Valia Ahchieva reveals the brutality, incompetence and unaccountability of the country’s bureaucracy.
Italy targets violent clan in biggest mafia trial in decades
One of Italy’s largest-ever mafia trials kicked off on Wednesday (13 January), with more than 320 suspected mobsters and their associates facing an array of charges, including extortion, drug trafficking and theft.
EU money won’t solve Bosnian migration mismanagement, rights groups say
Emergency funding won't suffice to avoid a repetition of humanitarian crises during winter months in Bosnia, which is the result of local migration mismanagement and EU border-tightening measures, human rights group said on Tuesday (12 January).
German police take down ‘world’s largest darknet marketplace’
German police have taken down the "world's largest" darknet marketplace, whose Australian alleged operator used it to sell drugs, stolen credit card data and malware, prosecutors said Tuesday (12 January).
Poland, Hungary face EU regional funds blockage over fundamental rights charter
Respect for the EU charter of fundamental rights could be used to withhold EU money going to projects that trample over democracy or discriminate against gay and lesbian people, an EU official has said.
Migrant crossings down 13% in 2020 due to Covid
The number of illegal border crossings into the European Union fell by 13% to around 124,000 last year, the EU's border agency said Friday (8 January).
Cyprus pins hopes on Portugal to steer EU migration pact
“There is no better member state of the EU than Portugal to deal successfully” with negotiations on the European Pact on Migration and Asylum, Cypriot Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides said on Wednesday (6 January). EURACTIV’s media partner Lusa reports.
‘Solidarity cannot be voluntary’: Portugal begins talks on EU migration pact
Portugal started a round of talks with ministers from various European Union (EU) nations on the new pact to tackle the bloc's long-standing migration issues, its government said on Tuesday (5 January).
EU denounces conditions for migrants in Bosnia
The living conditions of hundreds of homeless migrants in Bosnia, bordering the European Union, are "completely unacceptable", EU envoy Johann Sattler said Saturday (2 January).
Migrants in limbo in Bosnia after camp fire
A thousand migrants from a burned-out camp were in limbo in Bosnia on Thursday (31 December), struggling with freezing temperatures and snow as efforts by local authorities to re-house them sparked protests from locals.
Gibraltar joins Schengen as Spain, UK ink 11th-hour deal
Gibraltar will become part of the Schengen zone to ensure fluidity on its border with Spain in a landmark deal inked just hours before the Brexit deadline, Spain's top diplomat said Thursday (31 December).
Russian court sentences Kazakh kleptocrat to 15 years in prison
A Russian court sentenced on Tuesday (29 December) the former chairman of Kazakh BTA Bank's board of directors, Mukhtar Ablyazov, to 15 years in prison, Russian media reported. The story of Ablyazov, a fugitive for years, has been turned into a book as a striking example of the ability of post-Soviet kleptocrats to benefit from Western “hospitality”.
Spain to keep registry of people who refuse Covid vaccine
Spain will set up a registry of people who refuse to be vaccinated against the new coronavirus and share it with other European Union member states, although it will not be made public, Health Minister Salvador Illa said.
Police blame residents for fire at Bosnia migrant centre
A fire at a migrant centre housing about 1,200 people in northwestern Bosnia on Wednesday (23 December) was probably set by migrants displeased with its temporary closure, police and a United Nations official said.
EU Charter: Rights of People in the EU – Jourová | Lenaerts | O’Flaherty | Van Dunem
7 December marks the 20th anniversary of the proclamation of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights by the Presidents of the EU institutions in 2000. On that day, FRA, in partnership with the European Commission held a virtual conference ‘Reinforcing...
Interpol expects ‘dramatic’ jump in crime over vaccine shipments
Interpol chief Jürgen Stock predicted Monday (21 December) a sharp rise in crimes with robbers seeking to get their hands on precious vaccines aimed at stopping the coronavirus pandemic.
EU court deals another blow to Hungarian asylum policy
In the latest legal setback for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, the top EU court in Luxembourg ruled that Budapest had broken Union law by restricting access to the international protection procedure for asylum applicants in transit zones and unlawfully detaining them.
Morocco rebuffs EU request to re-admit third-country migrants
Morocco has rebuffed a European Union request to take back third-party nationals who reach Europe from the North African kingdom, its interior ministry said on Tuesday (15 December).