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The European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE) is a pan-European alliance of 117 NGOs protecting and advancing the rights of refugees, asylum seekers and displaced persons. ECRE publications - including advocacy briefings, legal analysis and statements - are available on our website. Follow us on Twitter, Linked In, Instagram or Facebook for more.

     
29 March 2024
  
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REPORTS & ACTIONS
 
EUROPEAN DEVELOPMENTS
   

REPORTS & ACTIONS


Policy Note:Seeking Protection: Afghan Asylum Applicants in the EU 

ECRE has published a policy note which analyses developments in policies and practices affecting Afghans seeking international protection in Europe. It provides a brief update on the current situation in Afghanistan and on the situation of Afghan refugees in both Iran and Pakistan. It also analyses the treatment of international protection applications from Afghan nationals in EU member states (MS), taking into account recent policy developments.

Since the Taliban takeover in August 2021, more than 1.6 million Afghan nationals have had to leave their home country, resulting in a total of 8.2 million Afghans displaced globally, mostly in the countries neighbouring Afghanistan. Inside Afghanistan, there are an estimated 6.3 million internally displaced persons (IDPs). In Europe, Afghans seeking international protection remain the second-largest group of asylum applicants, following people from Syria. In 2023, over 100,000 Afghan nationals submitted first-time applications for international protection across the 27 EU MS. Compared to the numbers of IDPs inside Afghanistan and its neighbouring countries, the figure is small. However, the challenges confronted by those Afghans who reach Europe are significant. In addition to the obvious risks involved in the journey from Afghanistan, they include “pushbacks” at borders, difficulties accessing asylum procedures and inconsistencies in the treatment of asylum applications between EU MS.

ECRE asserts that Afghan nationals who are denied protection cannot currently be returned to Afghanistan due to the country’s situation and the principle of non-refoulement, which should be considered when applying Article 5 of the recast Return Directive. The suspension of return and deportation should continue until security and stability are established. Before deciding to issue a return decision, the authorities must assess whether returning rejected applicants would comply with fundamental rights, including those outlined in Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights and in Article 19 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.

The policy note concludes with concrete recommendations to the EU institutions and agencies and EU MS.

For more information about this policy note, please contact Reshad Jalali.

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EUROPEAN DEVELOPMENTS


Balkan Route: Migrants Risk Tranquiliser Addictions ― Frontex Triples Staff at Bulgaria-Türkiye Border Ahead of Schengen Expansion ― Refugees in Serbia Endure Violence & Harassment ― Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Greenlight for Accession Talks Amid Reports of Violence Along Border with Croatia ― Decrease in Irregular Crossings Via Western Balkan Route
  • A recent investigative report by EUobserver has revealed that migrants on the Balkan route are getting addicted to tranquillisers due to over-prescription and unbearable living conditions.
  • The number of officers from the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) along the Bulgaria-Türkiye border has been tripled despite Bulgaria’s record of human rights abuses.
  • Asylum seekers in Serbia continue to live in rough conditions and face pushbacks from the authorities that are “protecting” the country’s EU borders.
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina to begin EU accession talks amid concerns over rule of law issues.
  • A 65% decrease in the number of migrants along the Balkan route in January and February 2024 has been reported compared to the same period in 2023.

Migrants are at a major risk of becoming addicted to tranquilisers as they travel along the Balkan route, a new EUobserver investigative report has revealed. According to the report, the extensive and unregulated distribution of psychotropic drugs in reception centres is not documented in official figures. However, many migrants and activists who have worked and travelled in the main cities along the route, including Athens, Belgrade, Sarajevo and Trieste, have raised the alarm about the over-prescription of such drugs which often leads to dependency. In addition to the fact that migrants often receive prescriptions in languages they do not understand and are given prescription drugs without even basic accompanying information, many people have reported being prescribed tranquilisers without even having complained about any mental health issues. “I received a medical examination without knowing what it was about. The doctor told me that Xanax was very suitable for my situation. But I did not understand why he thought I needed help. I had not reported any mental distress or asked for support,” said one migrant who stayed at a Greek camp. “The situation in the refugee camp was catastrophic. The people who did not take drugs were few,” he added. “In the camps, if someone complains of a headache or insomnia, doctors immediately respond by giving them powerful antidepressants and anxiolytics [anti-anxiety medication],” said Nawal Soufi, an independent activist who has been helping people in distress along the Balkan route for years. Another source said: “People wait for an answer for weeks or even months, brooding all day about the violence they suffered at the border. They feel ashamed of their living conditions,” she explained. “In such a context, taking medicine is a way to forget reality”.

Bulgaria and Romania are preparing to partially join the Schengen Area and, as of 31 March, any person crossing the internal air and sea borders will no longer be subject to checks. This development has been accompanied by a rise in anti-migrant and xenophobic misinformation campaigns. Euractiv has reported that politicians posted videos on social media claiming to show “migrants beating up young Bulgarians” in the capital Sofia, although police have described the incident as an altercation between two rival Bulgarian groups. “There is no migration crisis, but a crisis narrative that poses a real threat to security,” said Ildiko Otova, a migration expert and lecturer at Sofia University. Meanwhile, a joint operation to triple the number of EU border guards on the Bulgaria-Türkiye border has also been launched by the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) and the national border police. The operation reportedly aims to increase “protection of one of the most sensitive and busy external borders of the EU”, which is also the scene of systematic brutality by Bulgarian authorities. Both developments have come after internal documents showed that Frontex and the European Commission (EC) have ignored Bulgaria’s dire human rights record on its border with Türkiye in favour of expanding the Schengen Area.

According to a new report by the Border Violence Monitoring Network (BVMN), various NGOs have been providing regular services to a group of people sleeping rough outside the Obrenovac Asylum Centre (AC) near Belgrade, Serbia. People living outside the camp reported violence and harassment by police and other authorities throughout February, as well as forced relocations to state-run camps in southern Serbia. Pushbacks were also carried out by the authorities. According to a man from Afghanistan who had been living outside the camp, in the evening of 14 February, 45 people were effectively trapped by the police and the commissariat security and later pushed back into Bulgaria after being told to move from to the quarantine area. “The actions of the authorities seen and reported outside the Obrenovac AC during the past month demonstrate a continued state effort to keep people on the move south of Belgrade,” underlined the report. Meanwhile, ECRE member organisation the Asylum Protection Center reported on 22 March: “69 refugees remained in the camp [Reception Center in Bujanovac] despite regular fluctuations. Due to the unavailability of public transportation, many refugees rely on taxi drivers to reach Belgrade and continue their journey. Some refugees mention finding a truck in Belgrade for transit to Germany”.

On 21 March, EU leaders gave political approval for the start of accession talks with Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) whilst also noting that the Western Balkan country needed to make further reforms before moving forward. In an X post, President of the European Council Charles Michael noted that the decision was a “key step forward” on the EU path”. ECRE member organisation Vasa Prava X posted: “In light of the EU’s decision to open negotiations with BiH, it is crucial to focus on the rule of law. There is an urgent need to fill the Constitutional Court and improve the judicial system in order to restore public trust and effectively fight corruption”. Meanwhile, according to the BVMN report, almost 32,000 people on the move crossed BiH in 2023, the highest since the opening of the Bosnian route in 2017. Reportedly, the number of border police officers deployed to monitor the country’s borders is lower than the number deemed necessary according to the 2005 ‘Border Security Assessment’. Elsewhere, BVMN reported that in Una-Sana Canton, the number of people transiting is reportedly decreasing but violence against migrants in the area is increasing. “More and more people, often including unaccompanied asylum-seekers, report having been heavily beaten up and pushed back by the Croatian police. Many show multiple signs of this violence that also testify to the practices of the authorities, such as contusions, broken bones, or dog bites,” the organisation revealed. Separately, in a meeting with his Italian and Slovenian counterparts, Croatian Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic highlighted that more than 50 per cent of asylum seekers in Croatia were citizens of countries such as Türkiye, Russia and China which have visa-free agreements with BiH and/or Serbia. He called on BiH to tighten its visa rules to curb the flow of migrants. “Unless there is a really individual case that can be proven, [the citizens of those countries] do not meet the conditions for international protection on the territory of the EU,” he said.

Meanwhile, according to data from Frontex, in January and February, authorities reported 3050 irregular border crossings on the Western Balkan route, a decrease of 65% compared to the same period in 2023. The highest number of migrants had Syrian, Afghan or Turkish nationality. According to the agency’s preliminary calculations, the number of irregular border crossings into the EU reached 31,200 in the first two months of 2024, similar to the level in 2023.

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Channel: Record Number of People Make Crossings in Small Boats in First Three Months of 2024 as Home Office Launches New Social Media Campaign in Effort to Deter Channel Crossings ― Footage Shows UK-Funded French Police Employing ‘Textbook Pushback’ Tactics Against Small Boats

  • Provisional data from the UK Home Office has shown that a record 4644 people crossed the Channel in small boats in the first three months of 2024.
  • The UK government has launched a new social media campaign in Vietnam as part of its efforts to reduce the number of people crossing the Channel in small boats.
  • A recent investigation shows the UK-funded French police carrying out life-threatening manoeuvres and pullbacks against migrant boats.

New statistics published by the UK Home Office have revealed that the number of people who arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel in small boats has reached a record for the first three months of a calendar year. Following the 2024 daily record of 514 arrivals on 20 March, 338 people arrived on 26 March bringing the total number since the start of the year to 4644. According to the PA news agency’s analysis of the provisional data, the number of arrivals in January-March 2024 is 23% higher than in the same period in 2023 (3770) and 12% higher than in 2022 (4162). Commenting on the figures, Asli Tatliadim from the NGO Refugee Action said: “People will continue to risk their lives to cross the Channel in flimsy boats because the government refuses to open safe routes for people to reach the UK to seek asylum here”. The risks involved remain all too real. In a less reported comparison with 2023, at least nine people have drowned trying to cross the Channel so far in 2024 (12 in the whole of 2023).

On 25 March, the UK government launched a social media campaign in Vietnam aimed at deterring potential migrants from attempting to enter the UK via irregular means, including Channel crossings. According to a press statement, the new campaign follows “successful social media activity in Albania last year which contributed to a 90% reduction in Albanian small boat arrivals”. Videos included in the campaign will show “real testimonies from those who regret coming to the UK illegally”. Home Secretary James Cleverly said: “Expanding our campaign to Vietnam, another key partner in our work to tackle illegal migration, will help us to save more lives and dent the business model of the criminals who profit from this vile trade”. The opposition Labour party said the government should “end the gimmicks” and “get a grip”.

Video footage has emerged showing the UK-funded French maritime police using violent and dangerous tactics against small boats carrying migrants in the Channel. The footage, which was reportedly recorded in October 2023 and was obtained and released by Lighthouse Reports in collaboration with Le Monde, Der Spiegel and the Observer, shows the Maritime Gendarmerie trying to undertake pullback manoeuvres against small boats in French waters in an effort to prevent them from making the crossing to the UK. The police’s aggressive tactics, shown in two videos, included circling a small boat at speed thus causing waves to flood it, and threatening passengers on a separate boat with a large tank of pepper spray before ramming it. As well as raising difficult questions for the French police regarding some of its officers’ potentially life-threatening tactics, the incident is also awkward for the UK government as the boat used in the Dunkirk Harbour incident was paid for with funding that it provided to France under a 2018 deal. Evidence of a third attempted pullback came from a member of the Coastguard Service of the French Customs who submitted a complaint to the public prosecutor in Boulogne-sur-Mer that, in August 2023, police officers had “ordered a National Society of Sea Rescues (SNSM) crew to puncture a small boat that had already set sail”. On 9 February, a man from India who was a passenger on a small boat submitted a complaint to the French human rights ombudsman that appeared to support the allegation that the French police had used this type of dangerous tactic. “They went round the boat in a circle and then they stabbed the boat and left. We had to swim for about 10 minutes … We nearly died,” he said in his testimony. Commenting on the first video, which was reportedly filmed in Dunkirk Harbour, the former chief immigration officer for the UK Border Force, Kevin Saunders, said: “It would appear that the French are trying to force the boat back because if they didn’t there’s probably better than a 50/50 chance that it would sink,” he said, adding “While this looks not very good, in fact it may actually be an effort to save lives”. However, “two UK Border Force sources” told journalists that the tactic could result in “multiple deaths and injuries”. “If the blades [of the French boat] make contact with the vessel, it will slash right through it” said one unnamed Border Force official. They also warned of the serious risk of a collision between the two boats. “The weight and the force of that vessel could ride straight over the top of the rib. It would knock the passengers out, knock them unconscious and into the water. It could potentially lead to death”. A search and rescue expert who was shown the footage described the action as “a textbook pushback – exactly the same as we see in Greece”. As well as raising difficult questions for the French police regarding some of its officers’ potentially life-threatening tactics, the incident is also awkward for the UK government as the boat used in the Dunkirk Harbour incident was paid for with funding that it provided to France under a 2018 deal. Various NGO representatives and other commentators criticised the incidents. “Impunity must stop there, the situation at the border must change,” wrote Utopia 56 on X while Zoe Gardner described them as “an outrage, even for a situation so outraged-out”. Several MPs and others also called for an official enquiry. “It is high time to shed light on these illegal actions contrary to all the international texts that France has signed and ratified,” Elsa Faucillon MP wrote on X. These calls were echoed by the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Dunja Mijatović. “The practices of the French authorities reported by several media as endangering the lives of migrants in the Channel must be the subject of an effective investigation, including into aspects linked to Franco-British cooperation which could have contributed to it,” she wrote on X.

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EU External Partners: Tunisian Security Forces to Receive EU Funding Despite Involvement in Human Rights Abuses — Dozens of Migrant Bodies Found in Mass Grave in Libya — Parliament’s Scrutiny of EU-Egypt Deal Overstepped — Calls for Immediate Ceasefire and Increased Flow of Humanitarian Aid into Gaza Continue Amid Israel’s Expansion of Settlements in West Bank

  • The EU plans to provide €164.5 million to the Tunisian security forces despite their mounting record of refugee rights violations.
  • 65 bodies were discovered in a mass grave in Libya amid the ongoing interception of migrant boats and abuse of intercepted migrants.
  • The European Commission (EC) has decided to skip the European Parliament’s scrutiny of EU funds to Egypt because it takes “too long” while hoping for another “cash for migrant control” deal with Lebanon.
  • The EC has called for an immediate implementation of the United Nations Security Council’s resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

The EU plans to provide up to €164.5 million over three years to Tunisian security forces, the Financial Times (FT) has reported. Figures seen by the FT show that the EU will significantly increase its spending on migration under different funding streams over the next three years, with about two-thirds of a projected €278 mn allocated to security and border management. EU-funded programmes involving Tunisian security officers include a training academy for the country’s national maritime guard, implemented with the German federal police while some money will be used to finance equipment such as radars and boats for the national guard, and land border posts. Meanwhile, an activist named Jihed has been reporting on the role Tunisia plays as “Europe’s border police”. On 26 March, he reported that the national guard had conducted 48 operations between 23 and 26 March resulting in the interception of 1328 refugees from Sub-Saharan Africa and the deaths at sea of nine people. “This stark reality underscores Europe’s complicity in fostering a merciless border regime, prioritizing deterrence over dignity. The cost of Europe’s border violence is human life. We are not “mere statistics” for reports,” he concluded. On 25 March, Tunisia’s coastguard reported that it had recovered the bodies of five migrants off the country’s coast, bringing the death toll in one week to 11 following multiple shipwrecks. On the same day, the national guard reported that it had “stopped” 633 people from setting off by boat from Tunisia towards Europe without mentioning exactly how it had done so.

On 22 March, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported the discovery of 65 bodies in a mass grave in Libya. The organisation noted that “the circumstance of their death and nationalities remains unknown, but it is believed that they died in the process of being smuggled through the desert”. While the IOM stressed that the Libyan authorities had launched an investigation into the deaths, in order to “ensure a dignified recovery, identification and transfer of the remains of the deceased migrants” and notified and assisted the victims’ families, the organisation also underlined that “without regular pathways that provide opportunities for legal migration, such tragedies will continue to be a feature along this route”. Additionally, the IOM reported that 579 migrants had been intercepted and returned to Libya between 17 and 23 March. On 25 March, the NGO Refugees in Libya posted footage on X showing an 18-year-old young man from Ethiopia half-naked and tied to a wall upside down while a man beat him with a spade. The organisation stated that the video demonstrated a “clear failure” of the Libyan government to fight human trafficking and kidnappings throughout the region.

Ahead of the €7.4bn cash-for-migration-control agreement with Cairo, a letter dated 15 March and seen by EUobserver, shows that the Commission “is officially sidelining the European Parliament’s scrutiny role when it comes to €1bn of loans being sent to Egypt”. EC President Ursula Von der Leyen wrote in the letter that the urgency of transferring the money to Cairo required her to bypass the assembly. “For reasons of utmost urgency and highly exceptionally, the recourse to Article 213 TFEU is considered as appropriate legal basis for the first operation of EUR 1 billion,” she wrote to EP President Roberta Metsola. Von der Leyen added that Egypt was in dire need of funds due to the “current crises” and that normal parliament scrutiny would have taken too long. Meanwhile, the Refugees Platform in Egypt (PPE) published a statement criticising the EU-Egypt partnership. “Over the decade governed by Sisi, Europe has succeeded in reducing the exit of irregular migrants from Egyptian territories through robust security partnerships with Egypt. However, it has not cared about the oppressive manner of migration control or addressing its causes in the first place, nor has it prevented the departure of Egyptians. Instead, it has succeeded in redirecting their exit routes through other countries, which are even more dangerous than the ones taken before,” the statement read. PPE underlined that “the European partnership with Egypt has both reinforced human rights violations and displayed indifference towards migrant boats simultaneously”. Additionally, 27 civil society organisations signed a joint statement calling on the Egyptian authorities to immediately stop the serious abuses against Sudanese people seeking refuge in Egypt. “After issuing Decree No. 3326 of 2023, end of August 2023, authorities have arrested and detained Sudanese refugees and asylum seekers in inhumane conditions, subjected them to unfair trials, and forcibly returned them to Sudan in violation of Egypt’s international obligations, well-established human rights principles and agreements, and Egypt’s constitution,” the statement read.

Europe’s policy of externalisation (i.e. pushing its “migration problem” back to neighbouring countries) is not new despite an “obvious clash” between the EU’s supposed principles and those of the North African states with which it is co-operating, according to an op-ed by Al Jazeera. The push to keep Europe’s border concerns on the southern shores of the Mediterranean “has left refugees and migrants caught in the jaws of militias, human traffickers, North African racism, and authorities who move them around to keep them out of sight, even if it means their deaths in desert border zones”. “Europe must stop seeing its southern neighbourhood as a security threat and handing power to warlords and autocrats, ultimately with very little control or oversight. “It effectively just serves to give them control, as they’re able to threaten Europe with a wave of migrants whenever they want to extract more money, or other political concessions from them,” wrote Tarek Megerisi, a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations.

On 24 March, the Israeli Authorities informed the United Nations  Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) of its decision to reject the Agency’s food convoys into northern Gaza. UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini wrote on X that the decision was “outrageous” & made it “intentional to obstruct lifesaving assistance during a man-made famine”. “These restrictions must be lifted,” he continued. On 25 March, the UN Security Council (UNSC) finally passed a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire to the conflict in Gaza during the month of Ramadan, which ends on 9 April. While EC President Von der Leyen and EU High Representative Josep Borrell welcomed the resolution, they both stressed the need for its immediate implementation. The executive director of Doctors Without Borders (MSF), Avril Benoît,  described the resolution as a “constructive step” that must be “followed by action” after “months of delay and at immense cost to the more than two million civilians living in Gaza”. “A two-week ceasefire is not nearly enough time to respond to the overwhelming humanitarian needs. We repeat our urgent demand for a sustained ceasefire now,” she added. On the same day, UN Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese published a report concluding that “there are reasonable grounds to believe that the threshold indicating Israel’s commission of genocide is met”. Amidst mounting criticism, in an act which has been described as the “largest confiscation since the Oslo Accords”, on 22 March, Israel declared that 800 hectares of land in the West Bank were now property of the state in an expansion of the Yafit settlement. On 24 March, the European External Action Service published a statement denouncing the decision. “Settlements are a grave breach of international humanitarian law. At this week’s European Council, EU leaders condemned Israeli Government decisions to further expand illegal settlements across the occupied West Bank,” it read. Three days after the UNSC resolution, EU High Representative Borrell wrote on X: “enough food for the people starving in Gaza is stockpiled & waiting to enter through land routes. Airdrops help, but cannot replace hundreds of trucks. EUCO & UNSC asked for increased urgent & safe humanitarian access. Allowing it is a legal duty”. Meanwhile, Ireland is preparing to intervene in South Africa’s International Court of Justice case against Israel under the 1948 Genocide Convention. “The situation could not be more stark; half the population of Gaza face imminent famine and 100% of the population face acute food insecurity. As the UN Secretary-General said as he inspected long lines of blocked relief trucks waiting to enter Gaza during his visit to Rafah at the weekend; ‘it is time to truly flood Gaza with life-saving aid. The choice is clear: surge or starvation’. I echo his words today,” Ireland’s Deputy Prime Minister Micheál Martin said in a statement. On 28 March, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued two new provisional measures in response to a recent request made by South Africa which submitted a genocide case against Israel amidst the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Strip. The court unanimously ordered Israel to “take all necessary and effective measures” to ensure the “unhindered” flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, including food, water, fuel, medicine and sanitation supplies. It stressed that Israel must do so in coordination with the UN “without delay” and specified that this necessitated Israel opening more land crossings into the territory. The ICJ also ordered Israel to ensure that its military does not take actions that could violate the Genocide Convention, including “any action” that prevents the distribution of aid.

Elsewhere, EC Vice-President Margaritis Schinas said that the EU could strike another deal with Lebanon to stem arrivals of migrants following complaints by Cyprus that it was being “inundated”. “We had worked with Egypt for quite some time, but I consider that it’s absolutely realistic to move in a corresponding manner with Lebanon,” he said during a visit to Cyprus.

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Reception Crisis: Number of Asylum Applications Drops in Belgium as Reception Crisis Continues ― Number of Homeless Asylum Seekers in Ireland on the Rise ― UK High Court Asked to Oblige Government to Intervene in Accommodation Crisis for Unaccompanied Children ― Rights Organisations Accuse City of Paris of “Social Cleansing” Amid Forced Evictions
 

  • The number of people claiming asylum for the first time in Belgium decreased in 2023 but the country’s reception crisis continues unabated.
  • The Irish government has unveiled plans to provide 14,000 state-owned accommodation places as new data shows that there were 1399 homeless male asylum seekers in Ireland earlier in March.
  • The Luxembourg Administrative Court has for the first time ordered the State to provide accommodation to a homeless asylum seeker.
  • Kent County Council has asked the UK High Court to oblige the government to take measures to help it find accommodation for a large number of unaccompanied child asylum seekers that are predicted to arrive in the county in the coming months.
  • The prefecture of Paris continues operations of forced evictions ahead of the upcoming Olympic games.

Although the overall number of people applying for asylum in the EU increased in 2023, there was a decrease in the number of applications in Belgium. According to data published by the European Commission’s statistical department (Eurostat) on 25 March, 1.049 million people applied for asylum for the first time across all 27 EU member states (20% increase from 2022) but only 29,260 of them were in Belgium (8.8% decrease from 32,100 in 2022). State Secretary for Asylum and Migration Nicole de Moor has claimed that the decrease in Belgium was due to a significant decrease in the number of asylum applications by unaccompanied minors from Afghanistan. However, Pascal Debruyne from the Odisee University of Applied Sciences has argued that it was more due to the “poor and uncertain reception situation” in Belgium. The desperate conditions in which many people seeking asylum in Belgium have found themselves in recent years are well documented. “I know people who have been sleeping on the streets for more than six months,” said Amin Majidi Emaduddin, an Afghan refugee who has been living in Belgium for nine years. Magali Pratte from the NGO Bruss’Help highlighted one of the damaging effects that the reception crisis and Belgium’s ongoing failure to meet its human rights obligations under international law to provide housing and other essential goods and services to asylum seekers was having on people seeking asylum in the country. “People are staying on the street for longer, so they are more damaged and are presenting more severe mental health problems,” she told the Brussels Times.

On 27 March, the Irish government unveiled its new ‘Comprehensive Accommodation Strategy’ for people seeking asylum in the country. According to a press release, the strategy will result in a move away from the use of private accommodation and the provision of “14,000 state-owned beds” by 2028. Announcing the new strategy, Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth Roderic O’Gorman said it would: “address the immediate accommodation crisis in International Protection, and provide a pathway, over the next five years, to deliver a fair, efficient, and sustainable model of accommodating International Protection applicants”. The head of ECRE member organisation the Irish Refugee Council, Nick Henderson, gave the strategy a cautious welcome. “While the plan has several positive elements such as confirmation of a child benefit style payment and accommodation for vulnerable groups, the plan is extremely light on detail, dependent on funding that is not yet confirmed and crucially, does not demonstrate a sufficiently urgent way to end the current homelessness crisis,” he said in a press release. Henderson also expressed concerns about the government’s statement that there was an increasing likelihood that “families, including women and children could find themselves without an offer of accommodation in the coming weeks or months”. “This is of grave concern and a doomsday scenario that must be avoided. The prospect of women and children being without accommodation should cause alarm and action across all of government,” he added. The announcement comes as the government continues to report on an increase in the number of homeless asylum seekers. On 29 March, 1,517 international protection applicants are awaiting an offer of accommodation.

On 8 March, for the first time, the Luxembourg Administrative Court ordered the State to provide housing for a homeless asylum seeker. The ruling followed a plea from a person who had been seeking asylum in the country but who had been informed by the director of the National Reception Office (ONA) that the accommodation network was at full capacity. In its ruling, the Administrative Court noted that the person concerned risked suffering “serious harm with permanent after-effects on their physical and mental health” and demanded that the State took all possible measures to ensure that they could be accommodated “under the conditions provided for by law, either in a state structure for asylum seekers, or in a hotel room”. In a press release, ECRE member organisation Passerell described the ruling as “an encouraging signal for the rule of law in Luxembourg”. “This remains a positive decision and a signal of hope in the face of the reception crisis in which Luxembourg seems to be bogged down,” it added. The organisation also noted that between October 2023 and January 2024 more than 280 people seeking asylum had been refused access to a place in an ONA institution.

A local authority in the south of England has warned that it may soon run out of places to accommodate unaccompanied children seeking asylum who arrive in the UK on small boats. At a high court hearing, Kent County Council (KCC) submitted evidence that, as of 4 March, it was accommodating 423 unaccompanied children of whom 346 were in long-term care and 77 were awaiting transfer to other local authorities. The court was also informed that, according to forecasts, up to 3541 unaccompanied children could arrive on small boats between March and December but that KCC only had places for 1631 of them. KCC’s legal representative asked the court to order the government to make alternative arrangements if the large number of arrivals meant that the authority was unable to fulfil its legal obligations. The hearing was part of a long-running case to challenge the Home Office’s use of hotels to accommodate unaccompanied children seeking asylum following revelations that many of those children have gone missing. The lawyer representing the NGO Every Child Protected Against Trafficking, which is also involved in the case, told the court that the situation was a “groundhog day” which continued to “leave vulnerable children in limbo”.

Meanwhile, forced eviction operations in the capital of Paris are reportedly on the rise, especially with the upcoming Olympic games. Civil society organisations accused the French police of launching a “social cleansing” operation on the streets of Paris. On 23 March, Utopia56 published a footage of the police waking up about a dozen of asylum seekers and migrants along the St Martin Canal in Paris before spraying the inside of their tear gas tent. According to the organisation, the operation resulted in injuries. On 6 March, around 400 unaccompanied young migrants sleeping in an informal camp along the banks of the Seine River near the Sully and Marie bridges were moved on by the police without providing them a shelter. Additionally, also in efforts to “clean-up” ahead of the Paris Olympics, the prefecture of Paris has been moving hundreds of homeless migrants from the capital to rural and small towns. This has sparked anger among far-right mayors. Serge Grouard, the right-wing mayor of Orleans in central France, complained on 25 March about the arrival of up to 500 homeless migrants in his town of 100,000 people without his prior knowledge. “It has been proved that every three weeks, a coach arrives in Orleans from Paris, with between 35-50 people on board,” he told reporters, adding that there were rumours it was to “clean the deck” in the capital ahead of the Olympics in July and August. According to the mayor, each new arrival is offered three weeks in a hotel at the state’s expense, but is thereafter left to fend for themselves, Grouard explained.

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