Archive
Inside the EU’s flawed $200 million migration deal with Sudan
Amid the horrors of the Sudan civil war, questions are once again being raised over what role EU funds have played in the ongoing conflict and, in particular, alleged genocide in Darfur at the hands of the Rapid Support Forces militia. Statewatch is republishing a powerful 2018 article by the journalist Caitlin L Chandler for The New Humanitarian, which explains the background to and effects of the EU’s “migration management” cooperation with Sudan. Read More
How the EU migration pact will increase harms in Serbia and along the Balkan route
The EU's Pact on Migration and Asylum is likely to send the situation for migrants and refugees in the Balkans from bad to worse: more containment of people on the move through cruel tactics such as policing and pushbacks; more bureaucracy and digital controls, without protection or safeguards; and a further closure of civic space. Real protection requires a different approach. Read More
Exporter la “gestion” carcérale des migrations : 30 millions d’euros de l’UE vers le Sénégal
30 millions d’euros provenant du budget d’aide au développement de l’UE ont été alloués au Sénégal pour le contrôle des migrations. L’examen de documents de la Commission européenne met clairement en évidence l’objectif principal de ce financement : la surveillance et le contrôle des frontières, l’interception maritime des personnes tentant de quitter le Sénégal pour rejoindre le territoire européen, ainsi que les infrastructures d’accueil/détention. Read More
Exporting carceral migration “management”: €30 million from the EU to Senegal for migration control
€30 million from the EU's aid budget has been provided to Senegal for migration control. An examination of European Commission documents makes clear the main focus of the funding: border surveillance and control, maritime interception of people trying to leave Senegal to travel to European territory, and reception/detention infrastructure. Read More
Behind closed doors: Europol’s opaque relations with tech companies
As part of its research into the expanding—and largely unchecked—use of AI by EU security agencies, Statewatch delves into largely uncharted territory: Europol’s links with the private sector. A survey of this landscape reveals conflicts of interests, secrecy and opacity, and a whole array of intrusive and invasive technologies that Europol would like to adopt, and make more widely available to European police forces. Read More
€2 billion in 15 years: how Frontex finances Fortress Europe
Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, pays out hundreds of millions of euros every year to EU and Schengen member states. The money supports the agency’s standing corps of border guards, operations at the EU’s external borders, and cooperation with non-EU states, amongst other things. Data visualised here shows the scale and scope of the funding provided by Frontex: more than €2 billion between the beginning of 2008 and the end of 2024. Read More
EU-funded aggression: How years of impunity led to the attack on the Ocean Viking
On 24 August, members of the so-called Libyan Coast Guard spent 20 minutes firing hundreds of bullets at humanitarian workers and rescued people on board the Ocean Viking. The attack is the result of years of EU funding, coordination and policy empowering violent actors in an attempt to seal its borders from refugees. What happens next will determine whether international law is reaffirmed or erased entirely. Read More
Moving borders with history: new ways of thinking about border externalisation
Europe is doubling down on its outsourcing of border controls to other states, particularly in Africa - and new ways of thinking about border externalisation are needed to generate effective responses. A recent academic article, summarised here, argues that postcolonial and decolonial analysis can help generate those responses. Read More
Will the EU finally stop financing Israel’s genocide in Gaza?
Last Tuesday, the European Commission proposed to partially suspend Israel from its €80bn Horizon science research programme, citing the “severe” humanitarian crisis in Gaza. But this proposal comes late, after years of funding military-linked research with minimal transparency or accountability. As the death toll mounts and Gazans face man-made famine, the EU’s role in bankrolling violence is under scrutiny. Read More
Frontex and deportation charter flights, 2006-2024
Data covering almost two decades of Frontex’s deportation operations shows the expanding role of the agency. We have produced a series of visualisations to show the number of people deported via Frontex-coordinated charter flights, the member states involved, the destination states, and the costs. Read More