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Refugee crisis: latest news from across Europe 20 10.16

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01 October 2016

 EU-TURKEY: If visa-free travel not granted by end of 2016, refugee deal will have 'reached its natural death': EU minister (Daily Sabah, link):

 

"The European Union should implement visa-free travel for Turks by the end of the year and stop insisting that Turkey change its anti-terrorism laws, or Ankara may cancel its side of a deal to stop illegal migration, European Union Minister and Chief Negotiator Ömer Çelik told Reuters."

Chios: Refugees protest slow asylum procedures, EASO staff on 24h strike (Keep Talking Greece, link):

"Dozens of refugees and migrants blocked the two entrances to the hot spot of VIAL on the island of Chios to protest extremely slow procedures in processing asylum.

According to protesters, “the Asylum service checks only five asylum applications per day and this increases the risk that they will be struck there for many months.”"

 Refugees face ‘appalling conditions’ in Greece says aid group (ekathimerini.com, link):

"The international aid group Doctors Without Borders says refugees at camps in Greece are still living in mostly "appalling conditions" with poor access to health care and a lack of provisions to identify the most vulnerable.

In the report issued Thursday, the agency commonly known by its French name, Medecins sans Frontiers, argued that the European Union and Greece had "collectively failed to establish humane and dignified reception conditions.""

 Italy: Plans for a uniform reception system through SPRAR expansion (AIDA, link):

"A plan to reform the Italian reception system was announced at the annual meeting of the Ministry of Interior and the National Association of Italian Municipalities (Anci) held on 14 October 2016 in Bari.

As detailed in the AIDA report on Italy, the reception system is in theory distinguished between first-line and second-line reception. Newly arriving asylum seekers and migrants are placed in Regional Hubs, including emergency reception centres (CAS), managed by the Ministry of Interior and Prefectures. Subsequently, second-line reception is provided through the system for the protection of asylum seekers and refugees (SPRAR), managed by local municipalities."

See Overview (pdf)

 Greece: New asylum reform transposing the recast Reception Conditions Directive (AIDA, link):

"The Greek Ministry of Interior has submitted a bill for public consultation from 11 to 21 October 2016, concerning the transposition of the recast Reception Conditions Directive into national legislation."

 Information about the Serbian-Hungarian border (migszol.com, link)

 EU buries migration dispute for now (euobserver, link):

"They will call for "a swift adoption" of a revision of the Schengen borders code to enforce systematic controls, and will ask the European Commission to come up with a proposal on an entry/exit system before the end of the year, according to draft conclusions seen by EUobserver...

Leaders will also discuss the so-called compacts set up with five African countries - Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Ethiopia - to manage the flows of migrants, increase returns and try to solve the "root causes" of migration.

The commission presented a first assessment on Tuesday but leaders will wait until December to decide if the plan works and whether to extend it to other countries."

 Afghanistan Agony for Returning Refugees - Thousands Pushed Into ‘Voluntary Returns’ Face Fresh Dangers at Home (HRW, link):

"At Kabul airport on Tuesday, I met a group of Afghans – three women and 10 men – who had just arrived from Turkey. It was not a joyous homecoming. They had joined the waves of several hundred thousand Afghans whose bid for safer lives abroad in the face of worsening insecurity at home ended in limbo in Turkey, blocked from claiming refugee status or continuing onward to Europe."

 EU sounds out Egypt on possible refugee deal (euractiv, link):

"Libya is not the only North African country hosting a large number of refugees: Egypt finds itself in a similar position. Cairo has indicated its interest in brokering some form of agreement akin to the EU’s deal with Turkey."

 17,000 refugees sue Germany over status - and most win (The Local.de, link):

"So far this year more than 17,000 refugees have sued German authorities for not giving them full refugee status, with the vast majority winning their cases, the Süddeutsche Zeitung reports."

 Austria: Up to 90 percent of failed asylum seekers 'not deported' (The Local.at, link):

"Up to 90 percent of failed asylum seekers are not being deported from Austria because their countries of origin will not agree to readmit them, according to Defence Minister Hans Peter Doskozil (SPÖ). "