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"This workshop will present the conclusions of three recent reports of the Centre for Peace Studies J.M. Delàs, addressing in particular EU funding for the defence sector,external borders control, and European arms exports; altogether these reports showcase the current trends of EU defence and security policies."
"Facebook and Google’s omnipresent surveillance of billions of people poses a systemic threat to human rights, Amnesty International warned in a new report as it called for a radical transformation of the tech giants’ core business model."
EU member states have recommended that the UK join the 'Prüm' network of police fingerprint databases, but they are also demanding that the country "review its policy of excluding suspects' profiles from automated dactyloscopic [fingerprint] data exchange".
"The government is frequently suspected to play an active role in returns and is accused of witholding information about their dealings with the EU and member states like Germany. Incidentally, President Barrow is currently seeking to extend his rule beyond the three-year transition period originally agreed upon, ending in January 2020. Opposition to these plans is widespread."
"The third TRANSAD workshop will focus on the topic Emerging Technologies and International Security in the Mediterranean Region. Co-organised by PRIO, the Institut Barcelona d'Estudis Internacionals (IBEI), the Center for the Study of the Drone at Bard College, and the Nordic Centre of Excellence for Security Technologies and Societal Values (NordSTEVA), the workshop will take place in Barcelona on 21 and 22 November 2019."
"The International Criminal Court could open its first investigation into the British military following a BBC programme about alleged war crimes."
"The Commission has directly encouraged Member States to widely resort to detention to effect returns by laying down lengthy detention periods in domestic law and by bringing “detention capacity in line with actual needs”."
"If you’re worried about how facial recognition technology is being used, you should be. And things are about to get a lot scarier unless new regulation is put in place."
"The Border Violence Monitoring Network just published it's October report, covering pushbacks and police violence from Croatia (and Slovenia), into Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia. Highlighted by the trend analysis of this."
"A total of 164 boats started their trip towards the Greek Islands, carrying a total of 6097 people. However, 91 boats were stopped by TCG/police, and 2444 people arrived on the Greek Islands."
New report: What the EU's Regulations on Interoperability Mean for People with Irregular Status // Refugee chaperones are accessories to traffickers, German court rules // New Greek deportation law approved; Italy renews cooperation with Libya // Croatia: violence at the border no barrier to Schengen accession // Exposed: Malta’s secret migrant deal with Libya
A new report published by Statewatch and the Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM) explains the EU's new rules on interoperable information systems and databases and examines the potential implications for people in an irregular migration situation.
"A UN human rights expert has expressed concerns about the emergence of the "digital welfare state", saying that all too often the real motives behind such programs are to slash welfare spending, set up intrusive government surveillance systems and generate profits for private corporate interests."
"An obsession with protecting the border—and with escalating the fight against migration—is actually an ideological choice that sets up a dangerous game."
"Some 20,000 people marched under heavy police guard through the capital, Athens, on Sunday, commemorating 46 years since the student-led uprising against the junta."
The Migreurop network, of which Statewatch is a member, has published a new edition of The Atlas of Migration in Europe, a book which "follows the journeys of those fleeing war, poverty or political crises, risking their lives as they attempt to find sanctuary in Europe."
"Asylum-seekers crowded into “hotspots” in Greece and Italy face limbo that can drag on for years because of legal bottlenecks and poorly performing EU schemes, a report said Wednesday."
"According to the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights, meeting in Berlin, member States should “optimise human rights protections in the implementation of drug control policies”.
A briefing by the European Parliament Research Service.
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