The State Council has confirmed an “absolute” lack of access concerning acts related to the “management of borders and immigration”. Meanwhile, the government’s procurement worth millions of euros for Libya, Tunisia and Egypt continues.
Dozens of organisations and individuals, including Statewatch, are demanding the release of individuals detained by Tunisian authorities for their work supporting migrants and refugees. The call comes in response to the recent arrest and detention of Abdallah Said, whose organisation, Les Enfants de la Lune, cares for disabled Tunisian and non-Tunisian children. His arrest is the latest incident in "a troubling trend of criminalizing solidarity in Tunisia, which has intensified since May 2024," says a joint statement.
Statewatch is publishing more than a dozen documents from the Coordination Group on Migration, a secretive body in which the European Commission and EU member states coordinate expenditure on external migration control projects.
Germany, France and the Netherlands are advocating for a reform of the European Investigation Order (EIO) to simplify cross-border surveillance of vehicles. A joint non-paper sent to other EU member states aims to amend the 2014 law to enhance cross-border surveillance cooperation. The reform would allow police to continue using GPS trackers and bugging devices on vehicles when they travel into other EU member states, without requiring additional legal approval in each country.
More than sixty organizations, including Statewatch, and 10 MEPs, have signed a letter to the European Commission demanding a "decisive and unequivocal stand against" the Polish government's decision to suspend the right to seek asylum. The country's prime minister, Donald Tusk, announced the plan last month in response to people arriving across the Polish-Belarussian border.
A letter to EU leaders backed by 200 organisations and individuals, including Statewatch, condemns the renewed "violent, punitive and immoral turn in European migration politics." This turn can be seen in recent proposals to suspend the right to asylum, introduce offshore deportation camps, and create new common lists of "safe" countries, says the letter. "Rather than orient policies toward safety, protection and social provision for all, European leaders have settled for a politics of securitisation, criminalisation, and violence," it says. The letter goes on to make proposals for "human rights, toward economic well being, safety and community care, and invest in long-term solutions to address climate degradation, conflict, and economic decline."
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