A statement signed by 32 organisations from across Europe calls for an immediate halt to the systematic obstruction of non-governmental search and rescue (SAR) efforts by the Italian state. In the past month alone, NGO vessels have been detained three times due to legal restrictions based on allegations under the “Piantedosi decree" (named after the current interior minister). One vessel, Nadir, operated by the organisation RESQSHIP, was detained twice in a row. Deliberately keeping non-governmental search and rescue organisations away from the Central Mediterranean causes countless more deaths at sea on one of the deadliest flight routes worldwide.
A new report provides a critical examination of the evolving role of Frontex, the EU Border and Coast Guard Agency, in West Africa.
Another upgrade to the powers of EU police agency Europol is in the works. The European Commission wants to see an “ambitious overhaul” so it can become “truly operational.” European police chiefs, however, are sceptical. A “strategic debate” amongst member state delegations is ongoing, but remains behind closed doors.
Frontex’s own fundamental rights watchdog has raised the alarm over pushbacks and serious protection failures in countries where the agency operates.
In 2010, a police spy was uncovered in the UK environmental movement. His exposure set off a chain of events that led the government to announce an official Undercover Policing Inquiry. Now, a new archive gathers all the documents released by that inquiry since public hearings began in 2020. It is designed to help activists continue the fight against political policing and state secrecy, and to push for transparency and accountability.
EU member states want significantly more money allocated to migration control in the bloc’s next long-term budget, set to run from 2028 to 2034. This is according to a document produced by the Polish EU Council Presidency and circulated on 12 June. Spending on external migration control from current budgets is already above expectations.
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