WORLD WORLDWIDE UNITED KINGDOM EUROPE EU - STATEWATCH - issue 25/05 - 28 March 2025

 

issue 25/05 28 March Last chance! Fill in our survey before 31 March to help shape our work welcome Dear Statewatcher, As we round off another busy month, I would like to say thank you. To those who have donated and filled out our annual survey so far, your support means a lot to us. The survey isn’t just a formality. It helps us shape our work, ensuring we focus on what matters most to you. Reading your feedback is also a morale boost—knowing that our research and investigations are being used reaffirms our commitment to this work. But right now, we do need more than just words of support. Statewatch relies almost entirely on donations for our core funding, and, like many others, we are facing serious financial strain. If you value what we do, please consider setting up a monthly contribution. No matter the amount, your financial support keeps our work independent, uncompromising, and freely available. make a donation >> If you haven’t yet, please take a few minutes to fill out our survey and, if you can, make a donation today. Thank you. Chris Jones Director, Statewatch news European support for Egypt: billions of euros for a dictatorial “partner” in migration control A year ago, the EU and Egypt announced the launch of a “strategic and comprehensive partnership.” This comes with a €7.4 billion aid and investment package from the EU to Egypt. This article analyses this development in the context of regional changes, the ineffectiveness of “external solutions” to migration, and the impact of EU-Egyptian cooperation on human rights in Egypt. read more >> Serbia: Mass protests continue despite government repression Almost 140 organisations from across Europe and beyond have expressed their solidarity with people in Serbia protesting against the government. An open letter condemns the Serbian government’s “effort to silence critical voices and suppress fundamental freedoms,” in response to nationwide protests sparked by the collapse of a train station. Statewatch has signed the letter. read more >> EU officials discuss banning anonymous use of mobile phones The Polish government has suggested new EU rules to ban the anonymous purchase of prepaid SIM cards for mobile phones.“The main threat associated with prepaid SIM cards is anonymity,” says a document obtained by Statewatch. Extensive research has found no evidence that bans on anonymous purchases of SIM cards contribute to reducing crime. read more >> what we're watching This is our bi-weekly round up of all the important news, events, and resources we've come across over the last two weeks. Find this resource useful? If so, please consider making a donation to support us. borders and frontiers UK: Damages awarded for unlawful detention at Heathrow airport The appellant was unlawfully detained for between 11 and 12 hours and the court awarded damages of £4,500. Read more. Italy: Profiles and needs of people arriving to Trieste from the Balkan route As the first major Italian city along the Balkan route, Trieste remains a key entry point for people fleeing conflict and persecution, particularly those coming from Asia. Its strategic location provides an overview of the migratory flows and dynamics along the route, as well as of migration management practices in a congested transit point. Read more. Malta: Editorial: A shameful abdication of duty Fast forward 10 years and Europe’s empathy towards sea migrants has all but fizzled out. Integration has become a dirty word and tough action against migration has been used for political expediency. This disgraceful shift in attitude has been especially evident in Malta, where the government has increasingly turned a blind eye to its responsibilities under international law. And, despite the rhetoric, disregard for human life has become the norm. Read more. Adam is in Rome! Court deems Italy responsible for transmitting the position of his boat to the Libyans A historic sentence has enabled Adam, a Sudanese refugee pushed back at sea to Libya in 2021 following intervention by the Vos Triton cargo ship, to travel to Italy legally. Significantly, the court ruled that Italian involvement in central Mediterranean pushbacks to Libya, including by sending vessel coordinates to the "so-called" Libyan coast guard, amount to complicity in unlawful acts. Read more. EU delivers further patrol boat to Mauritania The Council of the European Union renewed a financial injection for the Mauritanian military on Monday: EUR 20 million goes to mobile land surveillance facilities and another patrol boat. This brings support to the government in Nouakchott under the "European Peace Facility" (EPF) to a total of 47 million euros. Services and technical training on the equipment are also financed. Read more. Spain defends 2.5 million euro aid to Morocco despite criticism over military spending Spain’s recent €2.5 million aid to Morocco, aimed at strengthening immigration control, has sparked debate in the Spanish Parliament. Critics, particularly from the Vox party, question the need for such aid, citing Morocco’s substantial defense budget and upcoming military investments, including €4 billion for Apache helicopters. Read more. UK: Government considering sending failed asylum seekers to overseas 'migrant hubs' The government is considering sending failed asylum seekers, including those arriving on small boats, to overseas 'migrant hubs', Sky News understands. Read more. France accused of failing migrant teens trapped in legal limbo Thousands of unaccompanied migrant youths arrive in France each year seeking safety, education and healthcare. Many claim to be under 18, which would entitle them to special protections under French law. But without documents, they fall into a legal grey zone – too young to be treated as adults, yet not officially recognised as minors. Read more. EU: Efficiency, but at What Cost: The Commission’s Proposal for a Common European System for Returns This blog post examines whether the proposal lives up to this objective. It assesses the extent to which the proposed changes address the deficits that currently hamper returns and illustrates how the reform would undermine the safeguards of the individuals concerned. Read more. Switzerland: Deportations to Afghanistan back on The State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) is adapting its asylum and removal practices with regard to Afghanistan. Single men whose asylum application has been rejected may again be removed under certain circumstances. SEM considers return to Afghanistan to be reasonable in some cases. Read more. 7 arrested for facilitating migrant smuggling across the English Channel On 19 March 2025, an operation involving law enforcement and judicial authorities from Belgium and Germany, coordinated by Europol, targeted a migrant smuggling network active across the English Channel. The operation was also supported by Italy and Eurojust. Read more. Interior Ministers of Bulgaria and Romania Discuss Positive Results of Joint Border Patrols “We highly appreciate the support provided in the activities of the joint contingent for the protection of the Bulgarian-Turkish border - this is a real expression of European solidarity,” Mitov said. He noted that Romania has 40 officers in the contingent, who are deployed in the area of responsibility of the border police station in Elhovo (Southeastern Bulgaria). In the first month of the contingent's work, they participated in 292 patrols, during which they travelled more than 19,715 km and checked 1,115 motor vehicles and 1,459 people. Read more. RS Minister proposes border control law further undermining BiH institutions The Minister of Internal Affairs of Republika Srpska (RS), Sinisa Karan, announced that amendments to the Law on Police and Internal Affairs, as well as a new Law on Border Control of Republika Srpska, have been submitted for legislative procedure. These legal changes aim to regulate the control and oversight of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s state border within RS territory. Read more. The right to perform secondary movements under international refugee law Traditionally viewed as a provision ensuring refugees are not penalised for illegal entry or presence if they present themselves promptly to authorities and have good cause for their illegal entry or presence, in my opinion Article 31(1) has broader implications. This blog post explores these implications, highlighting how Article 31(1) and related provisions within International Refugee Law (IRL) and International Human Rights Law (IHRL) should be interpreted to uphold human rights standards. Read more. Geopolitical Challenges of Border Surveillance: Navigating Limited Resources Across Expansive Territories – The Case of Mauritania Border security in regions with vast, sparsely populated territories poses a complex challenge, particularly when these areas are vulnerable to external pressures and regional instability. Read more. EU: New Returns Regulation ushers in dystopian detention and deportation regime  This proposal has been rushed through under political pressure, with no meaningful consultation of civil society or impact assessments. This approach is guided by the imperative of increasing deportation rates, mostly by derogating from fundamental rights guarantees. Read more. Report from the central Mediterranean - February 2025. Two years after the Cutro deaths Two years after the Cutro shipwreck, in the midst of a deafening institutional silence, the lessons learnt still do not appear sufficient to prevent similar tragedies and are light years away from the geopolitical shifts that are overwhelming us all. In this setting, challenges linked to immigration in the central Mediterranean continue to be among the most complex and delicate, for Italy and for the rest of Europe alike. Read more. Racial profiling almost doubled: Left party calls to unjustified checks at German borders The number of undocumented entries detected by the Federal Police fell drastically in 2024. At the same time, the number of suspicionless checks almost doubled. Read more. The Cutro massacre is our fault Excellent report on the Cutro tragedy/massacre, including radio excerpts, reconstruction, updates and expert commentary. Read more. Trump’s travel ban: The 22 African countries on the list In a memo over sweeping travel restrictions being discussed by the Trump administration, half of the 43 countries named are in Africa. Read more. Ireland: Ministers agree implementation plan for EU Asylum and Migration Pact Justice minister Jim O’Callaghan today announced he will submit Ireland’s national implementation plan for the controversial EU Asylum and Migration Pact to the European Commission. It outlines plans for significant reform of Ireland’s asylum laws through new legislation, processes, technology and structures. Read more.  coercion and control Journalists among more than 1,100 arrested in Turkey crackdown Turkish authorities have arrested more than 1,100 people including journalists, while bombarding the social media platform X with requests to block hundreds of accounts after tens of thousands took to the streets in the largest anti-government protests in years. Read more. Fast-track visa reimposition: a strengthened tool for EU immigration control and external relations policies? A proposal to change those rules to reinforce EU immigration and asylum policy is moving closer to agreement; and as it does so, both Member States and the European Parliament seek to use the new law to reinforce EU external relations objectives more generally too. Read more. Former leading UNHCR official arrested in Tunisia: rage and indignation in Switzerland against diplomatic inaction A former high-level official of UNHCR, 81-year-old Mustapha Djemali, has been unfairly arrested in Tunis since 3 May 2024. This Tunisian/Swiss citizen, notorious due to his exemplary humanitarian work, is accused by Tunisian authorities for helping illegal migrants by providing them lodgings.  Read more. Authoritarian repression and escalation of the political crisis after the 2024 Tunisian presidential elections Tunisian democracy faces significant challenges due to the repression practiced by the authorities. Public opinion, political society, and civil society are anticipating a peaceful popular uprising that will restore public freedoms and citizens’ civil and human rights to their former glory and vigour following a presidential election in October 2024 whose context, results, and repercussions are a sure opportunity to inspire change. Read more. Migrant centers in Albania are illegitimate', says NGO report According to the Beyond the Border report by the Asylum and Immigration Table (TAI), an Italian coalition of NGOs, presented in Rome on February 25, migrant centers in Albania are illegitimate and should be closed. Read more. UK: David Miller detained at airport under Terrorism Act It was David Miller's journalism that took him to Beirut to report on the funeral of assassinated Hezbollah leaders and to see the aftermath of the Israeli bombardment of southern Lebanon. However, the former sociology professor was detained by a mob of British counter intelligence police at the airport upon his return and taken in for questioning under provisions of the UK's Terrorism Act. Read more. Hamoudi v Frontex, an EU Courts pushback case: Shifting the burden of proof and a duty to assist the Court (a duty of candour?) Frontex has faced significant criticism over alleged pushback practices in the Aegean Sea, raising serious concerns about compliance with its fundamental rights obligations. It is in the Agency’s interest to be as transparent as possible, not to seek to win a litigation such as the Hamoudi case at all costs but to assist the court in reaching the correct result. By doing so, Frontex can contribute to reinforcing trust in the EU Agency’s commitment to human rights and accountability. Read more. The European Commission contradicts itself about "safe" countries of origin and backs Meloni. But the Italy-Albania Protocol will not be applied In the end, the fateful date of 25 February arrived but, after months of misinformation by the Meloni government, the European Union's Court of Justice did not make a decision about the first two prejudicial issues raised by the Italian courts, but rather, it just held a hearing to initiate proceedings, in which the parties specified their positions. Read more. WS and Others v Frontex before the Grand Chamber: Ensuring Meaningful Protection of Fundamental Rights in Forced Returns by an EU Agency acting as a Safety-Net The case's high significance lies in the fact that the Court of Justice looks the first time at Frontex's liability in the context for illegal return operations. Read more. Resisting the border spectacle The border spectacle, as De Genova famously wrote, keeps ‘migrants’ working ‘hard’ and ‘scared’. What is perhaps less commonly considered, is the effect of the same forces on those who enforce the border and, by extension, the community in which they live. In my study of the private escorts – I saw many effects on their mental health, wellbeing, family life and opportunities. Read more. UK: Predictive Policing from the Colonies to the Contemporary Modern British policing does not simply emerge in 1829, out of the failures of the nightwatchmen or the reactionary and violent nature of the yeomanry, militia or military forces. Rather, British policing gradually unfolds across both the British mainland and its colonies over the course of the 18th and 19th centuries. Read more. The Council of Europe’s Proposed Definition of Terrorism Infringes Human Rights The CoE’s draft is indeed based on proposals from (EU’s) European Commission, which were never made public, and is also intended to harmonize definitions across the two regional organizations with significant overlapping memberships. Switzerland expressed concern about the strong and non-transparent influence of the Commission on the CoE drafting. Read more. crime and collusion European Court of Human Rights Condemns Greece Over Deadly Coast Guard Shooting The European Court of Human Rights has condemned Greece for the death of a minor Iraqi refugee, caused by a shooting by the Hellenic Coast Guard near Symi in August 2015 (case of Almukhlas and Al-Maliki v. Greece). Read more. discrimination and racism After the fall of a student fraternity member in Graz, right-wing Styria cracks down on the left-wing scene The Graz police prosecute seven left-wingers as a ‘criminal organisation’ after the right-wing Academics’ Ball. Three are to be deported to Germany. Their defence lawyer sees a criminalisation of anti-fascism." Read more. UK: Black student accuses Met and CPS of misusing laws over use of N-word A 22-year-old black student has accused police and prosecutors of misusing hate speech laws intended to protect minorities after she was charged for using the N-word in a tweet. Read more. A Russia-linked Telegram network is inciting terrorism and is behind hate crimes in the UK A supposedly UK-based network of Telegram channels is hoping to spark civil war in Britain – but the operation appears to be run from Russia. Read more. resistance and solidarity Press statement on Tunisia’s partial withdrawal from the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights On the day of its independence, Tunisia goes back on its commitments, doing away with another safeguard for the Tunisian people's human rights. This decision is criticised as stripping Tunisian citizens and civil society organisations from seizing the court to denounce human rights abuses and demand remedies and compensation, as well as contravening the 2022 constitution. Read more. Press Statement: Centre for Human Rights expresses concern about Tunisia’s withdrawal of access to the African Court by individuals and NGO's The Centre for Human Rights, Faculty of Law, University of Pretoria is deeply concerned about the recent decision of the Government of the Republic of Tunisia to withdraw its declaration made under article 34(6) of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Establishment of an African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights allowing individuals and NGOs to take cases directly to the African Court. Read more. Episode 68: EU plans to criminalise solidarity with refugees Interview with Yasha Maccanico from Statewatch on the criminalisation of solidarity and plans to reform the EU facilitators package. Read more. Maja's letter, 21 February Translation into Italian of a combative and very moving letter by Maja, who was imprisoned in Hungary after participating in an anti-fascist action. It uses her case to raise many issues that have to do with the EU and its states' descent into authoritarianism, from her swift kidnapping by police in Germany to stop courts preventing her extradition, to her mistreatment in prison in Hungary (also for being antifascist and non-binary) and to a witch-hunt by an authoritarian government wielded using European arrest warrants for the purpose of asserting fascism and punishing those who oppose it. Read more. secrecy and transparency Joint Legal Challenge Filed Against European Commission’s New Access to Documents Rules Access Info brings legal challenge against European Commission arguing that its new access to documents rules violate the Charter, the TFEU, and Regulation 1049/2001. Read more. Musk’s X suspends opposition accounts in Turkey amid civil unrest Elon Musk's social media platform X has suspended several accounts belonging to opposition figures in Turkey amid widespread civil unrest in the country. Musk, a self-proclaimed protector of free speech, said he acquired X to restore free speech on the platform Read more. surveillance and snooping Mediterranea: “Mantovano has admitted that the secret services spied on us using Paragon software" Civilian sea rescue NGO Mediterranea Saving Humans notes in a statement that "undersecretary Alfredo Mantovano, as a government spokesman, has admitted that Mediterranea and its activists were spied on by the secret services using Paragon graphite military software, because they are considered a danger for national security". The statement notes that the Meloni government requested this surveillance, which was authorised by the general prosecutor in the Rome appeal court. Mediterranea concludes: Read more. UK: Migrant groups reject Labour Government’s proposed expansion of “unlawful” and dangerous electronic monitoring On March 13, Home Office Minister Dame Angela Eagle introduced an amendment to the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, which would permit the Home Office to impose electronic tagging, curfews, and other potentially severe restrictions on freedom to move for people granted permission to enter or stay in the UK. Read more. European Commission Moves to Extend Free Flows of Personal Data to the UK On March 18, 2025, the European Commission proposed to extend its adequacy decision in favor of the United Kingdom (‘UK’) for an additional six-month period. This would allow free flows of personal data from the EU to the UK to continue until December 2025. The existing adequacy decision – which was adopted in 2021 in light of the UK’s departure from the European Union – is currently due to expire on June 27, 2025. Read more. Trump Wants Immigrants on U.S. Soil to Hand Over Social Media Accounts to Apply for Citizenship Trump is demanding social media handles for citizenship, green card, and visa applicants whether they're already in the U.S. or not. Read more. Italy: Facial recognition of football fans in San Siro still gives rise to doubts Testing of the system provided by Reco 3 will finish at the end of March. An opinion from the privacy ombudsman is awaited, but it was meant to arrive before the testing phase started. Read more. French scientist denied entry to US over views on Trump's policies The US has continued its crackdown on foreign nationals travelling to the country, with a French scientist being denied entry in Texas and deported on 10 March for his personal views on the Trump administration's policies. Read more. Digital Surveillance in Africa: Power, Agency, and Rights Media coverage and scholarly research on digital surveillance has focused primarily on the USA and Europe. Everyone knows about Cambridge Analytica's social media surveillance; Edward Snowden's revelations of the West's mass internet and phone surveillance; and Pegasus Spyware's mobile phone surveillance of activists, journalists, judges, and presidents across the world. Comparatively little is known about the millions of dollars now being spent on digital technologies for use in the illegal and illegitimate surveillance of citizens in Africa. Read more. Germany: Commissioner Computer vs. Daniela Klette: Use of AI in Red Army Faction investigations raises questions Police in Hanover, which is conducting the investigation for the Verden Public Prosecutor’s Office, has deployed a powerful AI tool: Three months after Klette’s arrest in Berlin-Kreuzberg, the authority procured the “Pathfinder” software from the Israeli company Cellebrite and used it to search through the digital evidence of the accused. Read more. EDPB adopts statement on the implementation of the PNR directive The Board is aware that some European countries have already started the adaptation process, but there is still a substantial lack of implementation efforts throughout the Member States. Therefore, in its statement, the EDPB outlines the urgent need to implement the necessary changes and to amend national laws by taking into account the PNR judgment as soon as possible. Read more. Finland Plans Major Expansion of Police Biometric Data Collection Powers Finland’s Ministry of the Interior has proposed controversial new legislation that would significantly expand law enforcement’s ability to collect and use biometric data, including facial recognition technology, drawing immediate criticism from privacy advocates and data protection officials. Read more. War and peace. Rearming Europe: or, how to risk sinking the ship on the same day as its launch... Sophisticated analysis and comment on the Rearm Europe initiative, the use of emergency frameworks to introduce structural and systemic reform, a lack of democratic scrutiny and issue concerning the EU's founding acts. Dismisses some justifications that are being voiced to excuse procedural flaws and muses about the European Parliament's role, hypothesizing MEPs' potential involvement in its coming marginalization. Read more. The Trump Administration Accidentally Texted Me Its War Plans U.S. national-security leaders included me in a group chat about upcoming military strikes in Yemen. I didn’t think it could be real. Then the bombs started falling. Read more. Israeli envoy to Austria suggests executing Gaza children in secret recording Israel's ambassador to Austria, David Roet, has suggested executing Palestinian minors involved in armed conflict, a secretly recorded video has revealed. Read more. Hatred towards criticism of Israel: IDF spokesman Arye Shalicar attacks German journalists for days now On the short messaging service X, the IDF spokesperson is particularly present. His postings on a private account contain insults and strong language. Last week, Shalicar labelled several German journalists alongside a Mera25 politician and a streamer as 'Top 10 propagators of Jew-hatred’. Read more. The European Defence Fund. The opaque use of public funds In this report, the Center Delàs d’Estudis per la Pau and the European Network Against Arms Trade (ENAAT) highlight the opacity of the projects benefiting from the first round of financing of the European Defense Fund. Read more. Violence, wars, armed conflicts: developments and resistances Wide-ranging issue of Passerelle magazine focusing on antimilitarism, war and conflicts, ranges from an intersectional Palestinian struggle against Israel's deployment of big tech and apartheid to EU security expenditure and autonomous weapons systems. Read more. ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ Statewatch 88 Fleet St, EC4Y 1DH, London