|
News online - current lead stories
Follow
us on  and
 
Top 20 stories - for full
contents see: Statewatch News
online or What's New:
All items - Donate
Observatory : Refugee
crisis in the Med and in the EU
GREECE-TURKEY-FRONTEX: E.U.
Border Agency Still Unaccountable on Refugees’ Rights (Refugees Deeply, link):
"Last month, 10 Syrians boarded a flight organized and
staffed by the European Union’s border agency, Frontex,
on the Greek island of Kos, believing their destination was Athens.
Instead, they landed in the Turkish city of Adana.
The Syrians
had wanted to seek international protection in Greece, and carried
documents indicating their intention to initiate asylum procedures.
They were never given deportation orders or offered an opportunity
to mount a legal challenge to their deportation."
EU: Encryption: five Member States want Europe-wide laws,
access to documents request shows
"Five
EU countries said they want the European Commission to propose
legislation that would make it easier for police to crack through
encryption technology.
Croatia, Italy,
Latvia, Poland and Hungary all want an EU law to be created to
help their law enforcement authorities access encrypted information
and share data with investigators in other countries."
See: Five
member states want EU-wide laws on encryption (EurActiv, link)
Refugee
crisis: latest news from across Europe (26-27.11.16)
Greek
refugee lawyer targeted by police (DW, link)
""I
was prevented repeatedly from properly representing my clients.
One child, who has received therapy for witnessing the torture
of family members in Syria, was interviewed from 1:30 am until
4:30 am, not allowed contact with his father and me, despite
the complaints we raised. Being forced to wait in the hall for
hours in front of a guarded closed door, knowing that the rights
of the child were being violated and not being able to do anything
about it was a traumatic experience for me," she told DW...."
EU-AFRICA: The
small African region with more refugees than all of Europe -
Hunger follows displaced people around north-east Nigeria, as
Boko Haram and climate change drive millions from their homes (Guardian, link):
"About
40% more people have been displaced throughout Borno state (1.4
million) than reached Europe by boat in 2015 (1 million). Across
the region, the war against Boko Haram has forced more people
from their homes – 2.6 million – than there are Syrians
in Turkey, the country that hosts more refugees than any other.
The comparisons
mirror a wider trend across Africa. Of the world’s 17 million
displaced Africans, 93.7% remain inside the continent, and just
3.3% have reached Europe, according to UN data supplied privately
to the Guardian.
“No matter
how many problems Europeans have, it’s nothing like this,”
summarises Modu Amsami, the informal leader of Monguno’s
nine camps for internally displaced people (IDP), as he strolls
past Kawu’s newly erected hut. “Please, I’m appealing
to Europeans to forget their minor problems. Let them come here
and face our major problems.”
Eric Kempson from Lesvos, Greece: Fascists
Ruining Tourism! 24/11/2016 (video link) Fascists are not being
prosecuted.... and the "big Greek heart" needs to be
portrayed in the media.
Refugee
crisis: latest news from across Europe (24-25.11.16)
GREECE: LESVOS: Death
and riots at EU asylum hotspot in Greece (euobserver, link):
"A woman
and her young child have died on Thursday (24 November) at an
asylum detention centre on the Greek island of Lesbos, triggering
riots and clashes with police.
The two were
killed when a gas cylinder exploded while cooking at the Moria
camp, a so-called hotspot initiated by the EU commission where
asylum seekers are screened and registered. The deaths provoked
a protest among other asylum seekers who have been stuck at camps
described as open-prisons. The police clashes injured six asylum
seekers, according to Greek media."
See also: Mother
and son in critical condition from Moria migrant camp fire (ekathimerini.com, link):
"Twenty large tents and over 100 smaller ones were destroyed
in the blaze, as well as by fires started by migrants protesting
living conditions at the overcrowded camp in reaction to the
gas cooker explosion in the family tent that started the conflagration.
Police have
arrested 15 Afghan men for starting the smaller fires and clashing
with riot police dispatched to the scene. Between eight and 10
camp residents are also being treated at the Lesvos general hospital
for burns and smoke inhalation."
EU-TURKEY: European Parliament: Freeze
EU accession talks with Turkey until it halts repression, urge
MEPs
(Press release, link)
"MEPs
want a temporary freeze on EU accession talks with Turkey. In
a resolution voted on Thursday, they say Turkey should nonetheless
remain “anchored” to the EU. They also pledge to review
their position when the "disproportionate repressive measures"
under the state of emergency in Turkey are lifted.:...
The resolution
was approved by 479 votes to 37, with 107 abstentions."
And see: Turkey
threatens to end refugee deal in row over EU accession - President
Erdogan issues warning after European parliament vote urging
ministers to freeze talks on Turkey joining the EU (Guardian, link): "Turkey’s
president has threatened to tear up a landmark deal to stem the
flow of refugees into Europe a day after the European parliament
urged governments to freeze EU accession talks with Ankara. The
threat underlines how far relations between Turkey and the European
bloc have deteriorated in recent months, particularly after a
coup attempt in July.
“If Europe
goes too far, we will allow refugees to pass from the border
gates,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a speech on Friday
at a women’s rights conference. “Do not forget, the
west needs Turkey.” Erdogan’s statements, the most
direct warning yet that Turkey could abandon the agreement, came
in response to a symbolic vote in the European parliament on
Thursday that demanded an end to the decade-long accession negotiations."
EU-USA: Data Protection: "Umbrella"
Agreement: European Parliament: EU-US deal on
law enforcement data transfers backed by Civil Liberties Committee (Press release, pdf):
"The
EU-US data protection framework, known as the “Umbrella
Agreement” was backed by a large majority in the Civil Liberties
Committee on Thursday morning. The deal will ensure high, binding
data protection standards for data exchanged by police and law
enforcement authorities across the Atlantic. The Umbrella Agreement
covers the transfer of all personal data, such as names, addresses
or criminal records, exchanged between the EU and US for the
prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of criminal
offences, including terrorism....
[Adopted in LIBE
Committee]: 41 votes to 4, with 6 abstentions"
EU:
European Parliament Studies
- The
Implementation of the Charter of Fundamental Rights in the EU
institutional framework (pdf): "looks into the role of the Charter
in the legislative process; in the economic governance of the
Union; in the work of EU agencies; in the implementation of EU
law by EU Member States; and, in the external relations of the
Union, both in trade and investment policies and in the Common
Foreign and Security Policy. It also analyses certain gaps in
the judicial protection of the Charter and identifies measures
through which the potential of the Charter could be further realized."
- The
Marrakesh Treaty (pdf): "This study, commissioned by the
European Parliament Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights
and Constitutional Affairs upon request by the PETI Committee,
provides an analysis of the Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access
to Copyright Works for the Blind or Print-Disabled. It explains
the background and movements that led to its proposal, negotiation
and successful adoption. It then considers the Treaty’s
current situation in relation to its content and issues around
its ratification, particularly by the EU. It finally examines
future developments around copyright reform and makes recommendations
to EU institutions and Member States."
EU: New
counter-terror powers coming after hasty, secret negotiations
on EU Directive completed
Less than a year
after it was proposed, agreement on the EU's new counter-terrorism
law has been reached following the seventh and final secret "trilogue"
meeting on 17 November between the Council, the Parliament and
the Commission. The final
text of the new Directive (14673/16, LIMITE, pdf) is little-changed
changed from a previous version published by Statewatch on 14
November.
EU
Policies Put Refugees At Risk (Human Rights Watch, link):
"A lack
of leadership, vision, and solidarity based on human rights principles
are at the core of the European Union’s dismal response
to refugee and migration challenges. The mismanagement and politicization
of a surge in boat migration in 2015, when over one million migrants
and asylum seekers traveled to the EU by sea, has led to a humanitarian
and political crisis largely of the EU’s own making that
needs to be addressed with the utmost urgency.
UK: Stand-off
with prison profiteers at the Tower of London (Red Pepper, link):
"The
Tower of London has been a tourist attraction for as long as
anyone can remember. But on 15 November the infamous tower was
back in action, opening its doors to host the European Custody
and Detention Summit. Despite the talk of progressive reform,
the £1,500 per head summit was a closed-door trade fair
for private security corporations and their public partners."
MACEDONIA: Special
Prosecutor Investigates Secret Service for Illegal Wiretapping (OCCRP, link): "Macedonia’s
Special Prosecutor’s Office announced Friday it is investigating
10 current and former members of the Balkan country’s secret
service for taking part in the illegal wiretapping of nearly
6,000 citizens between 2008 and 2015.
The
FBI Hacked Over 8,000 Computers In 120 Countries Based on One
Warrant
(Motherboard,
link): "In January, Motherboard reported on the FBI's
“unprecedented” hacking operation, in which the agency,
using a single warrant, deployed malware to over one thousand
alleged visitors of a dark web child pornography site. Now, it
has emerged that the campaign was actually several orders of
magnitude larger."
UK: Identity
checks for healthcare? "Patients could be told to bring two forms
of identification including a passport to hospital to prove they
are eligible for free treatment under new rules to stop so-called
health tourism."
European Parliament Studies:
- Towards
a European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) (pdf):
"The
evolution of the text is analysed through a comparison between
the initial Commission proposal and the current version of the
text (dated of 28 October 2016).
The paper
assesses whether the EPPO, as it is currently envisaged, would
fit the objectives assigned to it, whether it will have some
added value, and whether it will be able to function efficiently
and in full respect of fundamental rights. It focuses on the
main issues at stake and controversial points of discussion,
namely the EPPO institutional design, some material issues, its
procedural framework, and its relations with its partners."
- Knowledge
and Know-how: the Role of Self-defence in the Prevention of Violence
against Women
(pdf):
"This
study, commissioned by the European Parliament Policy Department
for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs upon request
by the FEMM Committee, examined research on the effectiveness
of self-defence and its place in policies at EU and Member State
levels.
It concludes that there is a growing evidence base that feminist
self-defence can be effective in preventing violence. Whilst
references to self-defence are present in the EU and Council
of Europe policy documents, they are not substantial and yet
to be developed into a coherent approach. Self-defence should
be considered a promising practice and be better promoted and
supported. More space should be made for it in policy, financing
and research."
Refugee
crisis: latest news from across Europe (22.11.16)
Frontex
to begin collecting personal data in Greece on suspected criminals (Press release, pdf):
"Starting
today, Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, will
begin collecting personal data of persons suspected of people
smuggling, terrorism and other cross-border crimes collected
as part of its operation in Greece."
Note: according
to Article 2(16) of the new
Frontex Regulation (pdf), "cross-border crime" means "any
serious crime with a cross-border dimension committed at or along,
or which is related to, the external borders." There is
no specific definition of "cross-border crime" in the
Regulation but such activities "necessary entail a cross-border
dimension," for example "trafficking in human beings
or smuggling of migrants" (preamble, paragraph 19).
Top reports
See: Resources
for researchers: Statewatch Analyses: 1999-ongoing
SECILE Project:
Borderline: The EU's New Border Surveillance Initiatives:
Assessing the Costs and Fundamental Rights Implications of EUROSUR
and the "Smart Borders" Proposals (pdf) A study by the
Heinrich Böll Foundation. Written by Dr. Ben Hayes and Mathias
Vermeulen: "Unable to tackle the root of the problem,
the member states are upgrading the Union’s external borders.
Such a highly parochial approach taken to a massive scale threatens
some of the EU’s fundamental values - under the pretence
that one’s own interests are at stake. Such an approach
borders on the inhumane."
How the EU works and justice and home
affairs decision-making (pdf)
Statewatch's
20th Anniversary Conference, June 2011: Statewatch
conference speeches
TNI/Statewatch:
Counter-terrorism,
'policy laundering' and the FATF - legalising surveillance, regulating
civil society
(pdf) by Ben Hayes
Statewatch publication:
Guide
to EU decision-making and justice and home affairs after the
Lisbon Treaty
(pdf) by Steve Peers, Professor of Law, University of Essex,
with additional material by Tony Bunyan
Neoconopticon: the EU security-industrial
complex
(pdf) by Ben Hayes
The Shape of Things to Come (pdf) by Tony Bunyan
The Statewatch website
Since its launch
this website has had 15,518,136 user sessions and 119,760,374
"hits" [September 2015]. In the year 2014 there
were: 817,219 users sessions and 10,088,230 hits.
Join Statewatch
regular e-mail list for new stories: Join
Statewatch news e-mail list
The Statewatch
database
now holds more than 32,000 records (news, features, analyses
and documentation).
If you use this
site regularly, you are encouraged to make a donation
to Statewatch
to support future research.
Statewatch is
a non-profitmaking voluntary group founded in 1991, see: About
Statewatch
Contributions
to News online and bulletin are welcomed, please
get in touch.
The Statewatch
website is hosted by the Phone Co-op:
Statewatch is
funded by
  Friends of Statewatch
Statewatch does
not have a corporate view, nor does it seek to create one, the
views expressed are those of the author. Statewatch is not responsible
for the content of external websites and inclusion of a link
does not constitute an endorsement.
Statewatch is
registered under the Data Protection Act. Information supplied
will be not be passed to third parties. Registered UK charity
number: 1154784. Registered UK company number: 08480724. Registered
company name: The Libertarian Research & Education Trust.
Registered office: 10 Queen Street Place, London EC4R 1BE.
© Statewatch
ISSN 1756-851X. Personal usage as private individuals/"fair
dealing" is allowed. We also welcome links to material on
our site. Usage by those working for organisations is allowed
only if the organisation holds an appropriate licence from the
relevant reprographic rights organisation (eg: Copyright Licensing
Agency in the UK) with such usage being subject to the terms
and conditions of that licence and to local copyright law. |