Mediterranean Report #9

October 2015

Migration flows in Mediterranean Sea Balkan route and juridical point of view

Edited By Marcello CIOLA

Vice-CEO of Mediterranean Affairs and MA in International

Relations (LUISS Guido Carli)

October 2015

Copyright© 2015 by Mediterranean Affairs

All right reserved except for brief quotations in a review. This Paper must not be reproduced in

any form without permission in writing form the publisher.

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focused on defense and security, regional stability, and transnational challenges such as

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and interviews with the media.

October 2015

2 Migration flows in Mediterranean Sea

Introduction ................................................................................................................ 3

The new route of migration is the Balkans ................................................................... 6

Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 6

The motivations behind the Balkan route............................................................................ 6

The reactions of the countries involved: .............................................................................. 7

Conclusions ........................................................................................................................ 9

International and EU Legal systems on migration ...................................................... 10

Authors ..................................................................................................................... 17

Events ....................................................................................................................... 18

Weekly News ............................................................................................................ 20

Summary

October 2015

3 Introduction

Introduction

The international migration flows are continuous and incessant and in a globalized

world where the imbalance between "North" and "South" is becoming more acute.

In general, a type of flow is made up of the quotas of "in transit" population

which represent a substantial part of migration flows, partly irregular. Those people

often stop at intermediate points of migration even for long periods. For example,

European countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, including Italy, Spain, Greece

and Malta have been the favorite destinations of these movements. The flows are

coming from the Maghreb, sub-Saharan Africa and Asia both by sea and by land

along the Balkan route.

A large number of people, belonging to the category of refugee and asylum seeker,

have a special protection because they escape from war zones and, above all during

the last four years, from the Syrian one.

The Maghreb countries, however, are both areas of emigration and transit and

destination points for migrants coming from Sub-Saharan Africa. Italy and the

European Union are living this situation as an emergency and tried to stop such flows

with the operations "Mare Nostrum", Triton and EUNAVFORMed. It is clear that

the forces of one country or the search-and-rescue activities are only the temporary

care of a disease that should be grasped by the root with prevention and which,

clearly, cannot represent the solution.

The restrictive measures must be placed in the context of broader and forward-

looking policies. The European Union should be an incisive actor on the global stage

and play a vital role which the Treaty of Lisbon fully recognizes. As remarked by EU

leaders in the last informal meeting of Brussels of 23-25 September: The EU,

together with the member states, has taken a range of measures to address the

challenges created by migration. The European Commission, The Council and

European Council are intensifying efforts to ensure an adequate and appropriate

October 2015

4 Migration flows in Mediterranean Sea

response to the current refugee crisis and establish a credible European migration

policy1.

The EU of responsibility, solidarity and partnership in the field of immigration

and asylum, promotes the five basic commitments set out in the "European Pact on

Immigration and Asylum" and in the recent European Agenda on Migration:

organizing authorized migration taking account the priorities, needs and reception

capacities determined by each Member State, through the sharing mechanism of

quotas, and promote integration; combating unauthorized immigration, in particular

by ensuring the return to the country of origin or to a transit country for illegal

immigrants; enhance the effectiveness of border controls; build an Europe of asylum;

create a comprehensive partnership with the countries of origin and transit to

encourage the synergy between migration and development.

The old continent is still facing the effects of the war in North Africa and the

economic crisis while another factor of complexity is its geography and geopolitics.

Europe is particularly exposed to migratory flows: from the Balkans, the Maghreb

and, through this last one, from the Horn of Africa, passing through the desert. The

Mediterranean Sea, which represents the border of Europe, is a key instrument of

communication and a vital trade route that is important to protect. To address the

phenomenon, the EU and the Countries most affected, particularly those of the

southern shore, are provided with instruments in the context of the European

Neighborhood Policy (ENP). Italy is one of the countries which concluded the

largest number of readmission agreements. It is therefore considered appropriate to

have a strategic vision on the centrality of the Mediterranean but also looking at what

happens in the rest of the world, because what happens far away, in a globalized

world, sooner or later, will affect us. Similarly, if not dealt with an incisive political

support from the European Union, along with the entire international community,

the African uprisings (or Arab Springs), the war in Syria, the advance of IS are likely

to explode into an unmanageable migration trends and beyond. Particular attention is

paid to Libya whose power vacuum and the lack of a well-defined and stable

government produces critical situations and promotes criminal activities of smugglers

and human traffickers. The orientations agreed must be complemented by the

transposition and implementation by Member States of the rules of the Common

1 Council of the EU and the European Council, Informal meeting of heads of state or government, September

23, 2015, Cfr. http://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/meetings/european-council/2015/09/23/.

October 2015

5 Introduction

Asylum System. In this context it is important to create the conditions for all Member

States to participate fully in the Dublin system.

It would be desirable for the EU to reinforce the mechanisms of financial

solidarity, in addition to the existing funds, as well as those humanitarian and military

already allocated.This should be viewed in terms of an operational pragmatism

because, if for the old Europe the migratory flows are generally good in relation to

demography, they certainly aren’t so if irregular. Irregular flows are associated,

especially in time of crisis, to other two negative phenomena: the inclusion in the

black labor market and crime. The irregularities obscure the positive effects: it will

affect the contribution of migrants to the economic growth in the host country while,

in contrast, it allows to the criminal organizations to make huge profits and to engage

in illegal activities the immigrants themselves. If, as has been repeatedly pointed out,

in the short term is to act quickly by securing the borders, in the medium term it will

be more appropriate to remove the advantages of human trafficking and finally, in

the long term it will be necessary to act against the necessity of need migrate from the

homeland, looking forward to a sustainable integration as a possible solution,

avoiding the formal integration through amnesties. Illegal immigration also raises the

risk of delinquency. The danger is that, in the long term, the lack of a legal residency

permit and the unfulfilled hopes, favor to commit crimes for reasons of necessity.

Rebus sic stantibus, the contrast is focused towards the organizations that exercise these

activities, acting criminally with international ramifications. In a highly globalized

society, with the idea of a world without borders, the growing arrivals of people in

search of fortune get the EU unprepared. The same EU that snoozes and often

shows the absence of a structured European migration policy acting to protect both

of them: host and guest.

Chiara Ginesti

Istituto di Alti Studi in Geopolitica e Scienze Ausiliarie – IsAG

October 2015

6 Migration flows in Mediterranean Sea

The new route of migration is the Balkans

By Matteo Anastasi

Only recently, the public opinion has really begun to understand the extent of migrations in the

Balkan countries. In fact, according to what has been reported by the statistics of the UN and

Frontex, for over a year Eastern Europe has become a Trojan horse for migrants attempting to get

into Western Europe. The countries of origin are mainly Syria, Iraq and others bordering with them:

Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. Not only: in the last few months, there has been an increase in

migrants from East Africa, Pakistan and Afghanistan

Introduction

Only recently, the public opinion

has really begun to understand the

extent of migrations in the Balkan

countries. In fact, according to what

has been reported by the statistics of

the UN and Frontex, for over a year

Eastern Europe has become a Trojan

horse for migrants attempting to get

into Western Europe.

The countries of origin are mainly

Syria, Iraq and others bordering with

them: Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey.

Not only: in the last few months, there

has been an increase in migrants from

East Africa, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

According to the United Nations, the

consolidation of the Balkan route, even

in the minds of migrants themselves,

occurred between the first half of 2014

and early 2015. At this stage, the

number of people who chose the

Balkans as the first European

destination grew by 50%. The

UnitedNations High Commissioner

for Refugees estimates that in October

2015 at least three thousand migrants

per day will cross the border between

Greece and Macedonia.

At the end of August, a first

emergency summit was heldto address

the issue of migrants in the Balkans. In

Vienna, the Serbian Foreign Minister

Ivica Dačić met with his counterparts

in the region and, together with them,

prompted the European Union to give

a swift and decided response,

manifesting all the support that

Belgrade will offer to the cause of

peace, dialogue and European

development.

The motivations behind the

Balkan route

The first motivation pushing

migrants along the Balkan route is the

political and/or social instability that

October 2015

7 The new route of migration is the Balkans

characterizes the history of these

countries for some time now. The

internal tensions in Greece,

Macedonia, Bulgaria and Hungary,

bring the migrants to perceive these

areas of Europe as vulnerable and very

palatable as transit countries. The

absence of strong controls drives many

traffickers to persistently pressure the

Balkan Peninsula identified as it is

perceived as the soft underbelly of

Europe.

According to several analysts,

moreover, the initiative of the

Hungarian prime minister Orbán, to

build a fence along its border to stem

the migration flow, has pushed many

migrants to hasten their journey to

Eastern Europe before the neighbors

act like Budapest. The construction of

the fence, however, will hardly stop the

migration phenomenon, in all

likelihood ready to turn to the

numerous criminal channels present in

the Balkans in order to exploit

alternative routes (Romania, Bulgaria,

and Croatia) to work around the

Hungarian barrier and still be able to

arrive in Western Europe.

The reactions of the countries

involved

Serbia

According to the Serbian Minister

of Work, Aleksandar Vulin, more than

100,000 migrants crossed Serbia in an

attempt to gain access to Hungary:

Source: Demography Matters

October 2015

8 Migration flows in Mediterranean Sea

twenty-three thousand only in the last

two weeks of August and 2,000 in the

last weekend of the month. Another

four thousand have expressed the

desire to seek asylum directly in Serbia.

Despite not being part of the

European Union and with a very

modest logistical and structural

capacity for asylum, Belgrade has

implemented solutions aimed at

addressing the emergency. Firstly, they

opened new refugee centres, where

migrants can obtain a temporary

permit of residence for seventy-two

hours. Against this background, it

should be noted that, especially in the

capital, the situation begins to be very

difficult with immigrants camping

aimlessly in squares and public parks,

all in clearly inadequate hygienic

conditions.

Macedonia

A country that has been suffering

all the consequences of the Greek

economic, social and political crisis.

According to the Macedonian Foreign

Minister, Nikola Popovski, those

migrants who crossed the border from

Greece have increased in a short time

from five hundred to about three

thousand per day. The initial reaction

of Macedonia was stern. On August

20th, the Government led by Nikola

Gruevski declared a state of emergency

on the southern border, deploying the

army to curb the advance of the

migrants. However, after about a week

of clashes, the Government decided to

change strategy, reopening the borders

and providing the migrants with five

trains every day to take them to the

border with Serbia.

Bulgaria

Among the Balkan countries is

probably the least affected by the flow

of migrants. This is mainly because,

although a member of the European

Union, it is not part of the Schengen

Agreement. Nevertheless, Bulgaria's

reaction was rather vehement. Fearing

that the Hungarian block could lead

migrants to head toward the border of

Bulgaria, Boyko Borissov's

Government ordered the dispatch of

several armored vehicles at the border

with Macedonia. Not only that: it is

already building a wall similar to the

Hungarian along the border with

Turkey.

Hungary

Budapest is the city where all

migrants crossing the Balkan Peninsula

intend to cross heading to Western Source: Reuters

October 2015

9 The new route of migration is the Balkans

Europe (Austria, Germany, Sweden

and France above all). Since the

beginning of 2015, Hungary has

registered more than 100,000 asylum

applications, double those in 2014.

August 2015, reached peaks of 1,500

requests per day. This situation of

absolute emergency has prompted the

Prime Minister Orbán to launch the

construction of a massive fence, now

almost completed, to delimit the

border with Serbia. Consequently,

Hungary’s PM has received much

criticism from European and

institutional headquarters. In addition

to the construction of the fence, the

Hungarian Government from the

beginning of September sent more

than 2,000 policemen to patrol the

border with Serbia. Hungary is today

an inaccessible country: migrants

caught crossing the border are

threatened with harsh measures.

Conclusions

The Balkan Peninsula has become a

powder keg. Historically, it is not a

suitable place for the coexistence of

heterogeneous cultures, though being

in the case of these migrants, only for

transit. The chronic political and social

instability in some of these countries

do not help achieve adequate

responses to the emergency.

The political vacuum in Greece has

done nothing but amplifying the

difficulties. The Greek territory and

areas bordering it have become among

the preferred destinations of migrants

who realize they can more easily in

places affected by institutional crisis.

The only country that has really

reacted in an organic way, although

maybe debatable, remains Hungary.

The closing of borders is a method

that is likely to be taken as a model by

the entities, with the risk of a

humanitarian crisis of huge size.

The Balkan Peninsula, for political,

economic and social issues, is not able

to deal with the migrant emergency

without help from Europe. So far,

Angela Merkel's Germany has moved

decidedly, suspending the Dublin rules

for the Syrian citizens. As a result,

migrants from Syria no longer need to

be asked from which EU Member

State they entered and hence a scenario

where Berlin could, according to EC

regulations, repatriate them. In

addition to this, funds were allocated

in response to the emergency that has

arisen in the Greek Islands. There is,

however, some criticism: the Syrians

are often migrants identified as

qualified worker. As a result, the

choice by the Germans to facilitate

only this type of migrants’ permanence

has generated bitter disapproval from

other European countries.

October 2015

10 Migration flows in Mediterranean Sea

International and EU Legal systems on migration

By Giorgia Durante

The recent migration flows affecting Europe highlight the inadequacy of migration policies and the

difficulties that States have to face in managing the illegal immigration, as well as in protecting

human rights and security at the EU's borders. EU Member States are unprepared for dealing with

thousands of desperate people who land on their southern shores to seek their fortune in a continent

away from the war.

To understand the position of EU

countries on migration issues, it is

useful to do a legal analysis of

International and EU regulations.

In this regard, the 1951 Refugee

Convention and its Protocol are the

most important legal, political and

ethical instruments for the protection

of refugees. They clarify the rights of

refugees and the obligations of the 148

States that have ratified one or both of

these instruments.

The article 1, A(2) of the 1951

Geneva Convention defines a refugee

as a person who, “owing to well-founded

fear of being persecuted for reasons of race,

religion, nationality, membership of a

particular social group or political opinion, is

outside the country of his nationality and is

unable, or owing to such fear, is unwilling to

avail himself of the protection of that country;

or who, not having a nationality and being

outside the country of his former habitual

residence as a result of such events, is unable

Source: The Globalist

October 2015

11 International and EU Legal systems on migration

or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to return to

it ”.

In the context of the 1951 Geneva

Convention, the principle of “non-

refoulement” is the cornerstone of

asylum and of international refugee

law. The prohibition of refoulement is

stigmatized in Article 33 of the 1951

Geneva Convention:

“No Contracting

State shall expel or

return (“refouler”) a

refugee in any manner

whatsoever to the

frontiers of territories

where his life or

freedom would be

threatened on account

of his race, religion,

nationality, member-

ship of a particular

social group or political opinion”.

“This principle reflects the

commitment of the international

community to ensure - to all people -

the enjoyment of human rights

including the rights to life, to freedom

from torture or cruelty, inhuman or

degrading treatment or punishment,

and to liberty and security of person”1.

For this reason, the principle of

“non-refoulement” has inspired

1 UNHCR, Note on the Principle of Non-

Refoulement, Cfr. http://www.refworld.org.

important international, regional and

national instruments, e.g. the

International Covenant on Civil and

Political Rights 1966 and the

Declaration on territorial asylum 1967;

Art.19 Charter of fundamental rights

of the European Union 2 , the 1969

OAU Refugee Convention and the

Cartagena Declaration on Refugee

1984.

The presence of

the principle of

“non-refoulement”

in different legal

systems does state

that this prohibition

assumes the status

of jus cogens3.

The “non-

refoulement”, as a

principle of costumary law in the

international order, is also a guideline

for European regulation.

2 Article 19 - Protection in the event of

removal, expulsion or extradition

1. Collective expulsions are prohibited.

2. No one may be removed, expelled or

extradited to a State where there is a serious

risk that he or

She would be subjected to the death penalty,

torture or other inhuman or degrading

treatment or punishment. 3 Jus cogens (from Latin: compelling law;

English: peremptory norm) refers to certain

fundamental, overriding principles of

international law, from which no derogation is

ever permitted (Legal Information institute).

Source: Wikipedia

October 2015

12 Migration flows in Mediterranean Sea

In this sense, it is important to

analyze EU regulations in the light of

the prohibition of refoulement. In

particular, it is useful to examine the

legal and political evolution of the

institution of free movement of

persons in the EU borders.

During the 1980s, the EEC

countries have debated over the

meaning of free movement of people

within the borders of the EU.

Some Member States have strictly

interpreted the meaning of this

freedom; in other words, they

recognized the free movement of

people for European Union citizens

only, which would involve keeping

internal border controls for non-EU

citizens. However, other States

advocated in favor of free movement

within the EU's borders for European

Union citizens and non-EU citizens.

On 14 June 1985, Belgium, the

Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany

and France concluded the Schengen

agreement to create an area (Schengen

area) without checks at the internal

borders between them.

On 19 June 1990, the same states

signed the Schengen Convention,

which complements and specifies the

Treaty of Schengen. In particular, the

Convention eliminates internal

controls for the signatory States and

created a single external border,

forcing the countries a part of the

Convention to adopt common rules on

checks, visas and asylum.

Accordingly, in order to reconcile

freedom and security, this freedom of

movement was accompanied by so-

called "compensatory" measures.

This involved improving

cooperation and coordination between

the police and the judicial authorities in

order to safeguard internal security

and, in particular, to fight organized

crime. It is in this context that the

Schengen Information System (SIS) 4

was developed.

Progressively, the Schengen area

continued to expand and encompass

almost all Member States.

With the Treaty of Amsterdam of

1997, the Schengen cooperation was

finally inserted in the framework of the

4 “SIS is a sophisticated database used by authorities

of the Schengen member countries to exchange data on

certain categories of people and goods”, EUR-le

Database, Cfr. http://eur-lex.europa.eu.

Source: International Business Time

October 2015

13 International and EU Legal systems on migration

European Union; it is the core of the

legal principles of the freedom of

movement of people.

Key rules adopted within the

Schengen framework include:

• Removal of checks on persons at

the internal borders;

• A common set of rules applying

to people crossing the external

borders of the EU Member

States;

• Harmonization of the conditions

of entry and of the rules on visas

for short stays;

• Enhanced police cooperation

(including rights of cross-border

surveillance and hot pursuit);

• Stronger judicial cooperation

through a faster extradition

system and transfer of

enforcement of criminal

judgments;

• Establishment and development

of the Schengen Information

System (SIS).

The Schengen Area currently

consists of 26 states, 22 EU Member

States and 4 non-EU member States

(Switzerland, Norway, Liechtenstein,

Iceland).

EU rules that stigmatize the

freedom of movement can be found in

Article 3, paragraph 2 and Article 21 of

the TEU and Titles IV and V of the

TFEU.

In particular, Article 3 par.2 declare:

“The Union shall offer its citizens an

area of freedom, security and justice

without internal frontiers, in which the

free movement of persons is ensured

in conjunction with appropriate

measures with respect to external

border controls, asylum, immigration

and the prevention and combating of

crime”.

A closer examination of the

standard shows that freedom of

movement is based on collaboration

and mutual trust of the States Parties

to the Schengen area which, on one

hand proceed to the elimination of

internal borders and the other, proceed

to identify the common rules to ensure

the controls with respect to third-

country nationals wishing to enter the

European Union.

At this point, it is useful to ask

some questions. First, is it possible for

a State party to the Schengen Space to

suspend the treaty? Can the suspension

of Schengen give advantages to EU

countries in the management of

migration flows? Is the suspension of

Schengen equally effective for the

countries of the South and those of

Northern Europe?

“Under the Schengen Borders

Code, Member States have the

possibility to exceptionally reintroduce

October 2015

14 Migration flows in Mediterranean Sea

border controls, where there is a

serious threat to public order or

internal security (Article 23). For

foreseeable events, a Member State

shall notify the other Member States

and the Commission in advance, but in

cases requiring urgent action, a

Member State may immediately

reintroduce border controls at internal

borders. The reintroduction of border

controls is in principle limited to a

period of 30 days”5.

It is important to underline that the

adoption of this measure does not

have the same effects, depending on

whether it is adopted by a State of the

North or of the South Europe.

In fact, in the first place it can be

geographically verified that none of the

states of the north has an external

border adjacent or close to non-EU

States with serious political instability;

on the contrary, the states of southern

Europe are the real external border of

the EU.

This means that the suspension of

Schengen by the states of the north

involves not only tighter controls for

migrants, but also for EU citizens.

On the contrary, the suspension of

Schengen by the states of south (Italy,

5 Official website of European Commission-

Press Release Database, Cfr:

http://europa.eu.

Spain, Greece) would only result in the

isolation of these states since it would

develop an enhanced control only to

EU countries (from which they leave

some migrations), and would continue

to face the waves of migrants arriving

on their shores.

To complete this examination, it is

necessary to analyze another EU legal

instrument: the Dublin system.

In fact, in the framework of the

Schengen Agreement, member states

have signed, on 15 June 1990, the

Dublin Convention, which came into

force in 1997. It was later replaced by

the Dublin II Regulation (Regulation

2003/343 / EC), and finally by the

Dublin Regulation III (2013/604 /

EC), which came into force on 19 July

2013.

The main objective of the Dublin

system is to establish the criteria and

mechanisms to determine the Member

State responsible for examining an

asylum application lodged in one of

the Member States by a third-country

national6.

6 Council Regulation (EC) No 343/2003

establishing the criteria and mechanisms for

determining the Member State responsible for

examining an asylum application lodged in

one of the Member States by a third-country

national, Official Journal of the European

Union, 25 February 2003, L50/1(‘Dublin II’).

October 2015

15 International and EU Legal systems on migration

Source: The Borgen Project

The Dublin system has been

criticized by the United Nations High

Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

and by the European Council on

Refugees and Exiles (ECRE). They felt

that the Dublin regulation impedes the

legal rights and personal welfare of

asylum seekers, including the right to a

fair examination of their asylum claim

and, where recognized, to effective

protection, as well as the uneven

distribution of asylum claims among

Member States.

A further criticism of the Dublin

Regulation is that it is not an

instrument for equitable distribution of

asylum applications between signatory

States because it increases the pressure

on countries that represent the external

border.

In fact, these states are in the grip

of a twofold prohibition: on one hand,

the obligation to examine the asylum

applications of immigrants landing on

their shores (Dublin system); on the

other hand, the obligation to respect

the principle of “non-refoulement” (jus

cogens).

The European Union has

repeatedly attempted to build a

common migration framework

(Tampere, Aja, Stockholm), as

provided in Articles 79 par.1 and 80

TFEU7. The differences between the

7 Article 79 par.1: “The Union shall develop a

common immigration policy aimed at ensuring, at all

stages, the efficient management of migration flows, fair

treatment of third-country nationals residing legally in

Member States, and the prevention of, and enhanced

measures to combat, illegal immigration and

trafficking in human beings”;

Article 80: “The policies of the Union set out in this

Chapter and their implementation shall be governed

by the principle of solidarity and fair

sharing of responsibility, including its

financial implications, between the (footnote continued)

October 2015

16 Migration flows in Mediterranean Sea

southern and northern states of the

European Union show that there is

still no unitary action on immigration.

To achieve this goal, in addition to the

norms, a common political will is

necessary.

Member States. Whenever necessary, the Union

acts adopted pursuant to this Chapter shall contain

appropriate measures to give effect to this principle”.

October 2015

17 Weekly News

Authors

Matteo Anastasi graduated in International Relations with honors at LUISS

Guido Carli and then took a Master in Economic Security, Geopolitics and

Intelligence at SIOI. Now he is working at European University of Rome. His main

research topics are Africa, defense policy, Middle East, strategic studies.

Giorgia Durante, MA in International and Comunitarian Law at the Faculty of

Law, at Luiss Guido Carli University of Rome, with a thesis entitled War crimes,

superior responsibility and order execution. Since January to June 2014, she worked

at the UN headquarter (N.Y) for UNDESA Department. In July 2015, she started to

work in a legal office in Lecce.

October 2015

18 Migration flows in Mediterranean Sea

Events

9-10 October 2015

Charité Campus Virchow-Klinikum (CVK) Augustenburger Pl. 1, 13353 - Berlin (Germany)

XVII HUMANITARIAN CONGRESS BERLIN

On October 9-10, 2015, in a two days session at the Charité Campus Virchow-Klinikum (Berlin) will be held the XVII Humanitarian Congress. Organised by Médecins Sans Frontières, Médecins du Monde, the German Red Cross, the Berlin Chamber of Physicians and the CharitéUniversitätsmedizin, the Congress focuses on the topic “Understanding Failure. Adjusting Practice”.

The Humanitarian Congress Berlin is an international platform for exchanging information, experiences and ideas of humanitarian aid. Each year the Congress brings together experts from medical, humanitarian and international organizations, politics, media as well as a large number of students from different subject areas, offering a unique mix of medical and political keynote speeches and debates.

NOTE: Registration fees are required. For further information, here clik here.

October 2015

19 Weekly News

13 October 2015

Oxford Department of International Development (University of Oxford)

3 Mansfield Road, OX1 3TB - Oxford (United Kingdom)

AFRICA AFTER NEO-ABOLITION

Asylum politicization, expert testimony, and the legacy of anti-trafficking advocacy

On October 13, 2015, starting at 1 p.m., at the Oxford Department of International Development (University of Oxford), will be held the public lecture “Africa after neo-abolition. Asylum politicization, expert testimony, and the legacy of anti-trafficking advocacy” by Prof. Benjamin N. Lawrance (Rochester Institute of Technology, New York, U.S.).

It focuses on the asylum politicization in Europe and North America and the role of millennial anti-trafficking advocacy in resisting it. Asylum claims (from Togo, Benin, Ghana, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria) provide unique insight into how trafficking survivors struggle for recognition as social persons. West African case histories show how experts and lawyers in the United States and the United Kingdom mobilize documentation to resist anti-migration policy.

NOTE: For further information, please click here.

October 2015

20 Migration flows in Mediterranean Sea

Weekly News

September 21st – October 4th

Monday, 21st September 2015

GREECE – Alexis Tsipraswas sworn in as Greece’s Prime Minister after his left-wing SYRIZA party decisively beat its conservative rivals. (The Wall Street Journal)

SYRIA – A U.S. attempt to relaunch its much-criticized rebel training program faced a setback yesterday when a second batch of Western-trained fighters were detained by other rebel groups in Northern Syria. About 70 fighters from the U.S.-trained group, called the 30th Division, entered the Bab al-Salama border crossing North of Aleppo in a heavily armed convoy of 12 vehicles with U.S. air cover, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. (The Times)

YEMEN – A Saudi-led military coalition bombarded government buildings and residential neighborhoods in Sana, the Yemeni capital, overnight, killing more than two dozen people, officials and witnesses said, and destroying homes in Sana’s Old City, a UNESCO World Heritage site. (The New York Times)

Tuesday, 22nd September 2015

EUROPEAN UNION – Central and Eastern European leaders have defied attempts by Brussels and Berlin to impose refugee quotas ahead of two days of high-stakes summits in Brussels to try to decide on what already looks like a vain attempt to limit the flow of refugees and migrants into Europe. (The Guardian)

GREECE – Even as he basked in victory, Alexis Tsipras was careful to stress that his emphatic re-election did not mean an end to Greece’s financial hardship. “We have difficulties ahead,” Mr. Tsipras told a flag-waving crowd from his leftwing SYRIZA party. “Recovery cannot come through magic but through lots of work, stubbornness and struggle.” (Financial Times)

IRAN – France opened a trade office in Tehran, leading the charge of European countries angling for a share of the Iranian market after the July nuclear agreement. The opening occurred at the end of a two-day visit that brought more than 130 representatives of French companies, including Airbus, the carmakers Renault and Peugeot and the oil giant Total. (The New York Times)

October 2015

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Wednesday, 23rd September 2015

MEDITERRANEAN MIGRANT CRISIS – EU Interior Ministers imposed a plan to relocate 120,000 refugees across the EU, outvoting four Eastern European countries strongly opposed to the scheme. The use of majority voting to push ahead with the burden-sharing scheme — regarded as politically unacceptable in some capitals — is a rare move in a bloc that typically acts by consensus on sensitive issues. It is certain to amplify tensions over the migrant crisis. (Financial Times)

EGYPT – Egypt has demolished more than 3,255 homes and other buildings in the Sinai Peninsula in violation of international law, Human Rights Watch says. Troops began razing homes along the Gaza border in 2013 to create a “buffer zone” and eliminate smuggling tunnels, after a surge in attacks by militants. (BBC)

Thursday, 24th September 2015

EUROPEAN UNION – Hungary’s Prime Minister accused Germany of “moral imperialism” as anger surged throughout Eastern Europe a day after a Berlin-backed plan to share migrants among EU states was agreed despite objections. Slovakia and the Czech Republic earlier vowed to scupper the plan at summit — or breach EU rules if it was forced upon them. Poland, however, broke ranks with its Eastern allies to support the plan, with Warsaw scrambling to defend itself against domestic outrage at the decision. (Financial Times)

SAUDI ARABIA – At least 717 pilgrims from around the world were killed in a crush outside the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi authorities said, in the worst disaster to strike the annual haj pilgrimage for 25 years. (Reuters)

RUSSIAN FEDERATION – Russia has threatened to take “countermeasures” if the United States goes ahead with the deployment of a new type of nuclear weapon to bases in Germany, raising fears of a return to a Cold War style arms race in Europe. The Kremlin said plans reported by German media for the U.S. to upgrade its nuclear weapons arsenal in the country would be “a serious step towards raising tension” in Europe. (The Telegraph)

EGYPT – Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi pardoned 100 prisoners including three Al Jazeera television journalists a day before he plans to head to the annual United Nations summit of world leaders. The Al Jazeera journalists, Canadian Mohamed Fahmy, Egyptian Baher Mohamed and Australian Peter Greste, were

October 2015

22 Migration flows in Mediterranean Sea

sentenced to three years in prison in a retrial last month for operating without a press license and broadcasting material harmful to Egypt. (Reuters)

Friday, 25th September 2015

SPAIN – A deeply polarized electorate goes to the polls in Catalonia for a vote that could trigger unilateral steps towards secession by Spain’s most vital economic region. Together for Yes, a slate of legislative candidates who pledge to make Catalonia a new European nation within 18 months, leads in the polls, though falling just short of an absolute majority in the 135-seat Catalan parliament. (The Wall Street Journal)

SYRIA – President Barack Obama will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin next week, amid increasing tension over Russia’s role in Syria and hopes in the White House that there might be a diplomatic resolution to the conflict, U.S. officials said. (The Wall Street Journal)

SAUDI ARABIA – As Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies pressed their military offensive against Houthi rebels in Yemen, Saudi diplomats were waging their own battle to fend off calls in the United Nations Human Rights Council for an international inquiry into abuses by all parties to the Yemeni conflict. Those calls came in a council resolution submitted by the Netherlands, with support from a group of mainly Western countries that requests the United Nations high commissioner for human rights send a mission to Yemen. (The New York Times)

ISRAEL – Israel’s security cabinet approved a series of measures as part of a crackdown on rock throwing and firebombing by Palestinians in Jerusalem, including minimum sentences and greater leeway for the police to open fire — steps that opponents say contravene basic legal principles and may only escalate the violence. (The New York Times)

Saturday, 26th September 2015

CROATIA – The Croatian parliament, controlled by a center-left coalition, agreed to dissolve on Sept. 28, paving the way for the European Union’s newest member to hold a general election in November. (Reuters)

SYRIA – Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah confirmed that a deal had been reached between Syrian pro-government forces and insurgents in two areas of the country that included a six-month ceasefire. The deal, which would see rebels withdraw from

October 2015

23 Weekly News

a town near the border with Lebanon and the evacuation of besieged civilians from two villages in the Northwest, would take place in two stages, Nasrallah said in a live interview with Al-Manar TV. (Reuters)

Sunday, 27th September 2015

FRANCE – France said it had launched its first air strikes against Islamic State militants in Syria, in an effort to stem its growing presence there. “Our country thus confirms its resolute commitment to fight against the terrorist threat represented by Daesh (Islamic State). We will strike each time that our national security is at stake,” the French Presidency said in a statement. (Reuters)

IRAN – Iran’s supreme leader has said Saudi Arabia should apologize for a crush outside the Muslim holy city of Mecca that killed 769 worshippers performing the annual haj pilgrimage, Khamenei’s website said. (Reuters)

ISRAEL – Israeli police and Palestinians clashed at Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa mosque compound, where violence in recent weeks has raised international concern. (Reuters)

Monday, 28th September 2015

GREECE – Greece will return to economic growth next year provided that its newly elected government rapidly adopts reforms that satisfy its international creditors, paving the way to bank recapitalization and debt relief, according to the Finance Minister. (Financial Times)

SYRIA – Russia’s expanding military intervention in Syria has the potential to tilt the course of the war in favor of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, leaving U.S. policies aimed at securing his departure in tatters and setting the stage for a new phase in the four-year-old conflict. Exactly what Russia intends with its rapidly growing deployment of troops, tanks and combat aircraft in the Assad family heartland on Syria’s Northern coast is difficult to discern, according to military experts and U.S. officials, who say they were not consulted on the Russian moves and were caught off guard by the intervention. (The Washington Post)

October 2015

24 Migration flows in Mediterranean Sea

Tuesday, 29th September 2015

SAUDI ARABIA – A senior Saudi prince has launched an unprecedented call for change in the country’s leadership, as it faces its biggest challenge in years in the form of war, plummeting oil prices and criticism of its management of Mecca, scene of last week’s hajj tragedy. (The Guardian)

IRAQ – Russian reconnaissance flights over Iraq to spy on Islamic State militants would complicate the U.S.-led campaign against the extremist group but would not obstruct it, American officials said after Baghdad left open the possibility of overflights by Moscow. At the same time, U.S. ability to share intelligence with Iraq could be diminished if the Iraqis are sharing information with the Russians, American defense officials said. An Iraqi defense Ministry spokesman said that his country would be open to Russian intelligence gathering in Iraqi airspace. (The Wall Street Journal)

EUROPEAN UNION – European Union officials reacted with caution to the win by Catalan independence parties, underlining they are making no plans for the region’s secession from Spain. At the same time, separatist movements across Europe reacted with delight. Although the Catalan government has announced plans to begin negotiations with EU institutions, the European Commission’s chief spokesman, MargaritisSchinas, would not comment on what he called “regional elections”. (The Independent)

Wednesday, 30th September 2015

ISLAMIC STATE – President Vladimir Putin has stepped up his push to forge a Russia-led anti-terror coalition in the Middle East, inviting other countries to join a co-ordination center that will share intelligence between the Russian armed forces and Syria, Iran and Iraq. (Financial Times)

GERMANY – Berlin agreed measures aimed at curbing an unprecedented surge in migrants, including cuts to cash payments, as a backlash grew over the German government’s handling of the refugee crisis. The new laws are aimed at lifting some of the pressures on overworked local officials and reassuring voters that the government is in control of the migrant problem. Berlin wants the laws to take effect as soon as November. (Financial Times)

October 2015

25 Weekly News

Thursday, 1st October 2015

IRAQ – As Moscow deepens its military involvement in the region, Iraq appears to be increasingly looking east for assistance in its fight against Islamic State extremists, with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi indicating that he would welcome a Russian bombing campaign. (The Washington Post)

YEMEN – In a U-turn at the U.N. Human Rights Council, Western governments dropped plans for an international inquiry into human rights violations by all parties in the war in Yemen that has killed thousands of civilians in the last six months. (The New York Times)

EUROPEAN UNION – Consumer prices in the Eurozone fell annually in September for the first time since the European Central Bank launched its program of government bond purchases in March, increasing pressure on policy makers to counter the renewed threat of a slide into deflation with even more stimulus. (The Wall Street Journal)

Friday, 2nd October 2015

ISRAEL – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a blistering attack on the nuclear deal signed with Tehran in July, saying that it would make war with Iran more likely. Speaking to the United Nations General Assembly, Mr. Netanyahu said that Iran was continuing to arm and support terrorist groups across the Middle East, was trying to destabilize governments that did not support it and continued to threaten to destroy Israel. (Financial Times)

SYRIA – Russia kills U.S.-backed Syrian rebels in second day of air strikes as Iran prepares for ground offensive’ Russian jets bomb rebel positions in Syria including rural areas near the North-Western town of Jisr al-Shughour, a day after launching air strikes. (The Telegraph)

PORTUGAL – Entering into this weekend’s parliamentary election, Portugal must look like a pretty dreamy place to many Eurozone officials. Four years after suffering a sovereign-debt crisis and accepting a bailout, Lisbon has brought its budget under control and returned the economy to growth in accordance with the terms of its adjustment program. (The Wall Street Journal)

October 2015

26 Migration flows in Mediterranean Sea

Saturday, 3rd October 2015

AFGHANISTAN – U.S air strikes “may have” hit a hospital run by Medecins Sans Frontieres MSF, a NATO forces spokesman said, after the medical aid group blamed an aerial attack for the destruction in the Northern Afghan city of Kunduz that killed three staff. (Reuters)

UNITED KINGDOM – Britain will vote to leave the European Union in a planned referendum if it does not secure “robust, substantial and irreversible” reforms, the foreign secretary has warned, in a marked hardening of language on the issue. Prime Minister David Cameron has promised to renegotiate Britain’s EU ties ahead of a vote on membership by the end of 2017.He favors staying in a reformed EU but has said he will rule nothing out if he cannot secure reforms, which include curbs on welfare payments to EU migrants. (Reuters)

PALESTINE – A Palestinian stabbed and wounded an Israeli teenager in Jerusalem and was then shot dead by police, authorities said, just hours after a similar assault killed two people in the city. Violence has risen in East Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank in recent weeks. Though not at the levels of previous Palestinian uprisings, or “Intifadas,” it has triggered concerns of a wider escalation. (Reuters)

Sunday, 4th October 2015

SPAIN – Spain said it and Morocco arrested 10 people suspected of recruiting fighters for Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. Suspects were detained in the Spanish cities of Toledo and Badalona, the small coastal town of Xeraco in Spain’s Valencia region and the Moroccan city of Casablanca, Spain’s interior Ministry said. (Reuters)

TURKEY – Turkish President TayyipErdogan makes a long-awaited trip to Brussels, officially a two-day state visit to Belgium that will be dominated by EU meetings over Europe’s migration crisis and the fight against Islamic State militants in Syria. (Reuters)

October 2015

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Ed. Mediterranean Affairs®

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Cover image source:Frontex