Latest Migration News
On the move
Recent highlights
- According to a report published on June 17th by the Caminando Fronteras collective, 1,865 people lost their lives in the first five months of 2025 while trying to cross the maritime border between Africa and Europe. Thirty-eight boats disappeared, with no survivors found among their passengers. Humanitarian disasters are multiplying in silence, even though as the European Union accelerates the implementation of anti-migration and murderous policies. Caminando Fronteras points out that the Atlantic route, in particular the one linking Mauritania to the Canary Islands, is currently the deadliest. This route has become even more dangerous as boats leave more and more from Guinea. This shift in departure trends happens in an attempt to avoid controls in Mauritania and Senegal, which makes the journey longer and therefore riskier.
- In the central Mediterranean, and more precisely off the Libyan coast, 39 people disappeared at sea following a shipwreck on June 13th. Only one person was rescued by fishermen.
- The eastern route is becoming increasingly dangerous and inaccessible. On June 23rd, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced that Greece was going to deploy warships near Libyan territorial waters in order to “control migratory flows”.
Positive News
On June 3rd, the CJEU ruled that bringing minors into the EU does not constitute a crime even if they enter without “permission”. Actions to protect minors should not, according to the Court, be considered as “unauthorised entry aid” under EU legislation against migrant smuggling.
EU updates
- On 2 July, Poland announced that it would re-establish its borders with Germany and Lithuania from 7 July in order to prevent so-called illegal immigration.
- Since July 1st , Denmark has held the Presidency of the Council of Europe, which it will maintain until December. Its programme established the intention to “accompany” member states in the implementation of the Pact on Migration and Asylum. Denmark claims to want to fight against so-called “irregular” immigration and to strengthen cooperation with so-called “safe third countries”, an orientation in alignment with restrictive and reactionary European policies on migration. Danish Foreign Minister Marie Bjerre said that restricting the entry of migrants and expelling those who are in an irregular situation is “important” for the “stability” and “security” of Europe, in an interview collected by Politico.
- On June 30th, a spokesperson for the European Commission affirmed to be “in contact with the French and British authorities to ensure the necessary clarifications are made” regarding the possible agreement on the so-called exchange of migrants between the two countries. This agreement, which is due to be finalised in July, provides for the refoulement to France of migrants who have crossed the Channel “irregularly”, in exchange for the reception of asylum seekers from France, whose application is deemed “valid”, by the United Kingdom.
- On 26 June, Magnus Brunner, the EU’s Commissioner for Migration, spoke about Libya, just before visiting it in the following weeks. He accused the Libyan authorities of forcing migrants to set sail in unsafe boats, while stressing the need to cooperate with them. Ursula von der Leyen also announced increased support for Libya: “Regarding migration, we must maintain close cooperation and continue to provide financial and operational support to the Libyan authorities, especially with regard to search and rescue operations,” she said in a letter to Member States ahead of the June European Council meeting.
Countries
Return Mania
Mapping policies and practices in the EuroMed region
The research provides an overview of the current return policies and practices in the Euro-Mediterranean region and sheds a light on the violations of human rights entailed by this “return obsession”, which is shared across Member States, EU institutions and third countries alike. The report covers national return policies and practices in the Mashreq and Maghreb regions, focusing on returns from Turkey and Lebanon to Syria, and on readmission agreements between Italy and Tunisia, Spain and Morocco as well as France and Morocco. It also looks at returns from Germany and Italy to Egypt. Read More