The European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS) has updated its EU Asylum, Borders and External Cooperation on Migration: Recent Developments publication as of September 2018.

34 people, including 2 children, have been found dead after a ship which was carrying approximately 60 refugees came into distress in the early hours of Sunday morning. The people on board called the Coordination Center for Maritime Rescue as the ship started to sink while still in the Moroccan Alawi rescue zone, but no help reached them for 36 hours.

Five years to the day after the Lampedusa tragedy in which at least 368 people died, rescue operations in the Mediterranean Sea are more vital than ever. It is alarming that the last rescue ship in the Central Mediterranean may be forced to stop operating. We call on European leaders to ensure the Aquarius can continue to save lives at sea.

ECRE has published its Comments on the European Commission’s Proposal on the Asylum and Migration Fund (AMF) which is currently being negotiated as part of the legislative proposals for the next EU Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2021- 2027. The Comments include analysis of some of the main provisions of the proposal as well as recommendations to the European Parliament and Member States.

In response to measures imposed by the Hungarian government that attempt to crack down on civil society individuals or organisations that purportedly “promote illegal migration”, the Hungarian Helsinki Committee (HHC) and the Open Society Foundation (OSF) have both announced that they are filing cases against the Hungarian government at the European Court of Human Rights.