Attachments
Key Updates
• A “historic” agreement to overhaul EU asylum policy – though divisions remain: On 8 June the majority of member states agreed to a radical package of reforms that sought to reach a compromise between the different camps, though Hungary and Poland have continued to publicly denounce the provisions of the agreement.
• Almost 600 dead and missing in sinking off coast of Messenia, Greece: In one of the worst incidents in recent memory, a boat carrying up to 750 passengers sank near Pylos, Greece, on its way from Libya to Italy, resulting in the deaths or disappearance of 596 people.
• A new partnership on the horizon between the EU and Tunisia: In response to the growing popularity of the Central Mediterranean route from Tunisia, in June the EU released details of a controversial €1 billion package of financial and technical assistance that included support for increased border control by Tunisia.
• Italy imposes further restrictions around migration: In the wake of a deadly shipwreck near the coastal town of Cutro in Calabria in February, the Italian government passed the so-called Cutro Decree in May.
The provisions, far from increasing protections, make it even harder for arrivals to access humanitarian support and essential services.
• Pushbacks and returns from Croatia into Bosnia and Herzegovina: Returns from Croatia to Bosnia and Herzegovina have been increasing since the beginning of 2023, coinciding with Croatia’s formal entry into the Schengen zone on 1 January. Violent pushbacks and illegal deportations by Croatian authorities have also continued.
• Western Balkan countries commit to greater cooperation around migration: At the Third Sarajevo Migration Dialogue on 8 June, the six countries in the Western Balkans region agreed to work more closely together on managing migration through their territory.
• The United Kingdom (UK)’s Rwanda policy is struck down by the court of appeal: On 29 June the UK’s appeal court ruled that the government’s controversial “Rwanda policy”, whereby asylum seekers deemed to have entered the country illegally are sent to Rwanda to have their claims processed there, was illegal.