Migration

18 Mar 2017

EU-Turkey agreement, one year later: lack of information blockading accountability

Helen Darbishire2018-11-13T10:03:40+01:00

Madrid, 18 March 2017 – On the first anniversary of the EU-Turkey deal, Access Info called for greater transparency of the decision making process of the agreement and condemned the inadequate record keeping and misleading statements. One year after concluding the agreement, stranded asylum seekers, human rights and humanitarian organisations, and the general public, are still denied even the most basic information about this agreement, including who is really responsible for it. Confusion increased on 1 March 2017 when the European Court of Justice ruled that the statement (press release) was “regrettably ambiguous” because in fact the agreement is between

EU-Turkey agreement, one year later: lack of information blockading accountabilityHelen Darbishire2018-11-13T10:03:40+01:00

2 Dec 2016

Access Info challenges European Commission secrecy around EU-Turkey refugee deal legal advice before the European Court of Justice

Helen Darbishire2018-11-13T10:03:57+01:00

Madrid, 2 December 2016 – Access Info Europe is taking the European Commission to the General Court of the Court of Justice of the European Union to obtain its legal analysis of this year’s controversial EU-Turkey deal on return of refugees to Turkey. The 18 March 2016 deal – officially “statement” – which is having a direct impact in the lives of thousands of migrants and asylum seekers fleeing war - was much-criticized by human rights groups for being out of line with international human rights and humanitarian law. Access Info Europe submitted two access to information requests asking for

Access Info challenges European Commission secrecy around EU-Turkey refugee deal legal advice before the European Court of JusticeHelen Darbishire2018-11-13T10:03:57+01:00

8 Jul 2016

Post it-sized minutes of European Council meetings unacceptable says Access Info Europe

Helen Darbishire2018-11-13T10:04:01+01:00

Madrid, 8 July 2016 – Access Info Europe has denounced the European Council’s recurrent lack of detail in its record-keeping, something highlighted by the shockingly minimalist minutes of the 17-18 March 2016 European Council meeting during which the so-called EU-Turkey “agreement” was concluded. The minutes of this significant meeting on the refugee crisis, which produced a controversial solution – many experts have raised doubts about its conformity with EU and international law – are so brief that they fit into a post it: “Post it-size accounts of high-level decision making about vital human rights issues are entirely unacceptable,” commented Helen

Post it-sized minutes of European Council meetings unacceptable says Access Info EuropeHelen Darbishire2018-11-13T10:04:01+01:00

18 Mar 2016

We Have the Right to Know: Is the EU-Turkey Deal Legal? So We’re Asking.

Helen Darbishire2018-11-13T10:04:12+01:00

Madrid, 18 March 2016 – As EU leaders meet in Brussels to finalise details of last week’s controversial deal on sending refugees back from Greece to Turkey, Access Info Europe is launching an access to information campaign digging into the legality of the agreement, and asking EU institutions whether they sought legal advice on or properly evaluated the human rights impacts of the deal. The three initial access to documents requests, sent to the Council of the European Union, the European Commission, and the European Parliament, also ask for legal advice-related documents in regards to the pre-existing 2014 Agreement between

We Have the Right to Know: Is the EU-Turkey Deal Legal? So We’re Asking.Helen Darbishire2018-11-13T10:04:12+01:00

17 Dec 2015

The Uncounted: Lack Of Migrant Detention Data Denounced

Helen Darbishire2018-11-13T10:04:24+01:00

Madrid/Geneva, 17 November 2015 - A serious lack of information about the number of migrants and asylum seekers in detention across Europe is impeding informed public debate, report Access Info Europe and the Global Detention Project following submission of access to information requests in 33 countries. The report comes as EU heads of government meet in Brussels for their last summit of the year, with migration a key topic. This lack of publicly available information on the scale and nature of detention is of particular concern now as Europe seeks to restrict the arrival of refugees. In the report issued

The Uncounted: Lack Of Migrant Detention Data DenouncedHelen Darbishire2018-11-13T10:04:24+01:00