august 2006

Externalisation/ European Union borders

– The Frontex agency started to deploy its control patrols off the Cape Verde and Mauritania. Negotiations with Senegal are still on to authorise these patrols off the Senegal coasts. Meanwhile, about 500 migrants have landed in the Canarian Islands within only two days.

– There are still wrecks off Lampedusa Island. Since the beginning of the year, more than 10,000 people have landed on this island

– Since the beginning of the year 17,000 migrants have landed in the Canary islands. The government demands the help of the international community to face this problem.

– The landings in Lampedusa, as well as the wrecked boats, created a polemic in Italy. Inside of the country, the opposition political parties criticise the appeal created by the announcement of mass regularisations. Within the government, the very restrictive Bossi-Fini law was said to be responsible for new illegal immigrants. Outside Italy’s borders, illegal immigration constitute a leverage for Libya.

– Spain and Senegal have now co-joined patrols to watch the Senegalese coasts. The Senegalese interior minister, Ousmane Ngom, declared that illegal immigration should be treated as a humanitarian problem and according to its development.
in French, in Spanish

– Spain wishes to deepen its eviction system of irregular aliens thanks to re-admission agreements

– The European Union granted 67 million euros to Morocco for emergency help, in order to manage illegal immigration

– Spain demands again the involvement of the European Union in order to face migrant arrivals in the Canary Islands

– Franco Frattini, the European commissioner in charge of Justice, Liberty, and Security agreed to this request and announced the creation of a new work team, of which he would be the chairman and composed of six European commissioners. This new work team will make a strategic proposal to the Council of European interior Ministers in Tampere, on the 21st and 22nd of September

– The Frontex agency decided to start a new mission probably in mid-September, which will consist of sending back to their departure points the boats, which have been intercepted in sea carrying migrants. This mission would be supported by the participation of at least five countries.

– A tri-partite meeting, including Italy, Malta and Libya will take place on the 6th of September. Libya refused until now that patrol boats of the EU intervene in its territorial waters. Amato, the Italian Interior Minister however underlined the need of the European Union to go to the Libya southern border.

Member States/ Third States

– File on the consequences of mass arrivals in Lampedusa Island: Revision of the Bossi-Fini law, CPT of Lampedusa, agreements with Libya

– Arrests and deportations in Libya

– Meeting between the Minister in charge of Moroccans living abroad, Nouzha Chekrouni, and the Italian vice-president of foreign affairs, Ugo Intini. Both countries want a cooperation based on solidarity

– INSEE report on the immigrants’ situation in France

– Spain needs immigration to maintain its growth

– Arrests and condemnations of illegal emigrants in Senegal

– In Padua, an eighty-meter-long and three-meter-high wall has been built, and isolates thus an ancient area of the town regrouping immigrated inhabitants without papers. The wall construction cost 80,000 million euros.

– A British think tank, migrationwatch, suggested that the right to live in Great-Britain depends on a yearly minimum income, which would be equivalent to 40,000 euros. Only one migrant on five would be in this case.

– 50 migrants, mostly coming from Mali, have been rejected by the Moroccan authorities and are now left to themselves at the Mauritanian border in the Western Sahara

– France thinks that it is not possible to separate the immigration policy and the development policy. A document giving the basis of the cooperation between France and Mauritania for the next five years is being prepared.

– Alfredo Pérez, the Spanish Interior Minister, announced that, since the beginning of 2006, Spain repatriated 52,757 irregular migrants

– A person died and six others were killed in Calais, during fights between different groups trying to reach the UK

Camps

– Campaign started by the European left-winged parties (GUE/NGL), on-line petition to close detention centres in Europe.
Website: No Fortress Europe

Asylum

– Moroccan refugees have been rejected. This would appear to be a repressive response to the prisoners’ contestation against the way they are treated. They keep expressing their indignation.

Mobilisation

– Demonstration in Lampedusa on the 10th of September. Appeal from varied Italian associations.
[http://listes.rezo.net/archives/migreurop/2006-08/msg00104.html

– [ARCOM, AFVIC and the collective for Moroccan refugees point out the fate of sub-Saharan Africa refugees in Morocco, following the death of Annie Milandu, an asylum seeker.