Migration News Sheet Summary May 2009

Issued on 08/05/2009

Summary

Every month the Migration Policy Group produces the Migration News Sheet, an information bulletin on immigration, refugees and ethnic minorities with updates on migration law and policies, news on irregular migration, asylum, racism and discrimination at the EU and across countries in Europe.

The Migration News Sheet is available by subscription only.

Description

Below is a small selection of articles in the May 2009 issue:

MNS Summary May 2009 

Migration Policies/Law

SPAIN: Seasonal work in agriculture in a Spanish region to be offered to unemployed Spaniards
In view of the sharp economic downturn, the regional authorities in Catalonia have decided to offer seasonal work vacancies to unemployed people in the Spanish labour market instead of hiring workers from abroad...to read more, subscribe here

EU: A Swiss residence permit is enough for transit though Schengen Area for five days
BELGIUM: Labour market opens to workers of Member States which joined the EU in 2004
IRELAND: Tougher rules for third-country nationals wanting to work in Ireland
UK: Academics refuse to ‘police students’- 11 suspected ‘terrorists’ entered the country on student visas

Irregular migration

ITALY-MALTA: Irregular migrants in transit in Libya stay on and work to save up for onward passage
According to the IOM, increasing pressure on Libya to stem the flow of irregular migrants from its shores to the southern EU Member States in the Eastern Mediterranean may not come to much because this North African country is itself attracting migrant labour.
Contrary to industrialised nations, Libya's service and construction industries are still growing, thus fuelling the demand for migrant labour...to read more, subscribe here

EU: Italy urges EU partners to adopt immigration emergency plan to avoid further disputes
EU: Libyan price for co-operation in the fight against irregular migration “too high”
FRANCE: Immigration Minister claims that the crime of helping others is a “myth”
ITALY: Minister of Interior furious that 20 members of the governing coalition voted with opposition against extending detention period of irregular migrants
ITALY-MALTA: Malta rejects Rome’s “dossier” to the European Commission accusing La Valleta of repeatedly failing its responsibilities to rescue migrants

Asylum/Refugees

NETHERLANDS: End to automatic asylum for Somalis in the Netherlands
On 4 April 2009, the Minister of Justice, Nebahat ALBAYRAK, announced her intention to put an end to the automatic granting of protection to Somali asylum-seekers because of too much abuse and fraud.
She informed that some Somalis deliberately mutilate their fingers so that no reliable fingerprints can be taken. Others are accompanied with children whom they claim have been adopted, perhaps falsely...to read more, subscribe here

EU: US Minister of Justice urges EU to offer resettlement to Guantanamo detainees maltreated and tortured for years by US authorities
BELGIUM: Most of the 600 irregular migrants & rejected asylum-seekers end hunger strike
CANADA-CZECH REPUBLIC: Ottawa concern over rising number of Czech asylum applicants
DENMARK: Providing lower social welfare payments to asylum-seekers is not discriminatory
FRANCE-UK: “Jungle” in Calais to be shut down
GREECE: Government plan to move asylum-seekers away from Patras port area opposed by residents near chosen site
IRELAND: Expulsion of rejected asylum-seekers to speed up
NETHERLANDS: “Unorthodox measures” to be used to expel rejected asylum-seekers
SWITZERLAND: High profile Iraqi asylum-seeker sent back to Sweden by Dublin rules

Racism/Discrimination

CZECH REPUBLIC: Czech government to address racist violence against Roma after attempted murder of family
On 20 April 2009, the outgoing government announced that it would put forward proposals on measures to combat extremist violence, in reaction to an arson attack on a Roma family two days earlier.
Assailants hurled Molotov cocktails into the house of a Roma family in the village of Vitkov in the northern Moravia. The house caught fire and a two-year old girl was left in a life-threatening situation with burns over 80% of her body. Her parents were also hospitalised with burns, but to a less serious degree...to read more, subscribe here

EU: First EU-wide survey confirms racially motivated discrimination widespread
BELGIUM: Supreme Court claims school headwear ban promotes equality
FRANCE: Social housing denied because mother wears burka
ITALY: Council of Europe’s Human Rights Commissioner criticises Italy, especially treatment of Roma

Other Issues

EU: Two new tools for integration of third-country residents in the EU
DENMARK: Burka-wearing bus passengers with season tickets must show their faces
FRANCE: Campaign against forced marriages and genital mutilation
FRANCE: High Council on Integration warns against “national identity” criteria for immigration control
ITALY: Forgotten, discriminated and scapegoats of the Aquila earthquake
NETHERLANDS: Opinion poll confirms top position of populist anti-Islam Freedom Party
NETHERLANDS: Populist politician Geert WILDERS to produce another anti-Muslim film
POLAND: More evidence to substantiate claims of secret CIA prisons in Poland
RUSSIA: “Honour killing”- Muslim girl executed for wearing miniskirt
SLOVAKIA: Slovakia violated Article 7 for secretly sterilising 8 Roma women
SPAIN: Liberalisation of Spanish citizenship law has not led to massive numbers of applicants