Together with other members of my group, I submitted a question to the Commission on 11 October 2021 concerning the systematic pushbacks by Croatian police officers. The background of the question is that Spiegel and Tagesschau published video footage showing how Croatian border officials illegally deport protection seekers with brute force. Protection seekers are …
Spiegel: Traffic light politicians criticize brutality of Greek border guards
In an interview with Der Spiegel, I said: „This no longer has anything to do with border protection, these are crimes against humanity. The German government must show that, unlike the EU Commission, it is not looking the other way.“ You can read the whole article here.
Commission considers Greek processing of asylum applications to be contrary to European law
Greece rejects asylum applications on the grounds that Turkey is a „safe third country“, but Turkey does not allow them to enter. From a question of mine it now emerges that the EU Commission classifies this procedure as contrary to European law. Although Turkey has not accepted readmissions since March 2020, Greece rejects the applications of Syrian, Afghan, Somali, Pakistani and Bangladeshi …
Question: Greek law on return procedures
The Greek government is continuing to seal off Europe and in September passed a law that makes sea rescue and the observance of human rights in general even more difficult and is therefore contrary to European law. Together with members of my group, Left and Social Democrats, we have asked the EU Commission about this – however, the Commission deviates in its response …
This is the current situation on the Greek islands
Status: turn of the year 2021/22 At the moment there are officially 3.544 asylum seekers on the Greek islands Lesbos, Chios, Samos, Kos and Leros. Here you get an overview of the current situation on the islands. All figures come from the official statistics of the Greek Ministry of Migration, which you can view here. Under „National Situation: Migrant and Refugee Issue“ …
Question: Prison for solidarity with refugees
Domenico Lucano was sentenced to 13 years in prison on flimsy grounds for welcoming refugees as mayor. Together with other members of my group, I have asked the EU Commission how it deals with the conviction of former mayor Domenico Lucano for his reception of refugees and, more generally, with the increasing criminalization of human rights activists under …
Question: Unlawful repatriation of refugees to Libya
That Libya is not a safe place for people has been confirmed time and again by studies and court rulings. The EU Commission has ignored this fact for years and supports the Libyan Coast Guard in returning people fleeing to Libya. In its response to a joint question from several MEPs, the EU Commission refuses to take concrete steps and emphasizes general principles – which …
Question: Rejection of asylum applications of Syrian nationals in Greece
Greece rejects asylum applications from Syrian refugees on the grounds that they can go back to Turkey because Turkey is a safe third country. In reality, however, Turkey has not accepted any repatriations for some time, so the people concerned are stuck and can neither go back nor forward. Regardless of this, Greece now wants to change this practice to …
Question: Provisional measures on asylum seekers in Poland, Latvia and Lithuania
Together with seven other MEPs from our group, I asked the Commission on 1 October 2021 whether it considers Poland's imposition of a state of emergency and refusal to allow asylum procedures at the border to be compatible with EU law. We also asked what measures the Commission was taking with regard to illegal pushbacks and whether it was examining whether …
Letter to the EU Commission on surveillance in Greek camps
(DE) Together with my group colleague Alexandra Geese, I have written a letter to the Commission in which we explain how refugees in the new camps on the Greek islands are monitored around the clock and locked up like felons. The situation is almost certainly contrary to EU law, yet the camps are being funded with €37 million from the …