Monitoring the EU-Turkey Deal, News Digest

Mind The Gap! A Closer Look at the Inconsistencies in the EU-Turkey Statement Progress Reports

Via University of Oxford / Faculty of Law – Today, Turkey is host to approximately 3.4 million refugees and asylum seekers, including more than 3.2 million Syrians. Due to its strategic location, Turkey has been a transit country for migrants and refugees, a necessary stop on their way to Europe. In 2015, nearly one million people arrived irregularly in Europe by sea, with more than 856,723 refugees and migrants traveling to Greece by sea from Turkey. This explains why cooperation with the Turkish government has become an essential part of the European policy to manage migration.

PHOTO: ANGELOS TZORTZINIS/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Continue reading Mind The Gap! A Closer Look at the Inconsistencies in the EU-Turkey Statement Progress Reports →

Other Resources

Newly released bibliographic article on “Syrian Refugees in Turkey” published

Via Oxford Bibliographics – A newly released bibliographic article on “Syrian Refugees in Turkey” by Prof. Ahmet İçduygu and Eleni Diker from MiReKoc, published by Oxford University Press. The works cited in this section descriptively reports the issue of Syrian refugees in Turkey with an overarching approach. The circumstances faced by Syrians and the societal attitude toward them change constantly as do the numbers and regulations. Therefore, the publications in this section are listed in chronological order in order to draw attention to the dynamic nature of events.

 

News Digest

Rejections and Returns: The EU-Turkey Statement and its consequences for refugees in Greece, Turkey and Germany

Event Announcement – Rejections and Returns: The EU-Turkey Statement and its consequences for refugees in Greece, Turkey and Germany

Monday, 20 November, 19:00 – 21:00

ECCHR, Zossener Straße 55-58 (Aufgang D), 10961 Berlin

The EU-Turkey Statement from March 2016 stipulates that “[a]ll new irregular migrants crossing from Turkey into Greek islands as from 20 March 2016 will be returned to Turkey”. Under the adjusted procedures, people who arrive on the Greek islands are subjected to accelerated border procedures and an initial admissibility test on their asylum claim. The European Asylum Support Office (EASO), an EU agency, is in charge of “recommending” a decision to the competent Greek Asylum Service. Based on the dubious assumption that Turkey is a safe third country, many refugees currently face the risk of being deported back there. Cases against this further erosion of the right to asylum are pending at the European Court of Human Rights. At the same time, EASO’s practice is under scrutiny by the European Ombudsman, due to a complaint lodged by ECCHR. Continue reading Rejections and Returns: The EU-Turkey Statement and its consequences for refugees in Greece, Turkey and Germany →

News Digest

Three Killed, Several Missing as Migrant Boat Sinks in Eastern Aegean

Via Greek Reporter – At least three people were killed when a boat carrying migrants and refugees to Greece from Turkey capsized in the early hours of Friday. The incident happened at Kalolimnos islet in the Dodecanese, just opposite the Turkish coast.

The Greek coastguard that rushed to the scene discovered the body of one woman. Later, two more bodies were recovered inside Turkey’s territorial waters by the Turkish coastguard. Continue reading Three Killed, Several Missing as Migrant Boat Sinks in Eastern Aegean →

Other Resources

The Migration Paradox and EU-Turkey Relations

The Italian research institute “Istituto Affari Internazionali” published a paper in January on the paradox in EU-Turkish relations regarding their migration cooperation:

“Since the beginning of the Arab uprisings in 2011 and as a result of growing instability in the region, migration transit through Turkey has become an increasingly pressing issue in Europe. The transit of migrants placed Turkey in a buffer position between the Middle East and Europe, and it soon assumed the role of guardian of the Schengen area, “protecting” it from irregular migration. This, combined with the exponential growth of irregular migration flows – soon dubbed the “migrant crisis” – resulted in migration management becoming a key to the ostensible rapprochement between Turkey and the EU. However, as a result of many paradoxes, migration can also hamper Turkey-EU relations, as is already becoming obvious as relations took a turn for the worse since the summer of 2016.”

Proceed to the paper here

Monitoring the EU-Turkey Deal

‘Racist and illegal’ fast-track deportations target North African and Asian refugees in Greece

The Greek authorities are deporting migrants on the Greek islands to Turkey in an expedited process – raising concerns over potentially illegal and prejudiced practices, reports Matt Broomfield.

Via The New Arab – Refugees from so-called “undesirable” countries are being jailed upon arrival to the Greek islands, before being put through a summary fast-track asylum procedure and returned to detention in Turkey within a matter of weeks, it has emerged.

Individuals from North Africa and South Asia are being singled out upon arrival, due to a policy that has been described as racist and illegal.

Continue reading ‘Racist and illegal’ fast-track deportations target North African and Asian refugees in Greece →

Monitoring the EU-Turkey Deal

Refugees in Chios: This is the shame of the VIAL hotspot «expansion»

Tents without electricity, huts, overcrowding, sick and abandoned people: Chios Solidarity publicizes audiovisual material describing the inhumane living conditions in the outdoor campsite-store of people outside the hotspot of the saturated VIAL and calls for immediate action.

Via Chios Solidarity

vial-tentes-nolampa

Continue reading Refugees in Chios: This is the shame of the VIAL hotspot «expansion» →

News Digest

Shoe Workers Went on Strike Across Turkey

The resistance started in Adana in September 2017 and spread to İstanbul, Gaziantep, Konya, İzmir and Manisa within a few days. In almost all cities, the resistance resulted in the victory of the workers. The solidarity between Syrian and Turkish workers is the prominent character of this strike. [1]

The workers went on strike with the demands of 25% wage increase, 10% wage increase each year and the demand that Syrian workers – who take the lowest wage among the shoe workers- must be given the same wage as given to the rest of the shoe workers. [2]

The resistance of Turkish, Kurdish and Syrian shoe workers against labor exploitation – uninsured, unsecured and low-paying working conditions- has been running on.  In İzmir, the workers  still keep on organizing demonstrations to put across their demands. [3]

Continue reading Shoe Workers Went on Strike Across Turkey →

Reporting on the Turkish-EU Border Regime