Archive
EU: Council Presidency seeks “common vision” on US database access demands
The US wants to vet travellers through direct access to foreign databases, including those of EU member states. Bilateral discussions are ongoing and are at different stages in different states, but it remains unclear whether the agreements are an EU or national competence. The US is organising an “informal information meeting” for EU member states and institutions, after which the Presidency wants to develop a “common vision”. Read More
US migration data demands are “challenging”, say Norwegian authorities
Norwegian government officials have met with their US counterparts to discuss the US' demands for direct access to biometric, identity and criminal record databases as part of its new “border security” plan, according to a report in the newspaper Bergens Tidende. The Norwegian police have apparently described the proposals as “challenging,” given existing legal requirements. Read More
Schengen states make new call for border wall funds
A group of eight Schengen states has reiterated the now-longstanding call for the European Commission to fund the construction of border walls. Read More
Norway puts a temporary halt to deportations to Afghanistan
The Norwegian authorities have put a temporary halt to deportations to Afghanistan due to the "the escalation in the conflict between the Taliban and the Afghan authorities". This follows a similar decision by the Finnish authorities. The Norweigan decision will be re-evaluated on 15 September. Read More
A tribute to Thomas Mathiesen
Thomas Mathiesen, the renowned sociologist, passed away on 29 May 2021. Tony Bunyan, Statewatch Director Emeritus, pays tribute to his life and work. Read More
EU: Deportations and ‘voluntary’ returns: Frontex plans and new mandate options, “effective and sustainable reintegration of returnees”
Five documents discussed by the Council of the EU's Working Party on Integration, Migration and Expulsion in March this year. Read More
EU: Neo-Nazi Nordic Resistance Movement targets Jews on Yom Kippur
Anti-semitic campaigns were launched by the neo-Nazi Nordic Resistance Movement in Denmark, Iceland, Norway and Sweden recently, in the week leading up to Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. Actions were taken in almost 20 different cities including direct confrontation of Jewish worshippers, putting up anti-semitic posters and distributing flyers. The organisation was issued with a cease-and-desist order by the Finnish Supreme Court in late September, the first such order handed down in Finland since the 1970s. Read More
For Norway it’s Official: The Rule of Law is No More in Poland
The Norweigan government has halted cooperation with the Polish judiciary on the grounds that the legal environment in the latter country does not meet the necessary standards. Read More
Ninth report on relocation and resettlement : Mystification and selective use of data in effort to present a dysfunctional approach as “sustainable” by Yasha Maccanico
Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos noted “progress” on both schemes although the challenge requires that “more needs to be done, and faster”, calling on member states to show “political will, commitment and perseverance”. As for the 8th previous report, isolating these two aspects enables the portrayal of a situation which is improving while turning attention away from its systemic effects in the frontline states and this approach’s limits in terms of rationality and sustainability. Read More
Norway building fence on border with Russia to deter refugees 26.8.16
Norway has begun building a steel fence on its border with Russia due to the growing number of refugees arriving in the past year. The deision to build the wall has provoked protests by refugee Read More