Europol launched a European Migrant Smuggling Centre

Europol launched a European Migrant Smuggling Centre

23/02/201622/02/2016 ENstaff EUROPOL, migrant smuggling, migrants, refugees

The goal of the Centre is to proactively support EU Member States in dismantling criminal networks involved in organised migrant smuggling.

society

FRONTEX: Number of migrants arriving in Greece down by 40%

22/02/201622/02/2016 ENstaff FRONTEX, migrants, refugeecrisis, refugees

According to figures published by FRONTEX, the number of migrants arriving in Greece dropped in January 2016 mainly due to poor weather conditions.

society

Greece/FYROM: Asylum seekers trapped at border – HRW reports

16/02/201615/02/2016 ENstaff borders, FYROM, Greece, HRW, Human Rights Watch, migrants, refugees

Nationality-based restrictions at the border between Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia are preventing asylum seekers from reaching countries where they want to lodge protection claims – Human Rights Watch.

society

UNHCR concerned over EU’s increasing restrictive measures

14/02/2016 ENstaff borders, EU, Europe, European Union, refugees, UNHCR

UNHCR has expressed its concern over increasing restrictive measures, urges effective comprehensive European response. Solutions to Europe’s situation are not only eminently possible, but have already been agreed by States and urgently need to be implemented, the organisation said in an announcement.

On 26 January 2016, a young boy is carrying a large bundle of warm blankets on his shoulders. He is in the Miratovac Refugee Aid Point where, along with his family members, he can access support services and have an opportunity to rest before continuing his journey.

In 2015, more than one million refugees and migrants crossed the Mediterranean, arriving on Europeís shores, of which an estimated 253,700 ñ or one in four ñ were children. Latest trends show that children now make up 36 percent of the migration flow coming through the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Woman and children now make up 57 percent of the refugee and migrants with the majority from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq. Children arriving into a harsh winter in southeastern Europe are physically exhausted, scared, distressed and often in need of medical assistance, UNICEF warned.The recent sub-zero temperatures and sometimes snowy conditions is exacerbating the childrenís poor physical condition as many children on the move do not have adequate clothing, or access to age-appropriate nutrition. This has been worsened by the lack of shelter and inadequate heating in some reception centres as well as buses and trains. UNICEF said the issue was pressing as the proportion of children amongst refugees and migrants ñ now more than one in three ñ has continued to increase. According to national sources, in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, the ratio was 37 per cent in December, compared to 23 per cent in September, while in Serbia, 36 per cent were children in December compared to 27 per cent in September. In December most children transiting through UNICEF child-friendly spaces in Serbia were young children, including babies and infants and those between 5 to 9 years old.

european union society

More children and women seek safety in Europe: UNICEF

03/02/2016 ENstaff children, Europe, FYROM, migrants, refugees, UNICEF, women

For the first time since the start of the refugee and migrant crisis in Europe, there are more children and women on the move than adult males, says UNICEF.

society

Refugee women on the move in Europe are at risk, says UN

25/01/2016 ENstaff FYROM, girls, Greece, migrants, refugee crisis, refugees, UNFPA, UNHCR, women, WRC

Refugee and migrant women and girls on the move in Europe face grave risks of sexual and gender-based violence, UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and the Women’s Refugee Commission (WRC) highlighted in a joint report issued last week.

Western Balkans Route Leaders Meeting_EU_embassynews

european union foreign affairs

Progress following Western Balkans Route Leaders’ Meeting

10/01/201611/01/2016 ENstaff Balkans, EU, European Union, migrants, refugee crisis, refugees, Western Balkans Route

Senior officials from the countries and agencies present at the Western Balkans Route Leaders’ Meeting had a detailed discussion on recent trends concerning external borders and reception capacity.

foreign affairs

Solutions needed to stem global refugee crisis, says UNHCR’s Grandi

08/01/201608/01/2016 ENstaff Grandi, Lebanon, migrants, refugees, Syria, UNHCR

With record numbers of refugees and displaced people worldwide, the new head of the UN Refugee Agency Filippo Grandi has urged greater diplomatic efforts to find solutions to conflicts and abuses driving people from their homes.

society

Chios: Greek island battles odds to cope with refugee influx – UNHCR

22/12/201522/12/2015 ENstaff Chios, Greece, Mediterranean, migrants, refugee crisis, refugees, Turkey

It was 1:30 am in the morning and the Yassins had just come off a three-hour windowless van journey. They were now somewhere near the Turkish town of Çeşme and the people smugglers’ overcrowded vessel was waiting.

european union society

A million refugees and migrants flee to Europe in 2015

22/12/201524/12/2015 ENstaff Europe, Greece, IOM, Mediterranean, migrants, migration, refugee crisis, refugees, UNHCR

Persecution, conflict and poverty have driven a staggering one million people to seek safety in Europe in 2015, according to estimates by the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration, IOM.

interviews people

Ambassador of Norway:”The challenge for the Greek economy is its competitive edge and its business climate” [interview]

07/06/2016 ENstaff

The Ambassador of Norway in Athens, His Excellency Jørn Eugene Gjelstad, spoke to EmbassyNews.net and commented on the current developments in Greek and European politics, the economy and the refugee crisis.