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Refugees

Dec 02 2019
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System of (Im)Mobility – Movements of Asylum Seekers and Holders of International Protection Within the Schengen Area

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The contributions contained in this booklet are dedicated to analysing current European legislation, as well as the possibilities of reforming it, with reference both to the entry of non-EU citizens into the Schengen Area, and to their opportunities to move around by themselves or to be joined by family members.

They have been presented by the authors at a conference in Milan on 2nd December 2019, organised by GEF and with support of its partner organisations.

This publication has been realised by the Green European Foundation with the support of those partners Alexander Langer Foundation, Associazione per gli Studi Giuridici sull’Immigrazione and Open Society Foundations.

Please find the Italian version of this publication available to read here. 

Sep 24 2019
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System of (im)mobility – Movement of Asylum Seekers and Refugees within the Schengen Area (Milan)

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About the Event

The conference focuses on the mobility of asylum seekers and refugees within European borders, and aims to explore issues such as drivers leading asylum seekers and refugees to move to other European countries, available legal channels for movement, and obstacles posed by the “system of (im)mobility” created by the current legal framework.

Why do asylum seekers and refugees need mobility in Europe? What legal issues do they face when they want to move to other EU countries? What is the existing jurisprudence at European level and what is its impact on the current system? What needs to be changed at European, national and local level and how can reform be realistically achieved?

The aim of the conference is to deepen participants’ understanding of the current European legislation’s adverse impact on the mobility of asylum seekers and refugees, its interplay with local policies, and identify proposals for sustainable reform.

The programme will feature presentations by legal and academic experts, as well as NGO and political representatives. There will also be interactive workshops.

Programme

09.00 – 09.30 Registration

09.30 Welcome

  • Vincenzo Greco, Member of Confederal Secretariat Cgil Milano
  • Susanne Rieger, Co-President and Member of Board of Directors Green European Foundation
  • Federico Faloppa, Fondazione Alexander Langer, board director member 

10.00 – 11.30

Panel: The state of play of the negotiations on the reform of the Common European Asylum System

  • Chairman: Gianfranco Schiavone (Chairman of ICS – Consorzio Italiano di Solidarietà/Vice Chair ASGI)

10.00

The state of play of the negotiations on the reform of the Common European Asylum System

  • Alessia Di Pascale, Associate Professor of EU Law and Professor of Foreign Law at the University of Milan

10.30

The state of play of the negotiations on the reform of the Common European Asylum System with particular regard to the Dublin Regulation.

  •  Giovanna Manieri, Advisor on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs for the Greens/EFA group in the European Parliament

11.00 Q & A

11.30 Coffee Break

12.00 – 13.00

Roundtable discussion (20 minutes per input)

  • Chairman: Gianfranco Schiavone (Chairman of ICS – Consorzio Italiano di Solidarietà/Vice Chair ASGI)

Implementing or bypassing the Dublin Regulation? Relocation and bilateral agreements

  • Minos Mouzourakis, Head of Legal and Policy Research a.i. ECRE (European Council on Refugees and Exiles)

Separated families in the Dublin system

  • Mads Melin, Legal Advisor, Asylum Department, Danish Refugee Council

Migration Miteinander: moveurope! – a pilot project to promote legal migration channels in the EU for holders of a humanitarian residence permit & refugees

  • Golde Ebding, Universo Interculturale, and Karla Kästner

13.00 Q & A

13.30 BUFFET – Lunch

14.30 – 16.00 Workshops

Workshop I

Mobility of refugees, mutual recognition of qualifications and family reunification of beneficiaries of international protection (in English)

  • Chairpersons: Caterina Bove (ASGI, Aida rapporteur for Italy for ASGI and Ecre) and Gianfranco Schiavone (Chairman of ICS – Consorzio Italiano di Solidarietà/Vice Chair ASGI)

Workshop II

Secondary movements of applicants for international protection. In particular:

  • Comparison between jurisprudential orientations
  • the role of the legal advisor in providing legal assistance to asylum seekers affected by a Dublin measure (understood as the development of actions and appeals)
  • Chairpersons: Anna Brambilla (ASGI) and Ilaria Sommaruga (Legal Advisor at Community Center Milano)

16.00 – 17.00 Synthesis of workshops and conclusion of the event

  • Gianfranco Schiavone, Chairman of ICS – Consorzio Italiano di Solidarietà/Vice Chair ASGI
  • Anna Brambilla, Lawyer/ASGI

Registration

Due to high demand, registrations can unfortunately no longer be accepted. Stay tuned for outcomes of the conference.

This conference is organised with the support of GEF partner Fondazione Alexander Langer and with the support of ASGI. With the support provided by Open Society Foundations.

Jun 26 2019
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Climate Refugees and Climate Migration

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The effects of climate change and consequential natural disasters is causing the mass displacement of peoples across the world, a phenomenon that will only be exacerbated as the climate crisis continues.

A response to this global challenge and a clear legal framework to recognise and protect climate refugees on an international, regional and national level are urgently required.

This working paper aims to serve as a basis for debate and exchange on the matter, exploring controversies around and difficulties in pinpointing this phenomenon to better understand how to respond it.

Mapping the state of discourse on climate migration on the international and European levels, the Green European Foundation hopes to foster a more constructive debate and increase awareness.

This paper has been published as part of the GEF project Environmental Migration and Climate Refugees.

Jun 24 2019
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Environmental Migration and Climate Refugees

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Project Background

Increasing awareness for climate change in our societies also brings to the forefront the very real effects it already has today. Around the world, millions of people are being displaced and deprived of their livelihoods due to sudden or slow-onset consequences of global warming.

The last  few years have seen an unprecedented number of displaced persons and refugees around the world following armed conflicts, but the increased number of people seeking asylum in EU member states has revealed the flaws of the EU’s asylum and migration policies and the rise of anti-migration rhetoric is threatening European values.

At the same time, even bigger challenges lie ahead as the UNHCR estimates that one person every second has been displaced by a disaster, with an average of 22.5 million people displaced by climate- or weather-related events since 2008. And although leading NGOs have warned that natural disasters are already the main cause for internal or international displacement, the international community has yet to formulate a clear response to the challenge and guarantee the protection of those affected.

Project Objectives and Activities

The GEF project on environmental migration and climate refugees aims to open up the space for debate on how we can ensure that those  affected by environmental migration and climate displacement receive legal recognition and have their dignity protected whether they remain within their home countries or cross international borders.

Together with experts from NGOs, the policy level and academia, GEF will explore the implications of this phenomenon on the European Union and bring new ideas and perspectives to the debate. In January 2020, the foundation will organise a Green Salon, as a forum for debate within the Green movement. To stimulate the broader debate, GEF has published a working paper on the topic, which can be read here. 

Feb 10 2017
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“My Life According to me”: A New Narrative on Migration in Europe

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Therefore, our partner foundations Fundación EQUO (Spain), Fundació Nous Horitzons (Catalonia, Spain), Green Institute (Greece) and the Green Economics Institute (United Kingdom) and FYEG will empower young migrants in different European countries to tell their own stories by organising filming workshops in the different countries. The results will be shown on the project’s platform: http://mylifeaccordingtome.eu/. A European-wide video festival will follow to award the most inspiring story among the contestants during a concluding award ceremony.

2016: Refugee and Migration Policies – The Local Level

In 2016, the project focused on the insufficiency of EU migration and asylum policies and the malfunctioning of migration management at the European level which became apparent in the course of 2015. As the challenge of accommodating and integrating refugees, migrants, and asylum seekers was primarily handled by local communities, the different events, organised with the support of the partner foundations, looked particularly at how the local context of refugees and asylum seekers’ well-being is influenced by both European and national realities.

The project aimed to enable exchange between the locals and Green activists, to identify questions that need to be addressed within the framework of the current problems, to collect answers, and to ultimately connect the local with the European level again. Collaboration with our partner foundations aspired to offer analysis within the current context of pan-EU and national debates and to produce new normative, institutional and social settings of migration policy. The 2016 project was concluded by a report that laid the groundwork for the continuation of our partners’ transboundary efforts this year.

Jan 11 2017
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Paving the way for a Green debate on Refugee, Asylum & Migration Policies

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This analysis is based on an overview of public documents, such as European Green Party resolutions and public positions of the Greens in the European Parliament, and a summary of the study commissioned by the Green European Foundation at the end of 2015.

The study provides an overarching assessment of where the Green parties across Europe stand on migration, asylum and refugee policies. It is based on a questionnaire answered by representatives from several Green political parties across Europe between October and December 2015, and is titled, “Towards a Common Green Response: Points of agreement, disagreement and issues for further internal debate among European Green parties on refugee and migration policies”. The purpose here is neither to name and shame, nor to reveal a ’silver bullet’ solution. The objective is rather to provide the groundwork for a wider debate within the European Green political family to ultimately come forward with common proposals to face the challenges ahead.

In this brochure, you can find the main findings of the study summarised in three themes: common ground amongst national Green parties; points of divergence; and open questions.

A PDF version of the document is available for download here!

Jan 11 2017
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The Guide to EU Funding on Migration and Asylum

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In the absence of a common European response that treats migration as a human phenomenon and manages it as such, the task of welcoming and accommodating migrants and acting as their first personal contacts has mainly been taken on by local and regional authorities, non-governmental organisations and activists, who continue to play a key role in providing initial reception and access to services and fundamental rights for migrants and refugees. In this context, this guide builds on the idea that the best practices of how to welcome refugees and asylum seekers and work towards successful integration can be found in local communities and initiatives throughout Europe.

Therefore, the objective of this guide is to actively support the work of these local actors, organisations and institutions with a one-stop source of information on additional financial assistance offered by the EU. This guide provides a quick and easy overview of the relevant EU funding opportunities, with key information and practical inputs in regards to accessing them. Special attention is given to projects that foster integration, social inclusion and a better quality of life for migrants, refugees and asylum seekers.

A hard copy of this guide can be ordered by sending an email to: info@gef.eu

This publication as a PDF file is available for download in following versions: