06 February 2026
A Draconian Return System
Unless the European Parliament puts up a fight to eliminate or amend the worst parts of the currently circulating draft regulation on a “common system for the return of third-country nationals staying illegally in the Union”, which looks unlikely, the EU may soon adopt a new approach. This draft regulation shows how far the EU has shifted towards positions of the far right, and how little it is interested in human rights and pragmatic solutions for rejected asylum seekers and other non-EU migrants. Continue reading >>
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15 December 2025
A Divided Response to Migration
On 10 December, the Council of Europe (CoE) ministers met to discuss proposals that could potentially recalibrate the treatment of migration-related issues under the European Convention on Human Rights. This meeting deliberately shifted a debate that had been unfolding in political arenas for months onto the Council’s formal institutional stage. While the formal conclusions call, in diplomatic terms, for a political declaration to be prepared for adoption in May 2026, a separate joint statement of 27 States Parties reveals a harsher line, illustrating the CoE’s internal divisions. Continue reading >>10 December 2025
The Ghost of Dublin Still Among Us
On 11 November, the European Commission inaugurated the first Annual Migration Management Cycle, marking one of the first concrete steps toward implementing the New Pact on Migration and Asylum. The Pact promises a renewed balance between solidarity and responsibility, but the details matter. Whereas a final evaluation might be too early at this stage, the Commission’s recent Implementing Decision already raises some concerns. Several implementation choices risk reinforcing existing dynamics of distrust between the Member States that also negatively affect fundamental rights obligations and access to asylum. Continue reading >>
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04 December 2025
Money Talks, Discrimination Walks
Driven by anti-immigration sentiment and supported by government policies, local governments in Poland are currently passing resolutions, targeting the relocation of migrants. The Polish managing authority and intermediate institutions of European funds responded quickly. Due to the risk of losing EU funds, some of these discriminatory resolutions were repealed shortly after enactment. These swift reactions indicate that some lessons have been learned from the previous involvement in the so-called LGBT-free zones. Hence, it seems that when money talks, discrimination walks. Continue reading >>
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03 December 2025
Biometric Technologies, Frontex and Fundamental Rights
Biometric data qualifies as particularly sensitive personal data under the GDPR, and its processing must meet strict legal requirements. Frontex’s exploration of novel biometric technologies, including DNA profiling and vein recognition, raises concerns in the absence of demonstrated necessity or proportionality. Such developments require prior Fundamental Rights and Data Protection Impact Assessments. Overall, the legal and technical prerequisites for expanding the use of these technologies, particularly in light of interoperability challenges and fundamental rights protections, are not yet sufficiently established. Continue reading >>
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09 November 2025
Stadtbilder
Bundeskanzler Friedrich Merz hat Mitte Oktober mit seiner sogenannten „Stadtbild“-Äußerung polarisiert: Er lobte die sinkende Zahl von Migranten und stellte fest, dass es trotzdem „im Stadtbild noch dieses Problem“ gebe. Neben der Vagheit seiner Aussage ist daran vor allem problematisch, dass Merz dadurch Exklusionspraktiken legitimiert und ein gesellschaftliches Klima schafft, in dem sich Menschen mit (familiärer) Migrationsgeschichte fragen müssen, ob sie noch dazugehören. Aus soziologischer Perspektive wird deutlich: Die Rhetorik des Kanzlers produziert jene Unsicherheit, die sie vorgibt, lediglich zu artikulieren. Continue reading >>29 September 2025
A Badge of Dishonour
Calls for the UK to leave the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) have become commonplace in British political debate. Reform UK has announced withdrawal as its day one priority, the centre-right Conservative party could be on the brink of adopting exit from the ECHR as a flagship policy, and even some Labour MPs are thinking the unthinkable. Continue reading >>04 September 2025
Disapplication Unbound
Legal scholars welcomed the Apace ruling by the CJEU as a “total victory” for liberals supporting human rights and the independence of the judiciary. But the ruling has two central faut lines: it fails to acknowledge that Article 37 APD is not unconditional: its direct effect is, at best, dubious. Second, in Member States like Italy, where the judiciary makes extensive use of disapplication in asylum matters, the laissez-faire approach of the CJEU paves the way for legal uncertainty and exposes judges to populist attacks. Continue reading >>18 August 2025
Wer hat Angst vorm Schleuser?
Grenzen sortieren Menschen in erwünscht und unerwünscht und das Strafrecht wird dabei zur schärfsten Linie. In der Figur des „Schleusers“ verwandelt es sich ins Feindstrafrecht, das nicht mehr differenziert, sondern ausschließt. Humanitäre Fluchthilfe wird so kriminalisiert, Helfer:innen und selbst Flüchtlinge geraten in den Verdacht, „Staatsfeinde“ zu sein. Ein humanes, resilientes Strafrecht muss dem entgegenwirken und die Geschichten, Motive und Verletzlichkeiten der Betroffenen wieder sichtbar machen. Continue reading >>
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18 August 2025
Das Strafrecht als Mittel der Migrationskontrolle?
Das Strafrecht ist zur Waffe der Migrationspolitik geworden, allen voran der Schleusertatbestand. Hinter der Erzählung vom skrupellosen Schlepper verbirgt sich ein System, das Flüchtlinge ohne legale Zugangswege in die Abhängigkeit von Schleusern drängt. Zugleich kriminalisiert das Gesetz auch solidarische Hilfe und stellt NGOs wie Flüchtlinge selbst unter Verdacht. Damit rückt das Strafrecht gefährlich nah an autoritär-populistische Instrumentalisierung. Continue reading >>
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