Access to the EU
How do refugees reach Europe?
The majority of the world's refugees flee to neighbouring countries. Most of these countries struggle to cope with the large number of refugees they host and are often not able to provide adequate protection. The relatively few who reach Europe and claim asylum undertake signifcant risks, especially those crossing the sea from Africa. As European states impose ever tighter visa restrictions on countries in conflict or crisis situations, refugees are faced with no choice but to enter Europe without documentation and risk the penalties of illegal entry.Fernando, a Colombian writer came to Spain as part of a resettlement program run by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). He talks about trying to start his life again, and the isolation that he and many asylum seekers he met experienced.
Majidi is a refugee in Hungary, originally from Afghanistan. He fled war in his native country, poverty in Pakistan, and intimidation by soldiers in Turkey. He speaks eight languages, including Hungarian, and now feels settled in Hungary.
Hadish fled Eritrea after being imprisoned for campaigning for a democratic constitution. He crossed the Mediterranean sea when he failed to find protection in neighbouring African countries and was detained on arrival in Malta. 
Zoja and her daughter escaped the Chechen-Russian conflict in 1994 and were granted asylum in the Czech Republic in 2003.
In his late fifties, Solomon escaped political imprisonment in Ethiopia 13 years ago. He eventually found himself in Malta, where he was detained for eight months and has since been denied refugee status.
Tilak is of Indian nationality whose family has repeatedly suffered abuse from the military. After travelling through Africa and reaching Europe by sea Tilak claimed asylum in Portugal and was granted humanitarian protection.
Merzad is a 32 year old Afghan refugee who arrived in the UK in April 2008. In total, the journey cost him $23,000 and nearly killed him. He believes that the journey itself was more dangerous than the fighting in Afghanistan from which he was fleeing.
Omid is a 21-year old Iranian. After being confined and tortured for five days by the Iranian police, he managed to escape and take refuge in a town near his home. Seeking protection, his journey took him through Turkey, Italy, France and Spain. He was finally granted humanitarian protection in Portugal.
Rahim, arrived at Schiphol airport in the Netherlands. He was arrested for travelling with false travel documents. He wanted to apply for asylum, but was told he would first be prosecuted for travelling with false documents.
Malik, an Iraqi citizen, arrived at Budapest International Airport through Syria. Return procedures were instigated against him for travelling with a false visa. He was held in detention for two days before returned to Syria. A ban of entry was also issued against Malik, prohibiting him to lawfully seek asylum in Hungary.
