13 May 2016

A recent report commissioned by the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE Committee) examines the support that is provided to frontline EU Member States, with a special focus on the implementation of the “hotspots” approach in Greece and Italy. The study emphasises the lack of legal certainty surrounding the “hotspots” and provides a series of recommendations to the European Parliament.

The report On the frontline: the hotspot approach to managing migration highlights the need of a legal instrument to provide clarity on the “hotspots” approach and the need to ensure a clearer role of the agencies involved in the management of the “hotspots” (Frontex, EASO and Europol). It also it also recommends that the FRA have a greater role in addressing some of the serious fundamental rights challenges.

The study urgently recommends that access to the asylum procedure is granted to asylum seekers who do not qualify for relocation, a concern which was also voiced by ECRE. The EU-Turkey deal is furthermore seen as problematic and there is a need to closely monitor any developments – especially in relation to the transformation of “hotspots” into closed detention facilities and the focus of efforts on returns. Finally, the report opposes resuming Dublin transfers to Greece.


This article appeared in the ECRE Weekly Bulletin of 13 May 2016. You can subscribe to the Weekly Bulletin here.