AYS Daily Digest 6/7/20: Another dangerous precedent for the treatment of Syrians by the EU
By: Are You Syrious
Tags: Europe, Refugees, Syria, Digest, Sweden

The situation for the people here is nothing less than deplorable, I cannot even begin to describe it, I wouldn’t wish this life on anyone… clothes & hygiene products will not change the situation, but they will give the people one less thing to worry about. The OA really needs your support to continue to provide choice, quality and consistent NFIs to support the people in these unforseen and unpredictable times. It is a testament to the team and all of our supporters that the shop is up & running and while we are tweaking things here and there, we assure our beneficiaries fairness and quality items.

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BALKAN ROUTE

Refugee Rights Europe has published a report on the Balkan route:

ITALY/FRANCE

Ventimiglia after months of lockdown and social distancing

Melting pot is reporting from the Italian-French border after the lockdown:

Migration flows during the Covid-19 pandemic also stopped, and started again as soon as some freedom of movement was regained. With one difference: the regularization desired and so publicized by this government is pushing those who have already arrived in France, but have not yet managed to obtain a residence permit, to cross the border in the opposite direction, towards Italy. They go all the way south, looking for a job that allows them to obtain the coveted documents. Many, however, realize within a few days how unlikely they are to meet the criteria, and try, in a tight circle, to return to France where they may have left a job, albeit in the dark. They are obviously rejected and risk being stuck in the Riviera town. In the meantime, the “ usual “ flow from Italy to France has also resumed , another country of passage rather than final destination, which is almost always Northern Europe. Rejections are therefore double now, and from both borders. The incoming flows are increasing again, most of them from the Balkan route, the rest from landings in southern Italy or from pushbacks from other European countries. If rejections were running at a rate of one hundred a day last fall, during the whole quarantine period, between March and April, there were only 107 rejections, while now there are about fifty more a day. Solidarity projects from below such as the “ 20k Project “ have been temporarily blocked by the pandemic and the consequent lack of funds and time. Even the Kesha Niya international solidarity group (which you can follow here ), which for years have been dealing with the distribution of evening meals, had to stop for a period, starting again in June to distribute individually packaged meals around the city, so as to intercept the migrants who sleep along the banks of the river, at the station, or along the dead tracks that go up the valley towards Roverino and the Campo della CRI.

FINLAND

25 unaccompanied children to arrive soon

The very slow process of relocating the unaccompanied minors from the squalid Greek camps to other EU countries is continuing after lockdown measures weakened in most of the countries. The first 25 children are to arrive (finally) in Finland in the coming days (weeks?!), the media have been reporting for a while now. However, things seem to be moving and more concrete information is now available.

“Because of the coronavirus epidemic, asylum seekers will initially have to spend two weeks in quarantine in Espoo. After that, they will be placed in reception centres especially for underaged children,” senior officer Mikko Välisalo of Migri’s reception centre unit said.

The children are likely to be placed in special reception centres in Oulu, Vörå (Vöyri in Finnish), Hämeenkyrö, Turku, Espoo and Kotka. The exact locations, however, will be decided during the course of the placement process.

SWEDEN

Migration policy is again at the center of Swedish politics with a crisis and some decisions that might turn out decisive for the future of immigration in Sweden. The divisive topic in the ruling coalition is the asylum law. As it takes the next step in Sweden’s tightening stance towards asylum seekers, stricter time limits on the right to remain and greater restrictions on family reunification are some of the forseen measures in that scenario. While the social democrats cautiously support that direction, the Greens are against it and have threatened to quit the government if the debate goes against them. Read more on the subject in Politico’s analysis.

NORWAY

The country will prioritize refugees who are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender

“In nearly 70 countries, homosexuality is a criminal offense and those who violate gender and sexuality norms may be subject to persecution and discrimination in their home country. This can give the right to protection in Norway. We are now changing the guidelines for the work of transfer refugees so that persons who are divorced should be given priority,” the State Secretary for Integration Affairs in the Ministry of Education said in a press statement.

The Norwegian scheme is three-year and flexible, which means that if fewer refugees are taken in one year within this period, they can be taken several years after.