On 13 March 2025, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) handed down a major decision for transgender people in Hungary, recognising the right of a transgender man to rectify his gender identity in the Hungarian national asylum register. Eszter Polgári, director of the Legal Programme at the Háttér Society, an LGBTI+ organisation in Hungary, explains this decision and its consequences for LGBTI+ people and refugees in Hungary.

Many exiled people are hiding at the border between Belarus, Poland, and Lithuania. Pushed back at the European Union's borders, many disappear or lose their lives, and numerous testimonies report violence and human rights violations.

On January 7th 2025, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) condemned Greece for pushing back a Turkish national at its border in May 2019. The “systematic” nature of pushbacks by Greek coastguards and border guards, documented by NGOs, media and international organisations for years, has, for the first time, been recognised by justice.

In 2022, following Russia's war against Ukraine, an unprecedented burst of European solidarity enabled several million Ukrainians fleeing the conflict to find shelter within a few weeks. However, almost three years on, and despite the extension of temporary protection until 2026, several European countries are quietly withdrawing from welcoming Ukrainians.

On October 4th, 2024, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) handed down a decision that marked a clear step forward for Afghan women's right to asylum, giving gender an important place in international protection. Keren Rajohanesa, a legal expert specialised in the rights of victims of gender-based violence at Passerell, analyses this decision.

In November 2023, the European Commission unveiled a new proposal for a directive to combat people smugglers. NGOs and the United Nations’ Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees are concerned about this text, which could lead to further criminalisation of people in exile and solidarity associations.

On Friday 12th July, the Finnish parliament adopted the Act on Temporary Measures to Combat Instrumentalised Migration, also known as the “pushback” law. The bill, valid for one year, allows authorities to turn away migrants attempting to enter Finland at its eastern border with Russia, due to their supposed instrumentalisation by Moscow.

Just a few kilometres from Lebanon and Syria, Cyprus has seen an increase in the number of Syrian exiles arriving by boat directly on its coasts in recent months. In spite of a stable total number of asylum seekers, the Cypriot government reacted to these more visible arrivals by announcing tougher reception conditions for asylum seekers in the country. Corina Drousiotou, coordinator and legal adviser at the Cyprus Refugee Council, sheds light on the situation in Cyprus and the impact of recent government measures on asylum seekers.