External borders: a fortress Europe?
For several years, the European Union has worked twice as hard to fight irregular border crossings and strengthen border controls, thus establishing itself as a fortress Europe against certain types of migration. The use of military means, technology, drone surveillance, and satellite imagery has increased, and the risks of pushbacks and violations of international law and human rights are becoming widespread.
Editorial:
As the external borders of the European Union (EU) become increasingly monitored and militarized zones, the hardening of migration policies is characterized by a growing tendency to restrict and circumvent the right to asylum. Between 2014 and 2022, the total length of walls and fences erected at the EU's external borders and within the Schengen Area increased from 315 km to 2,048 km. In the East, the border between Belarus and the EU has seen a rise in pushbacks and violence against refugees. The increased military presence reflects a primarily security-driven response to humanitarian concerns. In the South, in the Mediterranean, Greece was condemned by the European Court of Human Rights for its illegal pushback practices, highlighting the continued violations of international law. Even states traditionally committed to the rule of law, such as Finland, are now adopting legislation authorizing pushbacks, marking a worrying breaking point for asylum and European law, as some governments suspend the processing of asylum applications altogether, as Cyprus did in 2024. Can Europe still claim to be a safe space for human rights protection, when it is gradually erecting both visible and invisibe these walls at its borders?
Analysis
Malta: a breeding ground for a dangerous and repressive migration policy
In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic led Maltese authorities to significantly tighten entry requirements for exiles. Five years later, despite the end of the health crisis, these policies remain and human rights violations are on the rise. NGOs seek to raise awareness and report on these abuses, while the European context grows increasingly hostile to the reception and integration of exiles.
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Interview
"Camps should be an emergency solution, not a permanent place to live": how border closure policies generate exiles camps in Europe.
In Europe, since 2015, exiles camps have multiplied and transformed into permanent waiting zones where rights are suspended. Juliette Cailloux, managing director of the Observatory of Refugee Camps (O-CR), tells us about the political mechanisms at stake behind the encampment phenomenon.
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