Abstract: This Insight aims to illustrate common elements between the Lithuanian and European Union reaction following the “instrumentalisation of migrants” by Belarus. The most critical aspects with respect to national reforms and the Proposal presented by the Commission in December 2021 – ex art. 78(3) TFEU – shed light on specific issues...
Abstract: The migration crisis at the EU-Belorussian border is escalating and the potential for grave human rights violations against third country-nationals stuck between the two “titans” is more and more likely to materialize. This Insight aims to provide an overview of the emergency measures that have been adopted at the national and EU...
Abstract: The Temporary Protection Directive (TPD) is one of the most controversial pieces of EU legislation. Adopted back in 2001 and never implemented, it has been at the margins of EU migration and asylum policies until, on 3 March 2022, the Home Affairs Ministers of the EU27 reached an “historic agreement” on its activation. This Insight...
Abstract: Third country nationals are in a “weak” position when it comes to issuing a uniform Schengen short-term visa. The EU acquis on visas, and most notably the Visa Code, is still a domain strongly marked by State sovereignty, wide margin of appreciation and scarce transparency in the decision-making process. The EU Court of Justice...
Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted many EU Member States to introduce unilateral and diverse travel restriction measures and border controls. European Treaties do allow the Member States to derogate from free movements on the grounds of public health, however, the imposition of inconsistent and diverse restrictions threaten the integrity...
Abstract: The new Pact on Migration and Asylum presented in September 2020 by the Commission proposes the reform of the Common European Asylum System. At the centre of the legislative changes is the effective protection of vulnerable applicants, indicatively minors, persons with disabilities or health issues and survivors of human trafficking and...
Abstract: In December 2020, the Grand Chamber of the CJUE has confirmed that Hungary has failed to fulfil its obligations under EU law in the area of procedures for granting international protection and returning illegally staying third-country nationals. The judgment in the case Commission v Hungary (case C-808/18 ECLI:EU:C:2020:1029) is...
Abstract: This Insight discusses the Court of Justice’s judgment of 14 May 2020 in the joined cases C-924/19 and C-925/19, which concerned two couples of asylum seekers detained in the Röszke transit zone, at the Hungarian-Serbian border. The analysis focuses on the approach followed by the Court, that has addressed several issues under EU...
Abstract: This Insight assesses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the external borders of the EU. It first presents measures enacting the EU travel ban and also their implications on the European asylum system, as implemented by Member States’ administrations. In this context, it discusses some of the challenges which emerge: these...
Abstract: In the case Commission v. Hungary, Poland and Czech Republic (judgment of 20 April 2020, joined cases C-715/17, C-718/17 and C-719/17), the Court of Justice clarified the scope of Art. 72 TFEU in the context of relocation of applicants for international protection during the 2015 “refugee crisis”. The Court held that it is not...