English

NEWSLETTER
July 2015
EDITORIAL
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AEDH SUPPORTS
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THEMATIC DOSSIER
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Asylum and Immigration
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Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
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Personal Data Protection
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NEWS OF OUR MEMBERS
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AGENDA
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EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION
FOR THE DEFENSE OF
HUMAN RIGHTS
33 rue de la Caserne
1000 Brussels (Belgium)
Tel : +32 (0) 2 511 21 00
Fax : +32 (0) 2 511 32 00
Website : www.aedh.eu
Email : info(at)aedh.eu
N°277
EDITORIAL
BY DOMINIQUE GUIBERT
Is Europe’s solidarity dwindling away?
July 31st, 2015 - June and July 2015 will go down in
history as when the word “exit” returned centre-stage.
Some people love shortcuts that simplify how we analyse situations. Following the elections in the UK, there
was talk of a “Brexit”, the United Kingdom’s exit from the
European Union. In July, the “Grexit”, Greece’s exit from
the Eurozone, was on the tip of everybody’s tongue. And
we aren’t finished with this (useful?) little word! There
may be a “Spexit” – but only after a “Porexit”. There will
be no “Irexit”, as Ireland has successfully cleaned up its
finances – at least for the minority of its population that
lives off financial flows. An “Itexit” may be on the cards.
Who’s up next? Greece, Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Spain, the United Kingdom...?
In reality, the sequence was launched by Jean-Claude
Juncker when he took up his role as President of the
European Commission, saying that his job was to avoid
playing at “Last exit to Europe ”. He is right about the
consequences for European integration. However, he is
completely wrong about the causes of what should not
be known as the “Greek crisis” but rather the “European
crisis”. This series of “exits” arises from a certain vision
of Europe, whereby Europe’s integration is based on
a central body of references: those of current policies.
Consequently, there is only one alternative: break-up.
In other words, there is no room for a different Europe.
Some of these countries were lumped together under the
acronym “PIGS” a few years back, making it possible to
divide EU member states into three groups. The “good”
members in the North were thrifty and industrious, the
“bad” ones in the South were spendthrift and fickle and,
between them, the “neither-nor” countries were inept
and envious. This way of thinking was widespread in
the countries themselves, as shown by emphasis on the
need for rigorous policies to avoid dependency.
EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE DEFENCE OF HUMAN RIGHTS
Undoubtedly, the economists who drive economic
thinking have always used these divisions as their basis. That is why, in the various stabilization plans, in
the various stability mechanisms, and in the European
semesters, there really are three categories of member
states: those covered by a “memorandum”, those that
aren’t and, in between, those that could be one day.
What meaning can Europe then have? From this orthodox standpoint, what counts is the balance of power
between member states and, within each country,
between those who benefit from these balances of
power, and those who suffer them. And Europe, which
is supposed to bring countries together, is seeing ferocious competition between its member states, as shown
by the atrocious asylum and migration policy that was
adopted – if that is the word – during the European
Council meetings of June and July. Solidarity is dwindling away in today’s Europe. The poorest are being
abandoned, and inequalities are growing. Economic orthodoxy is back, and austerity is the magic remedy for all
ills. Domination is prevailing over cooperation. A policy
resulting in the regression of economic and social rights
has been maintained, despite a series of warnings from
independent UN experts, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, and civil society. This is not
just a Greek tragedy. It is a European disaster. It will not
be stopped by successive promises of blood and tears
to the Greeks, then the Portuguese, then the Spanish. It
will be stopped when solidarity takes back centre stage.
NEWSLETTER N°277 JULY 2015
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NEWS OF AEDH
THEMATIC DOSSIER : ASYLUM AND IMMIGRATION
The European Agenda on Migration
AEDH
SUPPORTS ...
Deaths in the Mediterranean – as the European
Union and the member states refuse to act, civil
society itself takes action
Basta ! How many times already civil society actors have
repeated this appeal to the decision-makers in Europe
to draw the consequences of the deaths in the Mediterranean – close to 2000 persons just in 2015 – and to react
with the creation of a properly resourced maritime search
and rescue operation and the opening of safe and legal
immigration channels towards Europe to prevent multiple
shipwrecks? Until now, the adopted measures have been
insufficient, focusing too much on securing of borders and
the pursuit of traffickers, and cannot prevent new tragedies.
July 25th, 2015 - Migratory urgency they say in unison…
But urgency for who ? Urgency for what ? Judging on
the Member States’ recurrent statements in the last two
months and their reactions to the proposals laid down in
the Commission’s European Agenda on Migration (Mai,
15, 2015), for Member States, the urgency is clearly to
protect borders ; those of the EU and those of their own.
To that end, they managed to reach unanimity, lacking in
so many other fields…
Read more
The dangerous route of the Balkans
July 20th, 2015 - 2015 has seen significant increase in
migrants’ arrivals in the Western Balkans. Most of them
come from Greece and pursue their journey towards
Hungary. They cross the Former Yugoslav Republic
of Macedonia and Serbia. During the first semester of
2015, about 45 000 persons applied for asylum in the
region. It is only a small part of the migrants crossing
through the Balkans, as most of them move towards the
North without registering with the public authorities.
Read more
Read more
Acquisition of citizenship in the EU
THEMATIC
DOSSIER
July 15th, 2015 - According to Eurostat’s last publication
on acquisitions of citizenship in the EU, Member States
of the EU granted citizenship to about one million persons in 2013. Most of them were of Moroccan, Turkish
and Colombian origin. This represents an increase of
20% (about 163 000 persons) in comparison to 2012.
Read more
ASYLUM AND IMMIGRATION
Statistics : the Mediterranean crisis is a « refugee crisis »
July 20th, 2015 - According to the UNHCR, 137 000 persons have crossed the Mediterranean to reach Europe
during the first semester of 2015, representing an increase of 86% compared to 2014. One third are coming
from Syria.
Read more
EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE DEFENCE OF HUMAN RIGHTS
NEWSLETTER N°277 JULY 2015
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ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS
PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION
ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL
RIGHTS
The Annual Report of the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) is now available !
Ahead of the continuation of the negotiations
on TTIP on 13th July, the European Parliament adopted a really shy resolution
2 July 2015 – 2014 was a transitional year for the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS). His objective :
make sure that European institutions respect European
citizens’ right to see their privacy respected in the making of new European public policies.
July 9th, 2015 - The European Parliament (EP) adopted the report on TTIP in the plenary session of the
8th of July with a majority of 436 votes. AEDH positively appreciates that a public debate on the state of
play of the TTIP negotiations took place in the European Parliament, but it considers that the resolution
adopted is quite shy. Real prelude to the ratification
of the Treaty by the Parliament the resolution sends a
contradictory message – that pretends to satisfy both
TTIP advocates and its opponents – to the European
Commission that has received by the member states
the mandate to lead the negotiations with the United
States.
Read more
Labour exploitation of migrants is still a
reality in Europe
July 15, 2015 – The Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) of the EU denounced, in its report « Severe labour exploitation : workers moving within or
into the European Union », the abusive conducts
of several employers in Europe towards employed
migrants. As worrisome as those facts are, it is the
lack in many member states of legislative or regulatory provisions that may deter such practises.
Read more
PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION
Trilogue on Data Protection : where have the
negotiations gone so far ?
15 July 2015 – In the day after the second trilogue
meeting held on 14 July, the rapporteur for the Parliament Jan Albrecht presented the negotiations’ state
of progress on the Data Protection Regulation to his
colleagues of the LIBE committee.
Read more
EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE DEFENCE OF HUMAN RIGHTS
Read more
European PNR : a “generalised suspicion”
mechanism endorsed by the Civil Liberties,
Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) committee of
the European Parliament
15 July 2015 – 32 members of the LIBE committee
voted in favour, 27 against : the final position of the European Parliament on the proposal for a PNR Directive
has been adopted. The Parliament’s position will thus
be defended by the rapporteur Timothy KIRKHOPE
(EPP, United-Kingdom) during trilogue negotiations with
the Commission and the Council. The date for the negotiations to start is still unknown.
Read more
French surveillance law : (LIBERTE) SECURITE
-EGALITE-FRATERNITE
23 July 2015 – By declaring almost the totality of new
French surveillance rules in conformity with the Constitution, the Conseil Constitutionnel [1] enshrines the end
of a legend : France as the “homeland of Human rights”.
Read more
Surveillance in Germany : Netzpolitik.org prosecuted for “treason” for publishing confidential documents
10 July 2015 – Last February and April, the German
defender of fundamental rights Netzpolitik published
confidential documents testifying the extension of German intelligences services’ surveillance activities on the
Internet. On July 10, the president of the intelligence
services put charges against the website, accused of
“treason” for having revealed state secrets. An accusation learned by Netzpolitik indirectly, via a broadcast.
Read more
NEWSLETTER N°277 JULY 2015
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NEWS FROM OUR MEMBERS
NEWS FROM OUR MEMBERS
KISA finds the poor police protection towards
victims of violence shameful
10 July 2015- KISA, organization for the defense of human Rights and AEDH member, condemns the indecisive and hesitating attitude of the police towards violent
acts against migrant women in Cyprus.
While police violence against migrants is commonplace
in Cyprus, KISA worries about a new form of discriminatory attitude within the security forces.
NEWS
OF OUR MEMBERS
The Internationale Liga für Menschenrechte (re)
demands an investigation on mass surveillance
on German citizens
14 July 2015 – In Germany, the revelations made by
Edward Snowden in 2013 on NSA spying programme
do not sink into oblivion, although authorities would appreciate it.
In February 2014, the Internationale LigafürMenschenrechte, the German league of Human Rights and
member of AEDH has, along the group of hackers Chaos
Computer Club (CCC) and the NGO Digitalcourage,
pressed charges against the Federal government and
intelligence services, accused of supporting the NSA in
massive surveillance on German citizens.
Read more
Read more
Institut de Drets Humans de Catalunya (IDHC):
Spain commits to meliorate its Human rights
situation before the UN Human Rights Council,
without taking into account all its recommendations
25 July 2015 – The UN Human Rights Council adopted
on June 25 its final report ending the second universal
periodic review mechanism involving Spain. The Council issued 198 recommendations to meliorate the Human Rights situation on the Spanish soil, but the Iberian
Peninsula only accepted to implement 169 : 20 alarming
and strongly mediatized situations of human rights’ violations go out of the window..
Read more
The Austrian League of Human Rights (ÖLMR)
calls the Austrian government to adopt a more
Human-Rights-respectful asylum policy
LDH France is opposed to the huge number of
forced evacuations of Roms in France
July 8th, 2015 - The ÖLMR expresses its concerns regarding the dreadful hosting of asylum seekers in Austria : they must live in terrible conditions, often without
shelter, and expecting the validation of their application
that will, in the state of things nowadays, never happen.
The Austrian League of Human Rights calls the government to immediately reorientate its asylum policy, in
which fundamental rights must serve as a background
leading the hosting of migrants.
July 10th, 2015 - Close to 4000 forced evacuations of
Roms happened in the first semester 2015 in France.
More than the evacuation, the seizure of the goods belonging to the dispossessed persons makes their situation even more precarious. Despite the numerous calls
from the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) of the UN and by the Commissioner of
Human Rights of the Council of Europe Mr Muižnieks,
the French authorities keep applying a line of conduct
yet infringing the very legislation of the state.
Read more
Read more
EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE DEFENCE OF HUMAN RIGHTS
NEWSLETTER N°277 JULY 2015
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AGENDA
AGENDA
OF THE LUXEMBOURG
PRESIDENCY
Calendar of COREPER I et COREPER II meetings.
OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
Plenary Session
Strasbourg, 7-10 September 2015 Read more
Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home
Affairs (LIBE)
Brussels, 3 September 2015 at 9:00 ;
14 September at 15:00 ;
15 September at 9:00 and at 15:00;
22 September at 15:00 ;
23 September at 9:00 and at 15:00
Read more
Committee on Employment and Social Affairs (EMPL)
Brussels, 3 September 2015 at 9:00 ;
15 September, at 9:00 and at 15:00 ;
23 September, at 9:00 and at 15:00
Read more
OF THE COUNCIL OF THE EU
General Affairs Council, Brussels, 14 September
Read more
EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE DEFENCE OF HUMAN RIGHTS
NEWSLETTER N°277 JULY 2015
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YES, AN ALTERNATIVE IS POSSIBLE!
YES, WE CAN TURN EUROPE INTO A PLACE OF
RESPECT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS!”
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As one of our members, you’ll have:
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EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION
FOR THE DEFENSE OF
HUMAN RIGHTS
33 Rue de la Caserne
1000 Brussels
Belgium
Phone : +32(0)25112100
Fax : +32(0)25113200
Email : info(at)aedh.eu
HAVE CONTRIBUTED
TO THIS EDITION
Dominique Guibert, President and
Editor in chief
Catherine Teule, Vice-chairwoman
Claudia Bensimhon, Intern
Rebecca Portail, Intern
Julien Bois, Intern
Yvonne Ebner, Chargée de mission
Layout : Julien Bois
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