Gatekeepers of the European Union: Sudan after El-Bashir

Five years ago, borderline-europe organized its first externalization conference in Berlin. We scrutinized the treaties, agreements and control mechanisms which were established to seal off the borders of the EU. In 2012, the European Union was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Ten years later, people are still drowning in the Mediterranean Sea and dying of thirst crossing the deserts – because there still are no safe escape routes. Under the rule of dictator Omar El-Bashir, Sudan has played a crucial role in securing the borders that have been outsourced to Africa. The country has become Europe’s gatekeeper for refugees and migrants from East Africa and other parts of the world. With the 2019 revolution, hope of a new democratic government emerged in Sudan. The 2021 coup shattered this hope. What is the situation today? This brochure is the result of a joint event with Bildungswerk Berlin of the Heinrich Böll Foundation and Africa Center for Justice and Peace Studies in Karthoum. It discusses the status today and which consequences the countercoup has had for people on the move.

Language(s): Englisch / English
Publisher: borderline-europe - Menschenrechte ohne Grenzen & Bildungswerk Berlin der Heinrich Böll Stiftung

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Sudan - The forgotten War

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Language(s): Englisch / English

‘Unwanted’ - extraterritorialisation of border procedures and tightening of deportation regulations in Italy. Is resistance still possible?

On 11 March 2025, the EU Commission presented its new proposal for the Return Regulation. Deportation regulations are set to be significantly tightened, with renewed discussions around the establishment of so-called ‘return hubs’. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the Commission, is proposing that these detention centres for deportees should also be located in non-EU countries – qualified as so-called “safe third countries” (SCO) (art. 38, Asylum Procedure Directive). So is the Italian government's ‘Albania solution’ back on the table? In our previous article, we asked why Italy is putting so much emphasis on this expensive and, as we will see below, ill-conceived agreement between Italy and Albania. Looking again into the Italian situation, including the “current stop” to the implementation of the Italy-Albania protocol, the direct governmental attack to the autonomy of the judicial power, and the main challenges it entails for the rule of law, is essential to understand the recent policy developments at the EU level concerning asylum and returns.
Language(s): Deutsch / German

‘Detention, illegalisation and the so-called CEAS reform in southern Italy - monitoring the situation of refugees in the light of the European migration pact’

Im September 2024 startete unser neues Projekt, durchgeführt von den Organisationen borderline-europe und Maldusa, geleitet von der Forschungsgesellschaft Flucht und Migration, und unterstützt von der Evangelischen Kirche in Hessen und Nassau (EKHN), der Evangelischen Kirche im Rheinland (EKIR), LeaveNoOneBehind und Pro Asyl!
Language(s): Deutsch / German