Podcasts about european border

FRONTEX's role in returning rejected asylum-seekers should be monitored, especially in terms of the protection of fundamental rights, green MEP Tineke Strik tells Radio Schuman on Monday.Earlier this month, the European Commission presented a new regulation that would - if approved - enable EU countries to transfer rejected asylum seekers to distant countries where they have never been before.Although the law did not establish deportation centres or “return hubs”, it lays the groundwork for outsourcing the migration tasks to the European Border and Coast Guard Agency FRONTEX.“I think we first need to make sure that FRONTEX is dealing with fundamental rights in a proper way, in line with EU law. And only then we can see what role they can take if it comes to third countries,” says green MEP Tineke Strik, as the agency has been investigated in the past for human rights violations.Today, Radio Schuman also takes a look at a discussion among agriculture ministers on the new Commission's plans to change agriculture in Europe, and also at a compilation by Euronews culture on the things people miss the most from the March 2020 Covid lockdown. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we speak with Yasha Maccanico a researcher and journalist at StateWatch, a UK-based charity focused on civil liberties, human rights and democracy in Europe.    We talk about a proposed EU law that could make it easier for states to criminalise acts of solidarity with people on the move.   Yasha also talks to us about abuses of state power in Europe under the guise of lowering immigration, the externalisation of the EU's borders in Africa, and much more.    ---Get in touch---   Twitter: @FleetCivil   Mastodon: @civilfleet@kolektiva.social   Bluesky: @thecivilfleet.bsky.social   Instagram: thecivilfleet   info@civilfleet.com   civilfleet.com --- Show notes ---   For more on StateWatch, check out their work here: statewatch.org   Follow them on BlueSky: @statewatch.bsky.social Ben misquotes the late left-wing politician Tony Benn, who once said: “The way a government treats refugees is very instructive, because it shows you how they would treat the rest of us if they thought they could get away with it.” In fact, the phrase may have been misattributed to Tony Benn. You can watch one of Tony Benn's most famous speeches against the US-UK' illegal invasion of Iraq, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7ciGW7h7PI&ab_channel=PoliticsJOE    Yasha mentions the an independent media company Bristol Cable. You can read their work here: thebristolcable.org   Ben and Yasha talk briefly about the toppling of the statue of slave trader Edward Colston in Bristol in 2020. You can read more about that here; https://exhibitions.bristolmuseums.org.uk/the-colston-statue   Here's where you can find out more about Migreurop: https://migreurop.org/?lang=en   Ben mentions an episode of The Civil Fleet with Jihed, a Tunisian activist with Alarm Phone and Louise Michelle. Check out episode 48 for that.    For more on Frontex, the European Border and Coastguard Agency, check out episodes 54, 52, 50, 34, 31, 23, 15, 7 and 1   Ben mentions previous The Civil Fleet Podcast episodes with people who have been arrested and given ludicrous sentences for driving boats or cars across borders. Check out episodes: 56, which focuses on Homayoun Sabetara, a father who fled Iran to be reunited with his daughters in Germany and was sentenced to 18 years behind bars in Greece after he was forced to drive across the border.  53 with Nadia, a young refugee woman from Lebanon who husband was arrested by the Greek authorities and accused of human smuggling after spending 10 days adrift in the Mediterranean.  35 with Hanad, a Somalian refugee who was senteced to 142 years behind bars for trying to stop his boat from sinking in the Aegean Sea and saving the lives of 33 others   Here are the links Yasha sent:   EU: New migrant smuggling law to ensure criminalisation of solidarity (December 2024) https://www.statewatch.org/analyses/2024/eu-new-migrant-smuggling-law-to-ensure-criminalisation-of-solidarity/   A new EU law on the criminalisation of migrant smuggling will be examined by the Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) Council. The Council is due to approve its position for negotiations with the European Parliament. The existing law has been criticised for failing to prevent the criminalisation of migration and acts of solidarity with migrants and refugees. The new text, obtained by Statewatch and published here, appears likely to worsen the situation. ----- EU: Council lowers threshold for migrant smuggling prosecutions (July 2024, with PICUM) https://www.statewatch.org/news/2024/july/eu-council-lowers-threshold-for-migrant-smuggling-prosecutions/  EU institutions are discussing proposed changes to the law criminalising the facilitation of irregular migration, which has also been used to criminalise migrants and individuals acting in solidarity with them. The Belgian Council presidency presented a revised draft to other EU member states at the end of May, which would simplify the criminalisation of irregular entry, amongst other things. The draft will serve as the basis for further discussions within the Council, with Hungary now in the presidency role until the end of this year.   -----   Viewpoint, Hindering humanitarianism: European Commission will not ensure protection for those aiding sans-papiers, Chris Jones (April 2017) https://www.statewatch.org/media/documents/analyses/no-311-facilitation-directive.pdf   -----   The shrinking space for solidarity with migrants and refugees: how the European Union and Member States target and criminalize defenders of the rights of people on the move (TNI, Yasha Maccanico, Ben Hayes, Samuel Kenny, Frank Barat, September 2018) https://www.tni.org/files/publication-downloads/web_theshrinkingspace.pdf   -----   Libya/elmasri: including full text of Shatz/Branco submission to the ICC against Italian ministers: http://www.statewatch.org/news/2025/february/italian-ministers-should-face-justice-for-freeing-fugitive-war-criminal-says-legal-complaint/   -----   Secrecy: http://www.statewatch.org/news/2024/november/italy-has-nullified-the-right-to-transparency-regarding-borders/   -----   Tunisia: http://www.statewatch.org/news/2024/november/tunisia-no-to-the-criminalisation-of-solidarity-with-migrants/   -----   Deportations (aka returns): http://www.statewatch.org/news/2025/january/deportations-new-role-for-frontex-as-eu-pushes-for-more-voluntary-returns/   -----   Egypt: http://www.statewatch.org/news/2025/january/eu-police-cooperation-with-egypt-sacrifices-people-s-rights-and-freedoms-for-security/   -----   “Outsourcing borders” externalisation bulletin project, bulletins and documents archive: https://www.statewatch.org/outsourcing-borders-monitoring-eu-externalisation-policy/     -----   To challenge border militarisation (with partners, 2023/24), Telling the story of EU border militarisation, https://www.statewatch.org/media/4000/eu-border-militarisation-narrative-guide.pdf     -----   Europe's techno-borders (2023 with EuroMed Rights) https://www.statewatch.org/publications/reports-and-books/europe-s-techno-borders/    -----   Frontex and interoperable databases: knowledge as power? (2023) https://www.statewatch.org/frontex-and-interoperable-databases-knowledge-as-power/    -----   Empowering the police, removing protections: the new Europol Regulation (2022) https://www.statewatch.org/publications/reports-and-books/empowering-the-police-removing-protections-the-new-europol-regulation/    -----   Interoperability, eu-LISA and the biometric state (2022) Building the biometric state: Police powers and discrimination https://www.statewatch.org/publications/reports-and-books/building-the-biometric-state-police-powers-and-discrimination/   -----   Background docs selection on interoperability and the EU JHA policy field http://www.statewatch.org/observatories/interoperability-eu-big-brother-database/    -----   Secrecy and externalisation of EU border control (2022) https://www.statewatch.org/media/3781/secrecy-and-externalisation-of-migration-control.pdf    -----   Renditions observatory http://www.statewatch.org/observatories/rendition-the-use-of-european-countries-by-the-cia-for-the-transport-and-illegal-detention-of-prisoners/ 

Today, we welcome Colleen Ryan from OSCE, border training and management. We brought her on today to discuss the current challenges of border security in Europe.  --- One CA is a product of the civil affairs association  and brings in people who are current or former military, diplomats, development officers, and field agents to discuss their experiences on the ground with a partner nation's people and leadership. We aim to inspire anyone interested in working in the "last three feet" of U.S. foreign relations.  To contact the show, email us at CApodcasting@gmail.com  or look us up on the Civil Affairs Association website at www civilaffairsassoc.org --- Great news! Feedspot, the podcast industry ranking system rated One CA Podcast as one of the top 10 shows on foreign policy. Check it out at: https://podcast.feedspot.com/foreign_policy_podcasts/ --- Special thanks to the site "Rockstar Beats" for the sample of Taylor Seift "Midnight." Retrieved from: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXyd0iAdUYUWN7ifYYoqymNqJsaE0vEDC&si=-Vp6gUuRpqpHq66D   --- Transcript: 00:00:04    Introduction Welcome to the 1CA Podcast. This is your host, Jack Gaines. 1CA is a product of the Civil Affairs Association and brings in people who are current or former military, diplomats, development officers, and field agents to discuss their experiences on ground with the partner nation's people and leadership. Our goal is to inspire anyone interested in working the last three feet of foreign relations. To contact the show, email us at capodcasting@gmail.com. Or look us up on the Civil Affairs Association website at www.civilaffairsassos.org. I'll have those in the show notes. 00:00:39    Colleen Ryan My name is Colleen Ryan. I'm currently the Border Advisor to the OSC in Vienna. I'm seconded by the United States. So I do need to make it clear that I'm not speaking on behalf of the OSC or on the broader political or organizational context right now. I'm specifically focusing on my work and my experiences. Wow. You're seconded? What does that mean? Yeah, I'm essentially loaned out by the U .S. to the OSCE to serve in this role. They pay my salary. 00:01:13    Jack Nice. How did you get nominated? Where do you normally work? 00:01:15    COLLEEN RYAN In a past life, I was a police officer back in the U .S. before transitioning to working internationally. So I came to find out about OSCE and opportunities while I was doing my master's back in the States. And then I just ended up applying for the special monitoring mission to Ukraine. So I was out there as a monitoring officer up until Russia's full -scale invasion. And then went back during the war with a non -governmental organization working on humanitarian protection in the South. And then made my way to this current role. That's great. So you've been part of living history in a way. Yeah, to be out in Donetsk up until a couple days before the invasion. Working with border guards all across Europe and the changing security landscape has been an interesting role so far. 00:02:04    JACK GAINES So you've lived what soldiers call the moment before. There's a feel in the air, and it makes you edgy, it makes you a little twitchy, because you know that you're about to go down with an enemy. And so did you get that sense? Did you get that feel that things were coming close in Donetsk? 00:02:23    COLLEEN RYAN We were there at the time to monitor the Minsk agreements, which was a ceasefire at the time. It wasn't until when the U .S. evacuated all U .S. personnel that you started to realize that, you know, it may actually happen. 00:02:36    JACK GAINES Right. And so your current position is now training the border guards of Ukraine. 00:02:44    COLLEEN RYAN Yes, I manage a project that trains border guards across the OSCE, specifically on detecting porch documents and imposters. So if it's a forged passport presented at the airport or at the road crossing or for the train, we train the border guards, whether it's from Ukraine, Moldova, Bulgaria, Albania. So it really depends on the needs of OSC participating states in this realm. It's obviously a field that requires recurrent training because travel documents like passports are constantly updated. that national authorities can stay ahead of forgers. So it is something that we have to continue training on. And with the current war against Ukraine, they have the most need. They're one of the bigger border services in Europe. And then just the need in terms of half their border guard is currently engaged in combat operations, while you have the rest who are working to secure their western and southern borders and the surge in western and southern border crossings with the closure of Ukraine's airspace. You know, all of that contributes to an ongoing need for these skills and updated training on detecting passport forgeries and detecting imposters. And then you see that on the flip side with Moldova, they've seen a surge in the border crossings because a lot evacuated from Ukraine into Moldova. A lot of humanitarian NGOs and other people now fly into Kijanel to go to Ukraine. And so they've seen just a huge... spike in terms of the number of travel documents and also diversity in terms of different countries, different types of documents. And so that's why we've also been training Moldovan border police as well. 00:04:29    JACK GAINES Sure. So you're there to teach them how to spot forged documents, but is there also a follow on either by that nation's foreign affairs office or their law enforcement that tries to find the forger and remove them? 00:04:43    COLLEEN RYAN Yeah, there is very likely follow on. in terms of criminal investigations when they find forged documents or if they identify an imposter. But our project primarily focuses on those who are working on the first line and second line document checks to just spot the person posing as someone else. And then we do some work with the forensic experts after the fact to make sure that they've got that next level of training as part of their investigations. But primarily it's focusing on the first and second line officers. 00:05:14    JACK GAINES I'm sure they see all kinds of crazy stuff. Everything from the amateur glue stick to people who actually have passport printer creating forged documents. 00:05:24    COLLEEN RYAN Yeah, it's sad and it's also really interesting, the surge in the use of artificial intelligence and seeing the ways that they're incorporating things like morphing into the passport to their forgeries where two people can now travel on one passport using morphing images and things like that. It really just shows how quickly this field in terms of document forgeries is evolving and how much border services are struggling to keep up and to maintain their training so they can spot these techniques. Right, which is why they're starting to put chips and other special films that have a radio signature and stuff like that. 00:05:53    JACK GAINES they're starting to put chips and other special films that have a radio signature and stuff like that. You could print it, but to actually find those films or chips that have that radio signature has got to be a lot tougher. 00:06:08    COLLEEN RYAN Yeah, and a lot of it is just down to, like, Order guards are under a lot of stress and pressure and they don't have much time to spot the fakes. They're getting crushed by people. Yeah. So a lot of it is just making sure that they can spot some of these easier to identify orgery trends and to make a quicker decision before it gets to the point of really having to do an in -depth examination of the document. 00:06:32    JACK GAINES Yeah, I would imagine that you would see forgery trends because people would be going to the same forger and they would be doing similar patterns until that turned away. 00:06:41    COLLEEN RYAN Yeah. 00:06:41    JACK GAINES And what's it like working with all these different border guards from different countries? I mean, everyone has got to be a little different, but the same. 00:06:49    COLLEEN RYAN For me, it's interesting because I'm one of the few who has worked in policing, worked in this operational arena, kind of understands a lot of what they've done. And so you kind of speak the same language. It's interesting to hear from them, like what they view as their biggest security challenges and what their biggest day -to -day challenges are in terms of their work life. Because you see common trends across a lot of the services. A lot of them can be underpaid and that contributes to staff turnover. And so then that means you go back to a country to do more training because you have new staffs. But then to see how a country's security... You know, their perspective in terms of their biggest border security threats in Albania, where I trained in June, might be different from Bulgaria, where I trained last month. But, you know, it's still the commonalities of document forgeries, imposters, making sure your airports are secure and things like that. So I like talking with the border guards, such a different perspective across each country. Right. 00:07:51    JACK GAINES I think that's really helpful that you have a law enforcement background. helps break that ice. 00:07:58    COLLEEN RYAN I understand the perspective, but we're really just there to help and to fill the gaps that their service might not have the time or the funding to provide additional training because they've got the whole spectrum of border security issues to deal with within their service. And so that's where our organization or other international organizations doing these types of projects come in is just fill the gaps and help them develop their capacity. Especially with some other countries we train for where Frontex, maybe they're not working in that country. So then we can help supplement other EU or Frontex or IOM or UN initiatives and help to harmonize border security standards across Europe, South Caucasus, Central Asia. 00:08:45    JACK GAINES I don't want to just keep circling around Ukraine. Is there any stories you have from some of the other countries you worked with? What's your favorite beer hall story on those? 00:08:53    COLLEEN RYAN Yeah, I mean, most of my stories are with Ukraine because I've trained Ukraine so much. So I'm happy to talk about that. Yeah, I feel very fortunate so far in the last year and a half to have trained almost 50 Ukraine border guards. And I was able to go to meet with their administration and their main forensic center in June to do a needs assessment to see how we could keep supporting. to make sure we weren't duplicating efforts from other international organizations or other bilateral initiatives there because we do know it's a crowded space there. 00:09:28    JACK GAINES I'm sure talking to them, you could figure out pretty quickly what those border guards needed, even if they were getting training from two or three organizations, if they weren't hitting it on the head. Yeah. And what was nice for us is we were able to actually shadow them on their train from out west as entered from. 00:09:38    COLLEEN RYAN was nice for us is we were able to actually shadow them on their train from out west as entered from. Shamashil, Poland, and went to Lviv. And so we got to board on the Ukrainian side and just seeing what they're dealing with in terms of doing document checks aboard the trains now and the different challenges they have with that as opposed to what it would be like to check a document at the airport. It's a very different perspective and it gives you insights on things like lighting and being able to see different security features in the passport. With the lighting on the train and the time of day when they're doing the document check, the technical equipment that they have aboard and that may not be connecting to the cell tower or have service as the train moves. And so it gives you a different perspective to actually be there and see it instead of just hearing about it over a Zoom call or in a sterile training environment. And so then building on that. We've been able to take some of those lessons learned and put them into our training where we're encouraging them and reminding them to say, hey, how would you see this in different types of light settings, running different types of simulations, so it more accurately reflects the conditions that they'll be doing the document checks in. So what's coming up next? 00:10:57    JACK GAINES What's the future of training? Do you have anything interesting coming up that you want to promote? 00:11:02    COLLEEN RYAN Yes, through the rest of the year, we have a couple more study visits. And these are important because they help the border guards to learn from other counterparts. They will look through how this country that they're visiting manages their forgery desk at an airport or in their border service. And it really helps with networking and sharing more information in terms of what they're seeing in terms of detecting trends or alerts on forged documents. We've got a couple of study visits coming up next week. I'll be in Madrid with another group from Ukraine. The following week, I'll be with Albania and Milan. And then a week after that, I'll be in Dublin, Ireland with forensic experts from Ukraine's border service to round out the year. So it's a busy stretch right now. That's very cool. 00:11:50    JACK GAINES Do these multinational engagements, do they ever end up with countries with border guards doing a bilateral agreement on border protection? Or do they ever work on... building something like Eurogest, where if they find a forger from multiple countries, they'll work together to try to find out where the route is. Is that multinational cooperation starting to build, or have you seen it? 00:12:14    COLLEEN RYAN On a smaller level with us, we do see that. So at the operational level with these border guards, even in -country, being able to message colleagues around their own country. Or the experts that do our trainings are active document experts serving in their border service. So now they've got another resource, say, if we're using experts from Spain or the Netherlands or UK or Italy, then these trainees now have another resource to flag potential trends and forge documents or to ask questions if they're unsure. And then, you know, moving ahead, we'll be looking to do some more joint training between two or three countries. Especially if we do it with bordering countries, it will really help that collaboration to, say, connect the two participating states. And now they've got operational contacts to ping across the border to say, hey, we're seeing this. What are you seeing? Things like that. So it's a good opportunity for us to foster that collaboration and increase the information sharing with us through the training or study visits. Right. Because it's so important to have that contact. 00:13:23    JACK GAINES to have that contact. It's one thing when you see an issue and you want to reach out and you have to make that cold call and figure out who's the right person. It's better if you've made a contact, you know someone from training, you can just say, hey, what's this and what's going on? And they can just plug you in with the right person and then Zoom. You know, a problem's fixed versus making it a whole, oh, you have to talk to our embassy and our embassy has to write our embassy. And so it's great that those kind of cross -border contacts are being made because. Even though so much of Europe is dominated by the Schengen, there's still issues with legal immigration and criminal movement that each country still monitors what's going on and partners. And then those that are outside the Schengen zone, it's just as important for them to actually have that contact so they can partner and work on things to quickly spot forgeries, theft, criminal activity, then stop it before it becomes rampant. So that's awesome. 00:14:22    COLLEEN RYAN And it's just it's it's the first building block of really increasing that cooperation, especially with your neighboring state and contributing towards that angle of integrated border management and jointly managed VCP. So even being able to have frontline document inspectors from two neighboring countries being able to reach out, that's just your first building block to building that relationship. So, yeah, it's always useful to have those contacts. Must be fun to be in the middle of it. Yeah. And it's really rewarding. To get your group of border officers on day one, you've got 20 to 30 border officers from all across their country, wherever we're training, they're virtual strangers, and to see them learn to open up and engage and to learn from our experts and then start to share some of their challenges with me and to build those relationships, whether it's in a group or with our experts or with OSCE, it's super rewarding because then you just get to keep building from there and asking, okay, what's next? What do you need next in addition to these document trainings? What do your forensic experts need or what do your border control officers need? So, yeah, it's really rewarding to be able to deliver when you've got the funding and you've got the interest of participating states and to help them manage their borders better. 00:15:37    JACK GAINES You know, we kind of forgot to talk about who OSCE is, Organization for Security Cooperation in Europe. You want to give me a brief overview of what the organization is? Yes. But it does. 00:15:50    COLLEEN RYAN Yeah. So the OSCE is world's largest regional security organization, the state of 57 participating states. And we operate on a consensus -based approach where all participating states have to agree. And we utilize an approach of comprehensive security. And so this really helps us to support our participating states in developing. their security sector and to enhance resilience and to develop capacity to address transnational threats. So my border security management unit is situated within the Transnational Threats Department. So that's our goal is to help participating states build their capacity to confront a wide array of transnational threats that can harm their national security and pan security more broadly. Right. Now, when I think security, I think of NATO. 00:16:38    JACK GAINES I think of NATO. So you've got to be a little different. NATO is, of course, a military organization that deals with security from conflict, either deterrence or response to conflict or crisis, disaster. What is it that OSCE does in terms of security? 00:16:55    COLLEEN RYAN Our three dimensions are political, military, economic and environmental, and human dimension. So what you would traditionally think of as human rights. And so being able to take that comprehensive approach opens up. a library of opportunities for us in terms of what we can provide support on. And so my unit's mandate stems from our border security management concept that the OSC Ministerial Council adopted in 2005. So our mandate in terms of border security is pretty broad. And I think our bread and butter really is helping to develop capacity of our participating states and providing technical assistance. I mean, our unique added value is that we can provide this tailored approach and we're pretty responsive when participating states do approach us with needs. So it's a bit different from NATO since we're not providing military support. We're looking at long -term institutional capacity buildings, whether it's in border security, policing, security sector agencies. That's the core of our work. And can you talk about what the application process was like to get involved? It's different for each job. So OSC, you either have secondments, like when I am on, where your national authority nominates you, or you have the professional contract where OSC directly hires you. So for mine, I had to apply through my seconding authority in the U .S., and I was competing amongst the Americans who wanted to be nominated. And so then once I got past that, then the U .S. put my name forward in the process, and then it was straight into the OSC hiring process. It's a written exam, and then it was an oral interview, and then it's shortlisted, and you go from there. But if it's a contracted offer, obviously you skip the secondment stage of it, and it's applying straight to OSC in the typical HR process. So it's a little different. You just have to look at the job posting and if it's a secondment or not. 00:19:01    JACK GAINES They give you a salary. 00:19:02    COLLEEN RYAN Do they give you a housing allowance? 00:19:02    JACK GAINES give you a housing allowance? 00:19:04    COLLEEN RYAN Yeah, it's about when I was paying in the U .S. The really fun expense was moving my cats over. So that it's a week in a housing allowance. But it's different for contracted. So it really just depends on which job you're going for, contracted or second. 00:19:22    JACK GAINES Had you traveled internationally before you joined this position? 00:19:26    COLLEEN RYAN Yeah, I had traveled quite a bit. Back when I was still a police officer, I liked to take my leave time to go over to Europe. So I did travel a bit. But never officially. It was always first travel. It was always tourist travel. Yeah, no, I had very, very little duty travel as a cop. 00:19:43    JACK GAINES But I bet that travel helped with your application to say, yeah, I've been to Europe and I've toured around, even though I was a tourist. 00:19:50    COLLEEN RYAN Yeah, and travel is just a great educator. And I know it's expensive and not everyone can do it. Travel just gives you good life experience, especially if you're doing it solo and traveling in Europe and interacting with different cultures and just finding your way and being able to navigate and step outside of your American comfort zone. If you're looking to work internationally, in addition, obviously, to the job experience and language and whatnot, travel is just such a good educator and a good way to end your horizons. Right. And I'll tell you what, traveling and living someplace, 00:20:23    JACK GAINES living someplace, It's a whole new experience because you learned the trains when you traveled, but now you got to find out, get a lease and what that takes. 00:20:32    COLLEEN RYAN Yeah. And then if you don't speak German or you don't speak the local English, that adds another layer of complexity. So yeah, you're absolutely right. The difference between living somewhere and traveling is huge. 00:20:43    JACK GAINES But it's fun. And actually, once you've lived overseas, you start to do quirky things, I find. Like, I'll travel and I'll go to a grocery store just to see how they do their business there. Yeah. You know, you go to restaurants, but see how laundry is done or, you know, just how the public services are done because you think, man, if I had to live here, I'd have to drag my trash to the backyard this time. Or over here, they take it on the street or the Germans, they have to have a lockbox. 00:21:12    COLLEEN RYAN What's been really interesting for me is my American friends hear me speak now and they think I'm starting to lose my accent and I can't tell where I'm from or I'll... interact with Europeans over here and they can't quite pick up on my American accent and I think I'm from the UK or Ireland or Australia. So that's been a really interesting experience because I don't think about it. I just talk and just the little things that come when you're living abroad. 00:21:37    SPEAKER_00 Okay. I think we got everything we wanted. Is there anything left that you want to draw on the table? 00:21:44    COLLEEN RYAN As I've mentioned, I firmly believe that any type of security cooperation, defense cooperation is built on relationships and trust. And so there's two of the Ukrainians in particular that I've become close with because they joined our training last year. And then this year they served as trainers for us and they've joined a few study visits. And so through that, we've developed trust and become friends. So now it's gotten to a point where they know I'm a huge Swifty. Oh, no. 00:22:14    SPEAKER_01 no. 00:22:16    COLLEEN RYAN You're a Swifty? Yeah. 00:22:16    SPEAKER_01 a Swifty? 00:22:19    COLLEEN RYAN So they'll ask, oh, what's the Taylor Swift song we should listen to for this trip? Or what's your favorite Taylor Swift song these days? And it's just a funny example of how this all starts with just building those relationships and getting people's trust when you're working with your partner nations. Sure. 00:22:38    SPEAKER_01 I thought maybe you brought Taylor Swift to the border and you couldn't get her across. 00:22:44    COLLEEN RYAN No, but I did give them Taylor Swift friendship bracelets when I was in Ukraine in June. 00:22:50    SPEAKER_01 Oh my gosh. I was going to say, next time you see them, they'll be like, hey, still have my Taylor Swift. They had them in London last week, so they still have them. 00:22:57    COLLEEN RYAN week, so they 00:23:02    SPEAKER_01 They probably feel obligated, like I can't take it off. She'll think less of me. 00:23:10    SPEAKER_01 It was quite funny. Cool. 00:23:14    SPEAKER_01 But yeah, you're right. It's those relationships, right? You build them and then you can reach out and the people are there. It's so much easier than a cold call. So much easier. That's half the job. 00:23:25    COLLEEN RYAN On one hand, you can joke about Taylor Swift, but then on the other, they can come to you with more training needs or more requests for specific areas of engagement. 00:23:34    SPEAKER_01 Yeah, they know they're safe to do it. Yeah, exactly. By just talking to you. Yeah. 00:23:39    SPEAKER_01 Well, cool. Okay. Well, I got it. And I will say just one more thing that I should mention. 00:23:43    COLLEEN RYAN I will say just one more thing that I should mention. I'm able to do all this work because I'm very lucky that the U .S. mission has fully funded my project and recognize the importance of OSCE as a multilateral line of effort to strengthen international security and broaden our engagement. Honestly, the amount of funding they've given me has been a huge boost and really made this work possible. So I feel like I have to give them a shout out here. 00:24:11    SPEAKER_01 Cool. All right, Coley. Well, thanks a bunch. All right.

Andy Roddick talks with Eric Butorac, Director of Pro Tennis Operations and Player Relations at the US Open, to kick-off the US Open. Eric talks about his journey from DIII NCAA Tennis, to playing Euro Club tournaments, to being the President of the ATP Player Council. Andy and Eric talk about player relations at the US Open; are tennis players a bunch of divas? How do you un-glue someone from the stadium? And what's new this year with Fan Week kicking off the US Open?Served is sponsored by Olipop! Check out the link below and use the code: SERVED20 to get 20% off your order: https://drinkolipop.com/served20Want to have a hit with Andy Roddick  in one of the most iconic centre courts in history? Place your bid NOW for your chance have the ultimate tennis adventure. All proceeds go directly to the Andy Roddick Foundation, supporting opportunities for young people to thrive.Go to https://AAsheClinic.givesmart.com to register and place your bid.  Support the Show.Keep up with us on socials!Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/servedpodcast/X: https://twitter.com/Served_PodcastTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@served_podcast?_t=8jZtCnzdAnX&_r=1Watch the Episodes on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0k_--YLuTNuDvq1Dw4zHmw

In this episode, we speak with journalist Bashar Deeb from Lighthouse Reports about two investigations he worked on.   The first, called 'Frontex and the Pirate Ship', is a disturbing story of how the European Border and Coastguard Agency helped a notorious Libyan rebel group intercept a refugee boat in the Mediterranean.    The second, ‘Drowning in Lies', exposes how Greece tried to cover up its role in the Pylos shipwreck by tampering with witness testimony.   --Get in touch---   Twitter: @FleetCivil   Mastodon: @civilfleet@kolektiva.social   Instagram: thecivilfleet   info@civilfleet.com   civilfleet.com   Support:   ko-fi.com/civilfleet ---Show Notes--- Check out Lighthouse Reports here: lighthousereports.com   And follow them on Twitter: @LHreports   Read Frontex and the Pirate Ship here: lighthousereports.com/investigation/frontex-and-the-pirate-ship/   Read Drowning in Lies here: lighthousereports.com/investigation/drowning-in-lies/   For more on Frontex, see episodes 50 and 23 of The Civil Fleet Podcast   Read The Civil Fleet's coverage of Frontex, here: thecivilfleet.wordpress.com/tag/Frontex/   Check out this 2021 report by Sea-Watch called ‘Crimes of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency Frontex in the Central Mediterranean Sea' here: sea-watch.org/frontex_crimes/   For more on the Tariq Ben Zeyad unit, read this Amnesty International report: amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2022/12/libya-hold-commanders-of-tariq-ben-zeyad-armed-group-accountable-for-catalogue-of-horrors/   For more on the campaign group Refugees in Libya, check out episode 23 of The Civil Fleet Podcast   In early 2020, The Civil Fleet exposed how the EU planned to continue to support the Libyan Coastguard despite the bloc's concerns the government was violating the human rights of migrants and profiting from their detention: thecivilfleet.wordpress.com/2020/02/21/eu-to-continue-supporting-the-libyan-coastguard-despite-its-fears-of-human-rights-abuses/   Read this interview with a Somali refugee held in a bogus ‘refugee camp' in Libya: thecivilfleet.wordpress.com/2020/03/09/they-lock-our-legs-together-with-a-chain-an-interview-with-a-slave/   For more on Libya, check out episode 15 of The Civil Fleet Podcast   Check out episode 33 of The Civil Fleet Podcast for more on the situation at the Lithuania-Belarus border   For more on Malta's floating prisons, read this: maltatoday.com.mt/comment/blogs/102694/illegal_floating_prisons__carla_camilleri   The UK is also holding people on the move on a floating prison, called the Bibby Stockholm. For more on that, see episodes 44 and 40 of The Civil Fleet Podcast.    It was the Maersk Etienne that rescued 27 people in 2020, which Malta refused to allow to come ashore. Listen to episode 18 and/or, read about it here: bit.ly/3HyJMHU   For more on Alarm Phone, listen to episodes 48, 5, and 3 of The Civil Fleet Podcast. Read about them here, too: thecivilfleet.wordpress.com/tag/Alarm-Phone/    Read about the Crotone shipwreck here: msf.org/italy-over-60-people-killed-crotone-shipwreck    Read about the Pylos shipwreck, here: thecivilfleet.wordpress.com/2023/06/16/shipwreck-survivors-say-greek-coasts-towed-their-boat-before-it-sank/    Ben was trying to paraphrase this quote by Robert Fisk at the end of the episode: Journalists rarely "move mountains or bring down regimes; instead, we just chip, chip, chip away at the rock face, hoping that someone notices — so that no one can say ‘we didn't know'."

In this episode we speak with Josephine from Abolish Frontex, a decentralised network of activist groups focused on ending the EU's deadly border regime.   Josephine is going to tell us about Frontex, which is the European Border and Coastguard Agency, it's many scandals, it's operations within and outside Europe, and why it should be abolished.   We also talk about the International Day of Action the network is calling for on December 18th, demanding Frontex ends its operations in Africa.    --Get in touch---   Twitter: @FleetCivil   Mastodon: @civilfleet@kolektiva.social   Instagram: thecivilfleet   info@civilfleet.com   civilfleet.com   Support:  ko-fi.com/civilfleet ---Show Notes---   For more on Abolish Frontex visit: abolishfrontex.org   For more of the network's demands, see here: abolishfrontex.org/how   For more on the International Day of Action, see here: abolishfrontex.org/blog/2023/10/30/frontex-out-of-africa-join-our-international-action-day-on-18-12-2023/    For more on Frontex's involvement in pushbacks in Greece, read this: https://www.dw.com/en/eu-border-force-frontex-implicated-in-migrant-abuse/a-49892097   See this article for more on Frontex's involvement in the abuse of people on the move in the Balkans: balkaninsight.com/2020/02/06/frontexs-history-of-handling-abuse-evidence-dogs-balkan-expansion/   Read The Civil Fleet's coverage of Frontex, here: thecivilfleet.wordpress.com/tag/Frontex/   Ben mentions an arms fair that took place in London this summer. For more on that, see: stopthearmsfair.org.uk   For more on the Transnational Institue, go here: tni.org/en   Ben, briefly mentions Frag Den Staat (Ask the State). See here for more on them: fragdenstaat.de   And, check out episode 23 of The Civil Fleet Podcast with Frag Den Staat's Luisa Izuzquiza – in which we focus on Frontex   Want to know more about the Balkan route that Ben and Josephine briefly mention? Then check out episodes 41 (with No Nae Kitchen) and episode 8 (Border Violence Monitoring Network - BVMN)

In today's episode, we speak with SOS Humanity's human rights observer, Mirka Schäfer. Mirka tells us about the organisation's first rescue mission aboard the Humanity 1, and how it saved the lives of over 390 people in the central Mediterranean last month We hear about how the crew found 207 people in Malta's SAR zone who had been adrift at sea with no food and water for days.  After the crew brought them on board, the European authorities refused to allow the rescued to come ashore for another seven days. Mirka tells us all about that and what it was like when the ship's supplies began to run low.  ---Show Notes--- For more on SOS Humanity, visit: sos-humanity.org/en/home Follow SOS Humanity on Twitter here: @soshumanity_en For The Civil Fleet's coverage of SOS Humanity, see here: bit.ly/3V5ZaCx Read The Civil Fleet's coverage of the Humanity 1 here: bit.ly/3RHRMdV  For more on Alarm Phone, see episodes 3 and 5, or read about them here: bit.ly/3En4mvT To read the report that Mirka mentions in the interview, go here: bit.ly/3CMQVEB Mirka and Ben talk briefly about SOS Mediterranee. For more on them, see here: bit.ly/3SRTk5Y  Want to know more about the Nadir? Then check out episode 27 with Leon.  What is Frontex? It's the European Border and Coastguard Agency. Check out episode 23 with transparency activist Luisa Izuzquiza for a more in-depth look at them. Or read about it on The Civil Fleet, here: bit.ly/3EqjSaq For more on Frontex's cooperation with the Libyan Coastguards and its refusal to work with activist rescuers, see this interview with Sea Watch's head of airborne operations Tamino Bohm on The Civil Fleet: bit.ly/38lSc8T and read this exposé: bit.ly/3yuKjZq You can read the exclusive story Ben mentions at the beginning of the episode here: More people die in Home Office asylum-seeker accommodation in first six months of 2022 than in the whole of 2021: bit.ly/3SHRJ2X  Get in touch: @FleetCivil info@civilfleet.com Support:  ko-fi.com/civilfleet

This episode is the second and final edition of a two-part collaboration with the Netherlands Network for Human Rights Research (NNHRR) at T.M.C. Asser Institute for International & European Law. In this episode, we speak to Prof. Mariana Gkliati about one of Europe's most important border enforcement actors, Frontex. Particularly, we look at ways of holding the agency accountable for fundamental rights violations while zooming in on a spate of recent developments affecting Frontex and its future. Our Socials: Twitter: @JCLawPodcast Blog: https://juscogens.law.blog/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JCLawPodcast

In today's episode, we speak with Kathrin Schmidt, a rescue worker who saved the lives of 14,000 refugees in the Mediterranean Sea aboard the Iuventa five years ago.  This Saturday, May 21, she and three others from the ship are due to appear in an Italian court on charges of facilitating illegal entry into the country. They could all face 20 years behind bars.  The charges are bogus, of course, and Kathrin is going to tell us why. She will also explain how the Italian secret services wiretapped the Iuventa and surveilled journalists and lawyers speaking with their clients.  She will also explain what this case means for the future of activist-led sea rescues, and for the people on the move at Europe's edges. ---Show notes--- For more on the Iuventa, visit the website here: iuventa-crew.org If you can, you can set up a donation to them here: iuventa-crew.org/donate  Follow the Iuventa Crew on Twitter: @IuventaCrew You can also read this 2020 The Civil Fleet interview with Iuvena crew members Dariush Beigui and Hendrik Simon on their arrest here: bit.ly/38CdhMB And/or listen to episode 2, which features Sascha, the Iuventa's former head of operations You can read more of The Civil Fleet's Iuventa stories here: bit.ly/38EDH0e Read more about the EU-Turkey deal here: bit.ly/3wuQDPm  MRCC stands for Marine Rescue Coordination centre.  An SAR Zone stands for Search-and-rescue zone.  You can find a glossary of similar terms that often pop up on the podcast often here: bit.ly/3kGhkt0  Frontex is the European Border and Coastguard Agency. It has been accused of aiding the Greece authorities to illegally push people back across its borders and of assisting the Libyan Coastguard to intercept refugees escaping the country. See episode 23 for more. The Civil Fleet exposed how the EU's supposed training of the Libyan Coastguards, and Frontex's relationship with them, only made matters worse for those trying to escape across the Mediterranean. Read that here: bit.ly/3yNtYPH  Carola Rackete is an environmental and human rights activist from German. In June 2019, while captaining the Sea-Watch 3 and carrying 40 rescued refugees for 17-days, she sailed into port against the commands of the Italian authorities. She was placed under house arrest. But, in January 2020, Italy's highest court said she should never have been arrested nor charged with anything. You can read about that here: bit.ly/3sMCY3N  Sean Binder is another activist who has been arrested, detained and dragged through the courts for having saved hundreds of refugees lives. He appears in episode 16 of The Civil Fleet Podcast, along with Madi Williamson, a qualified nurse who has faced similar troubles for her humanitarian work.  The Samos 2 are two refugees, known as N and Hasan, who have been put on trial in Greece. Hasan was charged with human trafficking because he allegedly drove the boat they were on. N lost his son when their boat crashed as they approached the shore. He became the first refugee ever to be charged with "endangering the life of his child." On Wednesday, May 18, 2022, N was found innocent and Hasan was freed on a suspended sentence. You can read more about them here: freethesamostwo.com In the UK, the Appeals Court overturned the sentences of four people who were sent to prison for having driven dinghies across Channel. You can read about that here: bit.ly/3Lv2p0k  The Civil Fleet revealed in March 2021 that the UK government was spending up to £1 billion ($1.2bn / €1.1bn) on drones to fly over the Channel, the sole purpose of which appeared to be to help the state prosecute people seen driving the boats. Read about that here: bit.ly/3yNs0ik  Get in touch: @FleetCivil info@civilfleet.com civilfleet.com Support:  ko-fi.com/civilfleet

In today's episode, we speak with transparency activist Luisa Izuzquiza from the German campaign group Frag Den Staat (Ask the State).  She tells us why Frag Den Staat and Sea-Watch are launching legal action against Frontex, the European Border and Coastguard Agency. She also explains why Frontex is an inherently violent institution that is incompatible with human rights, and why it should be abolished.  ---Show notes--- Check out Frag Den Staat's English website: fragdenstaat.de/en Follow Frag Den Staat on Twitter: @fragdenstaat Take a read of Frag Den Staat's press release on why they and Sea-Watch are taking legal action against Frontex: bit.ly/3sqPO7C Be sure to read up on Luisa Izuzquiza's work with Frag Den Staat here: bit.ly/3FP1dnz  For more on Switzerland's Frontex referendum, see here: frontex-referendum.ch/en/ And be sure to check out Abolish Frontex too: abolishfrontex.org/ Should you want to, you can see Frontex's official website here: frontex.europa.eu  For more on Frontex's cooperation with the Libyan Coastguards and its refusal to work with activist rescuers, see this interview with Sea Watch's head of airborne operations Tamino Bohm on The Civil Fleet: bit.ly/38lSc8T and read this exposé: bit.ly/3yuKjZq You can read about former Frontex director Fabrice Leggeri's resignation on Politico here: politi.co/3M6IAOa  For more on Sea-Watch, see episodes 1 and 22 of The Civil Fleet Podcast.  A few times throughout the interview, Ben and Luisa refer to freedom of information requests by the initialism FOI.  Luisa mentions the 15M movement in Spain. You can read about them here: bit.ly/3M7se7P  For more on Spain's intelligence agency and its recent scandals, check out this story I wrote for the Morning Star in January: bit.ly/3yw7p28 and this more recent story in the Guardian newspaper: bit.ly/3yKGccb  For more on the threats to the freedom of information in Britain, see this 2021 article from the Press Gazette: bit.ly/3P6r2U6 and follow the Campaign for Freedom of Information's updates here: cfoi.org.uk If you'd like to learn more about FOI requests or make on in Britain, be sure to check out What Do Thet Know: whatdotheyknow.com  Lighthouse Reports revealed last month that Frontex aided at least 957 refugee pushbacks by Greece in 2020-2021. You can read more about that here: bit.ly/3ONFikm  Ben and Luisa briefly talk about the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla. For more on the refugee situation in Ceuta, check out episode 6 of The Civil Fleet Podcast with No Name Kitchen activist Irina Get in touch: @FleetCivil info@civilfleet.com Support:  ko-fi.com/civilfleet

What is Frontex? The end of last week saw the resignation of Frontex director Fabrice Leggeri. It's not the first time the European Border and Coast Guard Agency has made headlines for the wrong reasons. This time it's relating to complicity in illegal pushbacks of asylum seekers. An investigation report is expected soon and its French head Leggeri decided to jump before being pushed, after initial findings were released and didn't look favourable. How did Frontex grow to be such an important entity? Why don't EU countries just look after their own borders? How good a job does Frontex do at protecting European borders? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions! To listen to the last episodes, you can click here: What is Web 3.0? What is a home exchange? What is the Tower of Babel? A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance. In partnership with upday UK. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today's episode, speedboat driver Brendan talks to us about the Sea-Watch 3's latest rescue mission in the Mediterranean, and what happened when he came across a shipwreck.  He also talks about how the Libyan Coastguards also handed over the people they'd saved over to his speedboat.  --- Show notes --- For more on Sea-Watch, visit: sea-watch.org/en Follow Sea-Watch on Twitter here: @seawatch_intl You can read Brendan's evocative article on the fourth rescue operation on The Civil Fleet here: bit.ly/3y2U296  For more on Derbyshire Refugee Solidarity, see here: derbyshirerefugeesolidarity.org Operation Mare Nostrum, which Brendan mentions in the episode, was an Italian search-and-rescue mission that saved over 150,000 of lives in the central Mediterranean. It was replaced by several EU navy missions: Operation Triton, Operation Sophia, etc. However, since 2019, the only dedicated rescue assets in the central Mediterranean have been those run by charities, activists and NGOs.  Brendan mentions the Colibri, which is a reconnaissance plane operated by the French NGO Pilotes Volontaires. You can find out more about them here: @PVolontaires or at pilotes-volontaires.org He also mentions Sea-Watch's reconnaissance plane Moonbird. You can read more about that here: bit.ly/38zRCEq or check out episode 1, in which Sea-Watch's Felix tells us all about it. Brendan refers to himself as "an angry Geordie" at one point in the interview. A Geordie is a nickname for people who come from Newcastle, in the northeast of England. Frontex is the European Border and Coastguard Agency. It has been accused on multi occasions of helping the Libyan Coastguards pull people back to Libya while ignoring NGO rescuers in the Mediterranean. The investigative journalists at Lighthouse Reports revealed this week that Frontex aided at least 957 refugee pushbacks by Greece in 2020-2021. You can read about it here: bit.ly/3ONFikm  Apologies for the loud sound around 55 minutes in. That was me taking off my glasses to wipe away a tear. Get in touch: @FleetCivil info@civilfleet.com Support:  ko-fi.com/civilfleet

Ash Bhardwaj is a travel-writer, film-maker and storyteller. He has written publications like The Daily Telegraph, The Times and Huffington Post as well as producing programmes for Channel 4, the BBC, Animal Planet and Terra Mater. 
 He recently just finished an 8500km overland trip from the top of Norway to Romania, exploring former Soviet countries and their neighbours like Ukraine, at a time of increased tensions between Russia and the West. With everything happening in the world today, this is a very timely conversation and I always love connecting with other like minded travelers. 
You can learn more about Ash at https://www.ashbhardwaj.com/

In the eighteenth episode of Geostrategy360, Viktorija speaks with His Excellency Renatas Norkus, Lithuanian Ambassador to the United Kingdom. They discuss the current border crisis between Belarus and Poland - and how it might impact Lithuania - as well as the likelihood of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Unleashing the Kraken: Secret Pentagon Army, Corruption Accusations, European Border Crisis & More.

In this new episode we dive into the incredible story on how Fortress Europe is being constructed by a European agency called the ‘European Border and Coast Guard Agency' AKA Frontex, almost in the dark and without any democratic oversight. With billions of EU taxpayer's money and the help of dozens of lobbyists from defense, arms and surveillance technology industries, Frontex is creating a world that George Orwell would have found inspiring when writing his book ‘1984'.In the first weekend of February the website of CEO and German TV program ZDF Magazin Royal almost crashed. Reason? The publication of the Frontex Files. Three researchers - Myriam Douo, Luisa Izuzquiza and Margarida Silva - published the analysis of the relationship between the Frontex and a multitude of corporate interests, mostly companies from the Defence, Arms and surveillance technology sectors. The publication was called ‘Lobbying Fortress Europe - The making of a border-industrial complex.Based on over 130 documents covering meetings from 2017 to 2019, the research found an agency that is in constant and systematic contact with arms, surveillance and biometrics industry representatives. This while Frontex told the European Parliament a few years ago it never meets with lobbyists. The new research found that industry lobbyists are pushing a narrative where migrants are a security threat for which the solution is to spend more public money acquiring their equipment (from guns, drones, surveillance equipment to facial recognition tools).Many of these techno-fixes could have serious human rights consequences, not only for refugees but also for European citizens. That is certainly the case with biometrics technology, including facial recognition surveillance. Yet, human rights organisations or experts on fundamental rights are kept out of Frontex's discussions. The three researchers also found that the massive expansion of the budget and power of Frontex in just a few years has unfortunately not been matched by an increase in transparency, accountability, nor scrutiny. The LIBE Committee in the European Parliament very recently announced the creation of a working group to hold Frontex accountable.Both CEO and Counter Balance raise awareness on the importance of good governance in the European Union, by researching issues like lobbying of large and powerful industries, corporate capture of decision making, corruption, fraud, human rights violations in areas like agro-business, biotech & chemical companies, the financial sector & public investment banks, trade, energy & climate, scientific research and much more...You can find us on iTunes, Spotify & Buzzsprout. Stay tuned for more independent and in-depth information that concerns every EU-citizen! 

How do HD real-time camera feeds support international border patrols in tackling crime, and life or death rescue missions? This two-part series offers an insight into how SES satellite communications are being translated by our customer, DEA Aviation Ltd, based in Nottinghamshire UK. Their clients include Frontex (the European Border and Coast Guard Agency), Ordnance Survey, arable farmer and many more. John Sullivan and Dicky Patounas from the DEA management team explain why they rely upon SES for airborne ISR, conducting aerial surveys and providing specialised commercial air services. Plus, the series shines a spotlight on the life and career of an aviator - and how several decades of working in the Royal Air Force still serves the DEA team today. Satellite Stories is presented by SES Senior Creative Specialist, Kristina Smith-Meyer. For more about what we do, visit SES.com

Admit it. You forgot about the refugee crisis. COVID-19 does a lot of nasty stuff to us, and one of its most neglected symptoms is our ability to forget about all the other crises in Europe. The massive waves of asylum-seekers seem gone, mostly. But how come they are? Plenty of reasons to name here, but one of them is Frontex: the newly established European Border and Coast Guard. Being the first body that can call itself a kind of "European police", its aim is to defend the EU's borders at any costs. The costs are, as expected, high. And they're paid by the refugee. Martin Alberdí Rodriguez (a Madrid political scientist), Jules Ortjens (a Dutch local leader of liberal European party Volt), and Federico Giovannini (a Bologna-based Marxist political philosopher) get you in 40 minutes through the chaos at the shores of Greece. Who are Europe's new police forces? And is Frontex actually a good idea? MUSIC: Charles Ortjens-Straatman PICTURE: Edward Lich

In the aftermath of the so-called “refugee crisis” of 2015-16, the migration regime consolidating in Europe entails the management of newcoming populations through their accommodation in camps. This talk will account for neglected aspects of this process in the case of Greece, focusing on the everyday economic practices, interactions and networks emerging in, around and […]

006: Renske, Nico and Sophie begin a series of three episodes on the pillars that make up Volt's platform, the first being "Make the EU more humane". In this episode, the panel discusses the expansion of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency and a new EU resolution, "Afrophobia: Europe should confront this legacy of colonialism and the slave trade". Renske interviews Laurens Dassen, the president of Volt Nederland. voltnederland.org | @voltnlpodcast | podcast@volteuropa.org Podcast produced by Nicolás López Coombs and Renske Ebbers. Music by Night shall eat these girls and boys. https://nightshalleat.bandcamp.com

Migration in rational terms is little more than a self-made political crisis. S. Mordue observes that the flows of migrants dropped from 1.2 million during the 2015 Syrian crisis to 160 000 today and regrets that, four months ahead of the European elections, Parliament and Council agreed on 5 of the 7 proposals made by the Commission in 2016 but have not yet adopted them. Solidarity and responsibility mean the frontline countries deal with asylum claims, the others being called to share the burden: this is the Dublin Regulation (in need of reform now). When this is not in place, migrants move on: instead of establishing internal border controls within the Schengen zone, the Commission proposes a mix of relocations, disincentives and the administrative and operational support provided by the reinforced European Border and Coast guards and the EU Agency for Asylum. There is also a huge need for convergence in the way asylum seekers are protected: the Commission proposes that the EU agency collects information on reception conditions in the Member states and their regions. The Agenda on migration provides for a legal pathway for asylum seekers directly from third countries, with financial compensation for resettlements paid directly to the receiving Member states. The EU also engages with third countries to ensure voluntary returns, readmission of nationals and a regional disembarkation mechanism aiming to avoid deaths at sea. Better management of migration also means organising circular migration, seasonal labour, readmission of nationals by third countries. Overall, the EU today needs a holistic approach to migration, in line with its labour needs and with European and international standards for human rights.

The politicians of the Czech Republic are awaiting other European countires' policies on border protection in the recent migration situation. There is a possibility Germany could control their borders which would lead to a change in migration ways. More with Ivan Hoffman. - Česko se musí zabývat scénářem, kdy by Německo začalo hlídat své hranice vzhledem k migrační situaci v Evropě. Cesta migrantů by se v tom případě změnila. Andrej Babiš svolal bezpečnostní radu státu. Víc s Ivanem Hoffmanem.

Refugee Law Initiative End-of-year event: From Frontex to the European Border and Coast Guard Mariana Gkliati (Leiden University) Join the Refugee Law Initiative for our end-of-year public lecture.

Refugee Law Initiative End-of-year event: From Frontex to the European Border and Coast Guard Mariana Gkliati (Leiden University) Join the Refugee Law Initiative for our end-of-year public lecture.

Current migratory pressures and flows in the management of the EU’s external borders in some member states have revamped the idea of a European Border and Coast Guard system. The Commission has already put a proposal on the table. Find out more in this EPRS Plenary podcast. NB Please note this item has been postponed to a later plenary session.Source : © European Union - EP

An ethnographic border regime analysis showing that the governing of migration remains an attempt to control rather than effecting a total control of movement, and that marriage becomes an important strategy for migrants' mobility According to article 16 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 'men and women of full age, without limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family'. This should entail that citizens from so-called 'third countries' married to a citizen of an EU member state also have the right to enter the Schengen area in order to join their partner, regardless of their social background and resources. However, states intend to regulate migration and during the last decade 'marriage migration' has become a specific target of control. One can observe an increasing problematisation and politicisation of 'marriage migration' – especially from Muslim countries – which led to more restrictive policies towards this group of migrants, for example through required language certificates or verifications of genuine marriages. In order to analyse the struggles around mobility and its control in the context of 'marriage migration', I carried out multi-sited ethnographic research in Morocco and Germany. In the sense of a 'studying through' (Shore/Wright) I conducted interviews in institutions implementing migration policies, followed different state and non-state actors that are part of the border regime and studied the practices of migrants who attempt to use this legal opportunity for migration. This ethnographic border regime analysis (Transit Migration Research Group) shows that the governing of migration remains an attempt to control rather than effecting a total control of movement, and that marriage becomes an important strategy for mobility through which migrants exercise their agency in order to cross borders and realise their aspirations.

The current migratory crisis is forcing Europe to rethink its border-management policy and revamp old ideas and put forward ambitious plans such as the setting up of a European Border and Coast Guard System. Find out more about the latest proposals in this podcast.Source : © European Union - EP

A public lecture by Virginie Guiraudon, Centre Nationale de la Recherche Scientifique, Lille