Serbia stands as the final country along the so-called Balkan refugee route that lies outside the European Union, yet shares borders with four EU member states. In this context, we can witness efforts to fortify the external European borders. Milica Svabic, part of our partner organization klikAktiv, provides further insights into the situation.

Dr Mazen Dahhan (46) is a survivor of the shipwreck on 11 October 2013, the day 268 people died off Lampedusa, including his wife and three children. He has a message for the officers of the Italian coast guard and navy who ignored their distress calls and are thus responsible for the deaths of the people.

The European Union wants to tighten its rules for asylum procedures once again and the countries at the borders will keep the main responsibilities. Minos Mouzourakis is part of our Greek team “Refugee Support Aegean” (RSA). He explains the Greek discourse and the consequences expected from the reform of the “Common European Asylum System” (CEAS).

In 2022, many German politicians agreed that Russian deserters, draft evaders and conscientious objectors should be protected. But the German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) is creating other facts. PRO ASYL and Connection e.V. demand clear improvements for conscientious objectors from all sides who do not want to fight in this war

The Opportunity-Residence-Act (§ 104c AufenthG) came into force on 31.12.2022. This means that it can be applied for immediately. The Opportunity-Residence-Act is valid for three years, so it can be applied for up to and including 30.12.2025.

The attack by Putin's army on Ukraine in violation of international law forced and continues to force millions of people to flee. We would like to give those affected, their family members, friends and supporters an orientation on the regulations that now apply to them in Germany and what their prospects are.

Herbert Leuninger was the co-founder and charismatic spokesperson of PRO ASYL, the mind behind the PRO ASYL movement when asylum law was at risk of abolition in Germany in 1993. He dedicated his life to defending refugees and human rights. Herbert Leuninger died in Limburg on 28 July 2020 at the age of 87.

Following two requests for interim measures before the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), two unaccompanied children from Syria aged 12 and 13 are finally transferred to a shelter for minors after over two months of confinement in unsafe conditions.

On 7 June 2019, the German Parliament adopted several amendments which regulate immigration- and asylum-related issues. Amongst them is the very controversial “Orderly Return Law” (Geordnete-Rückkehr-Gesetz) which toughens the rules on deportations. The amendments are not yet enacted but will be passed on to the second chamber, the Bundesrat.

Three years after the implementation of the EU Turkey Deal in March 2016, EU and Greece still struggle to address the consequences of the established status quo. Based on three examples, Refugee Support Aegean and PRO ASYL disclose the prevailing malfunction of the reception system, which still responses to emergencies only.