Saturday

5th Sep 2015

Frontex chief looks beyond EU borders

EU border control agency Frontex is looking to buy drones and satellite images to monitor migrant behaviour beyond the Union's borders.

News in Brief

  1. UN climate chief: No such thing as ideal pace for pre-Paris talks
  2. UK to accept 'thousands more' Syrian refugees
  3. Talks next week to soothe Northern Ireland tension
  4. Putin wants new 'coalition to fight terrorism'
  5. Lithuanian President: We must show solidarity on migration
  6. ECB signals plan to buy more bonds
  7. Report: Bulgaria and Hungary turn to Israel for fence technology
  8. EU to start destroying Mediterranean smugglers' boats
Fortress Europe

EUobserver's Nikolaj Nielsen visited the Greek-Turkish border in November to see what 'Fortress Europe' means in practice for refugees and people smugglers trying to get into the Union.

EUobserver investigative reports

EUobserver's 'Fortress Europe' series looks at refugee and immigration networks operating on the edge of Europe, focusing on the 12.5-km Greek 'wall' completed late last year.

About Nikolaj Nielsen

Nikolaj Nielsen is a Danish-American journalist working for EUobserver in Brussels. He won a King Baudouin Foundation grant for investigative journalism in 2010.

Fortress Europe: a Greek wall close up

A 12.5km fence rolled with barbwire along the Greek Turkish border is part of a larger initiative to secure Europe from migrants seeking a better life.

Land border sealed, Greek police chief says

A chief of police in north-eastern Greece says irregular migrants no longer cross into the country from Turkey. Land mines from World War II are among the deterrents.

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. DiesisFacility Management in the Healthcare sector & ECVET in Europe: 15/09, Brussels
  2. EJCCalls For Immediate Suspension of EU Labour Union Head After Anti-Semitic Abuse
  3. EIPAEU Agencies in the Post-Lisbon Regulatory Framework: Luxembourg, 17-18 Sept. 2015
  4. Centre Maurits CoppetiersConference on Democracy & European Emerging Values: 10 September, Barcelona
  5. European Festival AssociationEFFE Award Ceremony and Community Launch - Paris, 27 September
  6. EDRIOnline privacy for kids? Help us crowdfund a textbook!
  7. Red CrossGlobal initiative seeks local solutions to global problems
  8. ACCANew Report asks the world's smallest businesses "Are You Ready For Growth ?"
  9. FACEThe Return of The Wolf To The European Landscape: EU Parliament, 15 Sep 2015
  10. ICRCWeapons: ICRC sounds alarm on arms trade

MEPs' Highlights

  1. Cecilia WikströmHungary tearing down wall in ’89, putting up wall in 2015 – ALDE MEPs urge Commission to act before border fence is built
  2. Cecilia WikströmCynical to see leaders haggling over the number of asylum seekers
  3. Eva PaunovaEva Paunova supports Alliance for YOUth
  4. Danuta HübnerDanuta Hübner will chair the AFCO Hearing on The institutional future of the European Union within and beyond the Treaty of Lisbon
  5. Cecilia WikströmEC proposal on migration Important step to tackle immediate crises, but more needed to solve the root causes
  6. Jerzy BuzekClusters form 'the backbone of EU regional policy'