18 December 2017

In the evening of 14 December, the Spanish Guardia Civil apprehended a dangerous and armed fugitive, a Serbian national nicknamed “Igor the Russian”, in the Province of Teruel, Spain. A shooting occurred during the arrest, and two officers of the Guardia Civil and a third Spanish citizen tragically died as a result.

The arrested fugitive was sought by the Italian Authorities for two murders and other serious crimes committed in Italy. The Public Prosecution Office of Bologna, which coordinated the Italian investigation carried out by the Italian Carabinieri, sought the support of the judicial and law enforcement authorities of Spain, Serbia, Austria and France to identify the fugitive’s whereabouts and apprehend him. Their fruitful collaboration and mutual support was instrumental to Thursday’s apprehension.

In particular, the Italian and Spanish authorities formed a close partnership to secure the arrest of this dangerous fugitive, coordinated by Eurojust and supported by the Italian Central Directorate for Anti-drugs Services (Direzione centrale per i Servizi antidroga – DCSA).

Within the framework of this close cooperation, the Italian and Spanish authorities exchanged several rogatory letters, shared operational information and organised technical and operational activities on Spanish territory.

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EASO enhances support to Italian asylum system

The European Asylum Support Office (EASO) and the Italian authorities have signed a new Operating Plan which will see the Agency expand its support in the country in 2018.

The 2018 Operating Plan was signed by the Executive Director of EASO, José Carreira, on behalf of the Agency, and the Head of the Department of Public Security, Franco Gabrielli, the Head of the Department of Civil Liberties and Immigration, Gerarda Maria Pantalone, and the Ombudsperson of Children and Adolescents, Filomena Albano, on behalf of Italy.

EASO has been increasingly active in Italy since 2013 and deploys over 200 staff throughout the country in order to provide support to the Italian authorities. The 2018 Operating Plan will add a new dimension to EASO’s activities by mandating the Agency to have an enhanced role in supporting with the handling of registration of applications for international protection, including through the preparation of files in the National Asylum procedure. This measure aims at relieving some of the pressures on the Italian Asylum System.

Welcoming the new agreement, Mr. Carreira stated: “EASO’s cooperation with the Italian authorities over the past four years has been nothing short of excellent. The 2018 Operating Plan, which gives EASO the opportunity to further-increase our assistance, is a testament to the mutual trust and good-faith which exists between the Agency and our Italian colleagues. As with previous years, EASO will spare no resource in ensuring that we deliver on all the mandated measures and therefore provide tangible support to the Italian asylum and reception system.”

In addition to the new measures, EASO will continue to sustain the operational and technical assistance it has been providing in 2017. This includes support with information-dissemination and registrations of potential applicants; support with processing Dublin cases; strengthening reception capacity, especially with regard to unaccompanied minors; support in the professional development of the staff of the Department of Civil Liberties and Immigration, within the Italian Ministry of Interior, as well as in activities in the field of COI; and support to the Italian Ombudsperson for Children and Adolescents in implementing protection measures for unaccompanied minors. 

On 22 November 2017, EASO and the Italian Government signed a Hosting Arrangement establishing the legal modalities through which the Agency’s presence in Italy were formalised. Facilitated by this Arrangement, and in order to ensure the proper implementation of the 2018 Operating Plan, EASO will sustain the deployment of the experts and cultural mediators to Italy and provide the necessary material, technical and operational support. 
 

Any further information may be obtained from the European Asylum Support Office on the following email address: press@easo.europa.eu 
 

On the occasion of International Migrant Day on 18 December, Frans Timmermans, First Vice-President of the Commission, Federica Mogherini, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the Commission, Johannes Hahn, Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, Neven Mimica, Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, Dimitris Avramopoulos, Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship, Christos Stylianides, Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, and Věra Jourová, Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality, made the following statement:  

“On International Migrant Day, we remember all those who live outside their county of birth and are on the move – either by choice or forcibly. We remember that our own continent, Europe, is built on migration. Our common history is marked by millions of people fleeing from persecution, war or dictatorship – looking only 100 years back. Today, our European Union allows people across the continent to freely travel, to study and work in other countries. This has made Europe one of the richest places in the world – in terms of culture, of economy, of opportunities and in terms of liberties. But this day is also an occasion to remember those who have left their homes, in the face of conflict, political oppression, poverty or lack of hope, and who struggle to build a new and decent life elsewhere. While for some, migration is a positive and empowering experience, too many others have to endure human rights violations, xenophobia, exploitation and unacceptable living conditions along their journeys.  

Protecting and upholding the fundamental rights and freedoms of all migrants, regardless of their status, has always been and will always be our priority. This is at the heart of our European Agenda on Migration. We are working relentlessly, inside and outside the European Union, in close cooperation with our Member States and our international partners to save lives, provide protection, offer safe and legal pathways for migration and tackle the root causes that force people to leave their homes in first place, as well as fight the criminal networks that often take advantage of people’s despair.    

We have a shared responsibility towards people on the move and we need to act on a global scale to support them and to uphold the safety, dignity and human rights of migrants and refugees. It requires the engagement and the consistent implementation of international agreements by all.

Europe is committed to remaining the continent of solidarity, tolerance and openness, embracing its share of global responsibility. And for those who we have recently welcomed to Europe, we want the same as we want for all Europeans, namely to prosper and flourish and contribute to a better future for our continent.  

We strongly support the 2016 New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants and will continue to actively work towards the adoption of the UN Global Compacts on Migration and on Refugees at the United Nations.“  

Background 

Over the past 20 years, the European Union has put in place some of the highest common asylum standards in the world. And in the past two years, European migration policy has advanced in leaps and bounds with the European Agenda on Migration proposed by the Juncker Commission in May 2015. Progressively, a more united approach to dealing with migration is emerging, internally and externally. 

Internally, work has been intensified on the reform of the Common European Asylum System to put in place a more effective and fair approach, based on solidarity and responsibility, alongside continuous support to the Member States most exposed and reinforced cooperation with partner countries. 

The European Union has also stepped up its efforts to protect vulnerable groups, in particular children who are among the most exposed of migrants, including through new Guidelines on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of the Child and recommendations on the protection of children in migration.

Externally, the EU has progressively put in place a genuine external dimension of its migration policy, complementing and reinforcing its actions within the Union. The 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development recognises the positive contribution of migrants for inclusive growth and sustainable development. It also recognises that both challenges and opportunities of migration must be addressed through coherent and comprehensive responses.   

Along the migratory routes, we are working to save people’s lives with our international partners, such as the UN agencies. We are fighting the criminal networks involved in migrant smuggling and in trafficking in human beings, through our Common Security and Defence Policy missions and operations on the ground and by supporting regional initiatives, such as the G5 Sahel Joint Force. We are also conducting search and rescue operations at sea, with the support of the European Border and Coast Guard and EUNAVFOR MED Operation Sophia. These efforts help to save thousands of lives every month.   

The EU also works on opening up safe and legal pathways through resettlement – to allow those in need of protection to come to Europe without having to risk their lives in the desert and at sea. An ambitious target for the resettlement of 50,000 persons in need of international protection was set by President Juncker in September 2017. A particular focus should be put on resettlement from North Africa and the Horn of Africa, notably Libya, Egypt, Niger, Sudan, Chad and Ethiopia, whilst ensuring continued resettlement from Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon.

We also continue, jointly with our UN and civil society partners on the ground, to support concrete actions in Libya and along the migratory routes, to ensure the respect of human rights, improve migrants’ living conditions and assist migrants and refugees, who too often become victims of smuggling and trafficking networks. The establishment of a joint Task Force between the African Union, the United Nations and the EU, is an important step that will help to accelerate our joint work. In concrete terms, actions will aim to evacuate those in need of international protection to Europe, accelerate the assisted voluntary returns to countries of origin for those stranded in Libya, as well as intensify our efforts to dismantle criminal networks.  

For More Information 

Joint African Union-European Union-United Nations Task Force to Address the Migrant Situation in Libya

2016 New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants

Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on the protection of children in migration

EU Guidelines on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of the Child

In the early hours of 18 December 2017, the Estonian presidency reached a provisional agreement with representatives of the European Parliament on all four legislative proposals of the waste package. EU ambassadors will be briefed on the outcome on 20 December, but the final analysis and endorsement on behalf of the Council is planned for the first quarter of next year.

The agreed waste legislative proposals establish binding waste reduction targets and updated rules to decrease waste generation, ensure a better control of waste management, encourage the reuse of products and improve recycling in all EU countries.

These new targets and rules will promote a more circular economy. It will also boost growth and jobs, protect our environment, encourage sustainability and improve people’s health and well-being.

In the EU, nearly a third of municipal waste is landfilled, with a limited share of the total being recycled. With this agreement, EU member states are committing to clear EU targets on reuse, recycling and landfilling and rules to improve the management of different waste streams. This will help accelerate our transition towards a circular economy and minimise our impact on the planet. I want to sincerely thank the previous Council presidencies, the Parliament and the Commission for their dedication to this file. I hope the member states can now endorse this well-balanced and thoroughly negotiated compromise.

Siim Kiisler, Minister for the Environment of the Republic of Estonia

This provisional deal comes after lengthy and tough negotiations with the Parliament since May 2017. It amends the following six pieces of legislation:

• Waste framework directive (considered the umbrella legislative act of the package)
• Packaging waste directive
• Landfill directive
• Directives on electrical and electronic waste, on end-of-life vehicles; and on batteries and accumulators and waste batteries and accumulators

The key elements of the agreed text include:

• clearer definitions of key waste concepts
• new binding targets at EU level for waste reduction to be met by 2025 and 2030, and 2035. These targets cover the share of municipal waste and packaging waste recycling (with specific targets for various packaging materials), and also a target for municipal waste landfilled by 2035
• stricter methods and rules to calculate the progress made towards those targets
• stricter requirements for the separate collection of waste, reinforced implementation of the waste hierarchy through economic instruments and additional measures for member states to prevent waste generation
• minimum requirements for extended producer responsibility schemes. Producers under these schemes are responsible for the collection of used goods, sorting and treatment for their recycling. Producers will be required to pay a financial contribution for that purpose calculated on the basis of the treatment costs.

The European Commission presented a revised circular economy package on 3 December 2015. It consists of four waste legislative proposals (waste package) and an Action Plan in the form of a Commission Communication.

The action plan was discussed during the Competitiveness Council on 29 February 2016 and the Environment Council on 4 March 2016. Taking into account both discussions from an economic and environmental perspective, the Council adopted conclusions on the plan in the Environment Council of 20 June 2016.

On 19 May 2017, following intense work and the involvement of three Council Presidencies (The Netherlands, Slovakia and Malta), EU ambassadors agreed a mandate on the waste package paving the way for informal negotiations with the European Parliament. The co-legislator already had its position adopted on 14 March.

The first trilogue took place on 30 May and since then, five additional negotiation rounds have been taken place.

EU ambassadors will be debriefed on the outcome of the last trilogue on 20 December. The final analysis of the text will take place under the incoming Bulgarian presidency with a view to confirm the agreement.

After formal approval, the new legislation will be submitted to the European Parliament for a vote at first reading and to the Council for final adoption.

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