Silencing Voices in Italy: The Erosion of Media Freedom REPORT Italy's media is in crisis, battling legal onslaughts and facing a surge of censorship one year after the establishment of the far-right government led by Giorgia Meloni. By Sielke Kelner
Migration agreement with Egypt: EU backing the wrong horse COMMENTARY The European Commission has signed a new agreement with Egypt. One of the aims is to reduce migration to Europe. But this will most likely not succeed. By Anna Schwarz
Pact with the devil, or a big fresh start? Controversial views on the EU’s New Pact on Migration and Asylum ANALYSIS On December 20, 2023, the European Parliament, the Council and the European Commission reached a political agreement on the main points of the New Pact Migration and Asylum. Its formal adoption by the Parliament and the Member States is still pending, but at this point it should only be a matter of ratification of the agreement. By Christopher Hein
Photography in crisis: a feminist perspective ARTICLE When looking at photographs of “crisis,” how do we look? What do we perceive and feel? Images are never neutral, photographs are not created in a vacuum; rather, photographs are always already inscribed by the socio-political momentum of their era. In this short text, we would like to offer a provocation about the ways we look at photographs of “crisis” on social media news feeds, mainstream newspapers, posters, and art exhibitions. We do this by evoking visuals from what was declared, by European authorities, as the “refugee crisis.” By Anna Carastathis and Myrto Tsilimpounidi
LGBTQI+ Asylum Seekers in Greece OPEN LETTER 15 organisations supporting asylum seekers in Greece published an open letter and calling for action with regard to the treatment of LGBTQI+ asylum seekers in Greece. As Heinrich Böll foundation we see a need to shed more light to the situation of refugees and migrants with minority sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and/or sex characteristics (SOGIESC), who are at risk of double stigmatisation, which is why we are happy to share this NGO’s appeal.
Investigating migration along the Balkan Route and the EU’s external borders As Heinrich Böll Foundation we are committed to supporting independent journalism. Therefore, in this dossier we shall gather investigations and analyses collecting evidence of human rights abuses and contributing to building new public narratives around migration and people on the move along the Balkan route and the EU’s external borders.
‘Fire on fire’: how migrants got blamed for Greece’s devastating blazes FEATURE In August, wildfires in Evros killed a group of people, including children, passing along a well-trodden migration route. Locals and politicians made the victims scapegoats for the disaster. By Giorgos Christides and Katy Fallon
Europe’s fences have holes – Greece: VIP smuggling and pin location ARTICLE In Greece, the smugglers in the borderland aren’t stupid. The fence has made it harder for the refugees, but more lucrative for the smugglers. They drop a pin and a driver follows it to pick-up the refugees. By Alexandros Litsardakis
Europe’s fences have holes – Poland: Fence in the swamp ARTICLE In Poland, some 2,500 surveillance cameras and more than 10,000 soldiers and border guards monitor the situation at the Polish-Belarusian border. Despite the part fence and part concertina wire barrier, the area has become a major headache on NATO’s eastern flank. By Piotr Drabik
Europe’s fences have holes – Hungary: mixed feelings on both sides ARTICLE In Hungary, people living on both sides of the border are concerned: they want to help migrants and refugees, but they’re fed up with hearing gunfire in the woods as smugglers fight for territory. None of the locals think the fence is effective, especially without proper legislation. By Zsófia Fülöp