EU

EU leaders in Malta say they are committed to human rights and international law, but their support for a deal that Italy has struck with Libya exposes refugees and migrants to suffering and death, Oxfam says.

European leaders have rightly spoken out against President Donald Trump’s Executive Order on refugees and immigration, but their comments also show a large amount of hypocrisy in the face of Europe’s own flawed migration response, Oxfam said today in light of plans for EU-Libya cooperation on migration control.

When EU Commissioner Christos Stylianides travels to Belgrade this weekend, he must urge the Serbian government to do more to help people in urgent need of support.

EU leaders are sticking to the EU-Turkey deal, no matter what this means for the people in need, Oxfam said in reaction to discussions of EU leaders meeting in Brussels today.

With its vote on the reform of the EU’s polluter-pays scheme today, the European Parliament’s Environment Committee has failed to introduce effective rules for the support of poor countries in adapting to climate change.

Thousands of people are at risk this winter as the EU-Turkey deal keeps migrants, including refugees, stuck in dangerous and degrading conditions in Greece, a coalition of more than 20 humanitarian agencies and human rights organisations warned on Wednesday. EU leaders meeting in Brussels on Thursday to discuss migration need to take urgent action to improve the situation on the ground and save lives.

The Netherlands, Ireland, Luxembourg and Cyprus are among the world’s 15 worst corporate tax havens, according to new Oxfam research published today. The report ‘Tax Battles’ reveals a global race to the bottom on corporate tax that is starving countries out of billions of dollars needed to tackle poverty and inequality.

New rules adopted today by the Commission to limit food and commodity price speculation will prove ineffective in ending a gambling which puts the lives of millions of people in the developing world at high risk. 

This paper provides an analysis of the protection concerns that people on the move, especially women and children, face in Macedonia and Serbia following the closure of the Balkan route. It also presents recommendations on how to protect and promote their safety, dignity and human rights.

The European Commission has today presented a good proposal for a new framework for the EU’s development policy. The EU institutions and member states must now make sure they translate these fine words into concrete action, says Oxfam.