HUMANITARIAN WATCH 13: From the EU-Turkey Deal to the EU Migration Pact

Description

In this episode of Fractured we trace how EU migration policy has shifted since 2015. We unpack the initial emergency measures, including the relocation scheme that aimed to redistribute 160,000 asylum seekers across EU member states but ultimately relocated only around 35% of that target. And since March marked 10 years since the EU–Turkey deal, we devote part of the episode to remind you that under this deal Turkey agreed to prevent irregular crossings to Greece in exchange for €6 billion in aid and political concessions. While arrivals to the Greek islands dropped significantly, we highlight how this “success” came at the cost of containment policies that effectively turned Greek islands into long-term holding zones, with overcrowded camps and asylum processes stretching for years. We also examine how these approaches have evolved into the more formalized framework of the EU Migration Pact, which prioritizes border externalization, accelerated asylum procedures, and increased returns. We highlight the human consequences of these policies in Greece, where stricter laws have curtailed access to asylum and contributed to the criminalisation of humanitarian actors. We discuss the growing legal risks faced by NGOs and volunteers, including the case of Tommy Olsen, founder of Aegean Boat Report, for whom Greece issued a European Arrest Warrant. FOLLOW AND SUPPORT TOMMY OLSEN: https://www.instagram.com/aegeanboatreport/ SUPPORT: "Fractured" is an original production of ReFOCUS Media Labs citizen journalists. To support this program donate on ⁠https://refocusmedialabs.org/donate or join us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/c/refocusmedialabs PRODUCTION FAMILY: Hosts: Douglas Herman, Sonia Nandzik-Herman Production Family: Dawoud Nouri, Yaser Akbari, Ziad Ibrahim, Antonis Lytrianis, Angel Sifontes, Rahel Dejen, Melek Moussa, Wassim Ahmed Citizen Journalists: Yaser Taheri, Milad Ebrahimi, Yaser Akbari, Naqib Rasuli, Mohammad Ali Alami Mentorship: Douglas Herman Producers: Sonia Nandzik-Herman, Douglas Her