Analysis published by PICUM in October 2021
Criminalisation of solidarity under the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum
The criminalisation of solidarity with migrants in Europe is soaring. Between 2015 and 2019, research shows that at least 171 individuals have been criminalised in 13 EU Member States. The number of individuals criminalised for humanitarian activities has grown tenfold, from 10 people in 2015 to 104 in 2018. The European Parliament and civil society organisations have long been calling for clear Commission guidelines to ensure that migrants’ rights defenders are not criminalised.
The EU Pact on Migration and Asylum, which sets out the EU’s agenda on migration for the years to come and should have addressed those calls, fails to effectively counter the criminalisation of solidarity with migrants. In fact, several of its provisions are likely to further increase the risk of criminalisation for individuals, volunteers and NGOs defending migrants’ rights.
Read the full publication here.