The GUE/NGL Group in the European Parliament submitted a Black Paper on the practice of refoulement of migrants at the external borders of the European Union to the European Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, on Friday 18 December.
This document was developed by NGOs grouped since 2016 around the Border Violence Monitoring Network (BVMN) project, the group explained in a statement. The network has collected testimonies from migrants along the ‘Balkan route’ and investigated cases of refoulement. Results: 894 cases have been recorded and 12,654 persons affected over the last four years.
In particular, the Black Book questions the actions of the border guards and explains that the authorities concerned have, on each occasion, denied the accusations made by the NGOs.
The European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) has recently been accused of refoulement practices and has also denied them (see EUROPE 12613/7). It held a new board meeting on this subject on 9 December, at the request of the Commission, which wishes to obtain all the necessary clarifications.
Link to the Black Book: http://adobe.ly/37tEpda (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)