EU EXTERNAL PARTNERS: Algeria drafting asylum law ― NGOs criticise European Commission designation of Egypt as ‘safe’ country of origin ― Head of Frontex expresses regret about agency’s co-operation with Libya ― UNWRA chief condemns Israel’s blockade o…

• The Algerian government has started drafting an asylum law.
• A number of NGOs have criticised the inclusion of Egypt in the European Commission’s proposed list of safe countries of origin.
• The head of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) has expressed regret about the return of people on the move to Libya.
• The head of the United Nations Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) has condemned Israel’s continued refusal to allow the delivery of aid into Gaza and the former EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy has criticised Europe’s response to it.

The Algerian government has started drafting an asylum law. According to an article published by the Rosa Luxembourg Foundation in late April, the legislative process is at a very early stage with no concrete roadmap or details currently available. The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has confirmed that, although it is not directly participating in the drafting process, it will “continue to offer technical support and expertise to the Algerian authorities to align the legislation with international standards”. The article’s author, Sofian Philip Naceur, was critical of the proposed law, which follows a similar move by Egypt: “Such a law will neither improve the precarious situation of people on the move nor do anything to ameliorate Algeria’s deportation practices,” he wrote.

A number of NGOs have criticised the inclusion of Egypt in the European Commission’s (EC) proposed list of safe countries of origin. The organisations, which include the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and EuroMed Rights, have published a joint statement in which they have warned that this designation risks “severely undermining the rights of asylum seekers and weakening the EU’s commitments to international protection standards”. They have also urged the European Parliament and the Council of the EU to “request a comprehensive reassessment of Egypt’s human rights situation based on verified findings from UN Special Procedures, EU agencies, and independent civil society organisations”.

The head of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) has expressed regret about the return of people on the move to Libya. In an interview with Euronews, Frontex Executive Director Hans Leijtens said: “I don’t want people to be returned to Libya” but that his officers had to inform the relevant maritime rescue coordination centre and “if it’s in Libyan territory, it’s the Libyans who have to take the responsibility, and they do”.

Asked why his agency did not notify the various search and rescue NGOs that operate in the Central Mediterranean, Leijtens responded that to do so would be to “play with human lives” because “if the NGOs are not available, then there’s no coordination, then people might drown”. The NGO Freedom United was critical of his comments: “Leijtens insists that Frontex has no choice and must act to ‘save lives’. Yet he ignores the fact that returning persons to Libya puts their lives in jeopardy,” it wrote, adding: “The truth is Frontex’s approach continues to prioritize border security over human life, despite the agency’s claims to the contrary”.

The head of the United Nations Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) has condemned Israel’s continued refusal to allow the delivery of aid into Gaza. Speaking to the BBC, Philippe Lazzarini said: “Starvation is spreading, people are exhausted, people are hungry… we can expect that in the coming weeks if no aid is coming in, that people will not die because of the bombardment, but they will die because of the lack of food”. He also described the ongoing blockade as the “weaponisation of humanitarian aid”. Lazzarini’s words were echoed by Amnesty International which described the blockade as “further evidence of Israel’s genocidal intent in Gaza”.

Elsewhere, the EU is facing increasing calls to reassess its relationship with Israel. The Dutch government has called for an urgent review of the EU-Israel Association Agreement on the grounds that Israel’s blockade of Gaza constitutes a breach of its terms. Dutch minister for Foreign Affairs Caspar Veldkamp told the Guardian newspaper: “You cannot starve the people of the Gaza Strip. It is against international law. It’s morally wrong. It’s dangerous. I don’t think it’s in Israel’s own interest”. Separately, former EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell has accused Israel of “carrying out the largest ethnic-cleansing operation since the end of the second world war in order to create a splendid holiday destination” whilst criticising Europe for failing to take action. “Europe has the capacity and the means not only to protest against what is going on but also to influence [Israel’s] conduct,” he said, adding: “If we really believe that too many people are dying, then the natural response would be to supply fewer weapons and to use the lever of the association agreement to demand that international humanitarian law is respected, instead of just lamenting that that isn’t happening”.

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