Reacting to the European Council’s conclusions of 20 March 2025 on the situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory Eve Geddie, the Director of Amnesty International’s European Institutions Office, said:
Today, the European Commission introduced a proposed revision to the 2008 Return Directive, amending the EU legal framework on returns or deportations outside of the EU. Following pressure from certain member states, it also introduces a possible legal basis for ‘return hubs’ in EU law through “agreements or arrangements” with third countries.
On 11 March, the District Court of The Hague will determine the admissibility of a court case brought by Amnesty International, Boat Refugee Foundation and Defence for Children Netherlands to hold the Dutch government responsible for its role in endorsing and implementing the EU-Türkiye deal. The three organizations hold the Dutch state responsible for the consequences of the deal with Türkiye which trapped thousands of people, including children, in dire conditions on the Greek islands.
As we mark three years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and amid the recently accelerated discussions on ending the war, Amnesty International wrote a letter to EU leaders, urging them to take concerted action to influence and shape the terms of any proposed ‘peace negotiations’ and to ensure that they are firmly grounded in respect for international human rights and humanitarian law. This must include, putting an end to all ongoing human rights violations, upholding the right to truth, justice and reparations for victims of crimes under international law, and guaranteeing that those most impacted by Russia’s war of aggression have their voices heard and needs met.
On 12 February, the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights will hear three cases against Latvia, Lithuania and Poland concerning alleged unlawful pushbacks — summary returns of migrants and refugees at the border — from these EU states to Belarus. This is the first time the European Court will rule on human rights implications of what the EU and its member states are calling ‘instrumentalized’ migration.
Ahead of the College of Commissioners’ visit to India, Amnesty International and 11 other NGOs urge EU leaders to step up their engagement with their Indian counterparts in light of the profound human rights crisis in the country.
In a joint letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Amnesty International joined 162 civil society organizations and trade unions in calling on the EU to ban trade and business with Israel’s illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, to comply with its legal obligations as laid out by the International Court of Justice.
In an open letter to the editor of Euractiv, Amnesty International responded to the ‘The Brief – Never again?’ published on 27 January 2025.
In a letter to Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Ministers for the Environment of Member States of the Council of Europe, Amnesty International calls for a legally binding instrument guaranteeing the human right to a healthy environment.
Ursula von der Leyen knows that the EU’s reputation as a credible actor for human rights and international law is in tatters over the horrors in Gaza.
Responding to the decision of several European governments to suspend asylum applications of Syrians following the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad, Director of Amnesty International’s European Institutions Office, Eve Geddie said:
Together with 16 other international human rights organizations, Amnesty International calls on EU leaders attending COP29, the 29th annual United Nations Climate Change Conference, in Baku, to raise directly with the Azerbaijani authorities the cases of those imprisoned on politically motivated grounds and aim to secure their release. In this joint statement, our organizations call on the EU to use the rare international spotlight of COP29 to speak publicly and achieve concrete improvements for civil society, independent media, and human rights defenders in the country.