SERIES: EU Pact on Migration and Asylum On 1 June, the Council of the EU and the European Parliament reached a political agreement on the “Regulation establishing a common system for the return of third-country nationals staying illegally in the Union”, commonly referred to as the Return Regulation. This legislative overhaul significantly alters how the European Union handles the return of third-country nationals without a legal right to stay. The European Council on Refugees

In July 2026, the HOC Centre in Ħal Far hosted a comprehensive digital media training program for AWAS (Agency for the Welfare of Asylum Seekers) participants, consisting of three sessions held on July 3rd, July 10th and July 17th, 2026. Led by a team of volunteers from African Media Association Malta (AMAM) - trainer Adam AKINLOLU, and coordinator Oluwatobiloba DADA - the program was designed to build practical, holistic skills in media literacy, storytelling and digital con

SERIES: EU Pact on Migration and Asylum In October 2020, a broad coalition of non-governmental organizations released a comprehensive joint statement expressing deep concern over the European Commission’s proposed Pact on Migration and Asylum. While the Commission presented the framework as a fresh start and a balanced compromise, the NGO community argued that the proposal failed to rectify the structural flaws of the existing European asylum system and threatened to severely

SERIES: EU Pact on Migration and Asylum The EU Pact on Migration and Asylum is presented by the European Union as a major reform of the European asylum system. Its official objective is to make migration management more efficient, predictable and harmonised across Member States. However, from a human rights perspective, the Pact raises serious concerns. In a statement published on 10 June 2026, the European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE) warned that the Pact may restri

A growing coalition of civil society organisations and business representatives has called on Parliament to postpone its final vote on Malta's proposed National Commission for Human Rights and Equality Bill, arguing that legislation of such constitutional importance should not be approved without meaningful public consultation. Malta Parliament House. Photo CC Pressure mounted on Wednesday after a coalition of 16 human rights organisations urged Equality Minister Rosianne Cut

SERIES: EU Pact on Migration and Asylum In the European Union, the passport a person holds can drastically alter their legal journey before their individual story is fully heard. With the implementation of the new EU Pact on Migration and Asylum, the bloc has introduced a standardized metric to filter and fast-track arrivals known as the 20% recognition rate threshold. Source screenshot: https://www.euaa.europa.eu/latest-asylum-trends-annual-analysis/annexes#key-first-instan

SERIES: EU Pact on Migration and Asylum The initial screening is the first step in the new EU Pact on Migration and Asylum, then comes several possible follow-up procedures. Screening is therefore not the final stage, but rather a sorting mechanism that determines what happens next to people arriving irregularly at the EU’s external borders. This article focuses on the three main procedures that may follow screening: the regular asylum procedure, the asylum border procedure

SERIES: EU Pact on Migration and Asylum The European Pact on Migration and Asylum introduces a new screening procedure for certain third-country nationals arriving in the European Union. Although it may sound like a simple administrative step, screening is one of the most important parts of the Pact. It determines what happens immediately after a person arrives at the EU’s borders, and which procedure they will be directed to next. Representation of the screening procedure (S

Visitors to this year’s Malta International Food Festival will have the opportunity to experience the richness and diversity of African cultures through music, storytelling, languages, traditional crafts and cuisine as African communities take part in the festival’s Intercultural Area on 6 August. People interacting at the African stand. Picture from the year 2025 edition of Malta Food Festival. Photo AMAM The participation forms part of the festival’s intercultural programm