Latest news with #MigrationandAsylum
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
EU migration delegation ordered deported from eastern Libya on alleged entry violations
CAIRO (AP) — Authorities in eastern Libya refused entry to three European ministers and the EU commissioner for migration on alleged entry violations, apparently after they stopped first in the rival Libyan capital of Tripoli in the west. A statement from the prime minister of the eastern part of Libya, Osama Hammad, said the interior ministers of Italy, Greece, Malta and the EU migration commissioner, Magnus Brunner, were 'persona non-grata' after they were denied entry shortly after their arrival in Benghazi. It said the ministers had entered illegally and had not followed Libyan diplomatic conventions. The ministers were in 'flagrant contravention of established diplomatic norms and international conventions, and through actions that demonstrably disregard Libyan national sovereignty, as well as in violation of Libyan domestic laws,' the statement said. The delegations 'are urged to engage with the Libyan Government in accordance with the principle of reciprocity, as enshrined in international agreements, treaties, and diplomatic custom,' it added. In addition to Brunner, the delegation included Greek Migration and Asylum Minister Thanos Plevris, Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi and Maltese Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri. The delegation was visiting Libya seeking tougher migration measures against boats carrying migrants from Libya. The EU has spent years and millions of euros trying to stem the people smuggling operations that have thrived in Libya's lawlessness and brought hundreds of thousands of desperate people to European shores. Libya plunged into chaos after a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. In the chaos that followed, the country split, with rival administrations in the east and west backed by rogue militias and foreign governments. Currently, Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah heads the internationally recognized government in the capital of Tripoli in the west while Hammad heads the administration in the east, where the powerful military commander Khalifa Hifter continues to also hold sway. The EU delegation had met first with Dbeibah, and the deportation incident was apparently caused because the European delegation stopped first in Tripoli, said Greek Deputy Prime Minister Kostis Hadzidakis. Usually foreigners including diplomats coordinate with both administrations if they want to visit western and eastern Libya. Speaking to state-run ERT television in Greece, Hadzidakis said the Tripoli meeting went ahead as planned. 'However, in Benghazi —perhaps because the visit to Tripoli came first — the Benghazi government decided it would not receive the European Commissioner and the three ministers. I don't think that was a constructive move, especially given that the European Union is genuinely trying to find a solution to this very unusual situation — just as it has tried with our other southern and eastern neighbors — on a complex issue like migration." For southern and eastern Libya, which are under the control of Hifter's forces, visitors have to coordinate and get permits from the east-based government, which is allied with Hifter. It's not clear if such permits were sought or granted. In Italy, opposition lawmakers who have criticized the hard-line stance against migration of the government of Premier Giorgia Meloni were quick to point out the irony that her migration minister was deported from a country on alleged immigration violations. 'Piantedosi was turned back from Libya because he was accused of illegal entry,' Democratic Party lawmaker Matteo Orfini wrote on Facebook. 'I was thinking of an ironic comment but I'd say that's good as is.'
Winnipeg Free Press
4 days ago
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
EU migration delegation ordered deported from eastern Libya on alleged entry violations
CAIRO (AP) — Authorities in eastern Libya refused entry to three European ministers and the EU commissioner for migration on alleged entry violations, apparently after they stopped first in the rival Libyan capital of Tripoli in the west. A statement from the prime minister of the eastern part of Libya, Osama Hammad, said the interior ministers of Italy, Greece, Malta and the EU migration commissioner, Magnus Brunner, were 'persona non-grata' after they were denied entry shortly after their arrival in Benghazi. It said the ministers had entered illegally and had not followed Libyan diplomatic conventions. The ministers were in 'flagrant contravention of established diplomatic norms and international conventions, and through actions that demonstrably disregard Libyan national sovereignty, as well as in violation of Libyan domestic laws,' the statement said. The delegations 'are urged to engage with the Libyan Government in accordance with the principle of reciprocity, as enshrined in international agreements, treaties, and diplomatic custom,' it added. In addition to Brunner, the delegation included Greek Migration and Asylum Minister Thanos Plevris, Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi and Maltese Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri. The delegation was visiting Libya seeking tougher migration measures against boats carrying migrants from Libya. The EU has spent years and millions of euros trying to stem the people smuggling operations that have thrived in Libya's lawlessness and brought hundreds of thousands of desperate people to European shores. Libya plunged into chaos after a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. In the chaos that followed, the country split, with rival administrations in the east and west backed by rogue militias and foreign governments. Currently, Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah heads the internationally recognized government in the capital of Tripoli in the west while Hammad heads the administration in the east, where the powerful military commander Khalifa Hifter continues to also hold sway. The EU delegation had met first with Dbeibah, and the deportation incident was apparently caused because the European delegation stopped first in Tripoli, said Greek Deputy Prime Minister Kostis Hadzidakis. Usually foreigners including diplomats coordinate with both administrations if they want to visit western and eastern Libya. Speaking to state-run ERT television in Greece, Hadzidakis said the Tripoli meeting went ahead as planned. 'However, in Benghazi —perhaps because the visit to Tripoli came first — the Benghazi government decided it would not receive the European Commissioner and the three ministers. I don't think that was a constructive move, especially given that the European Union is genuinely trying to find a solution to this very unusual situation — just as it has tried with our other southern and eastern neighbors — on a complex issue like migration.' For southern and eastern Libya, which are under the control of Hifter's forces, visitors have to coordinate and get permits from the east-based government, which is allied with Hifter. It's not clear if such permits were sought or granted. In Italy, opposition lawmakers who have criticized the hard-line stance against migration of the government of Premier Giorgia Meloni were quick to point out the irony that her migration minister was deported from a country on alleged immigration violations. 'Piantedosi was turned back from Libya because he was accused of illegal entry,' Democratic Party lawmaker Matteo Orfini wrote on Facebook. 'I was thinking of an ironic comment but I'd say that's good as is.'
Time of India
24-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Portugal tightens citizenship rules, doubles wait time for foreigners
Portugal has tightened its citizenship rules, extending the wait period for most foreigners to ten years from five. The new measures were announced by Presidency Minister Antonio Leitao Amaro after a cabinet meeting on Monday. Citizens from Brazil, Angola and other nations in the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries will now have to wait seven years, while others must wait ten years. To qualify, applicants will also be required to prove knowledge of the Portuguese language and an understanding of the country's culture. 'These are essential changes for the times in which we live,' Amaro said after the cabinet meeting. The measures will be voted on in parliament in the coming days, he added. The move comes as Portugal faces a sharp rise in its foreign population. The country now has roughly 1.6 million foreign residents, making up about 15% of its total population, almost three times the number in 2019, according to the Agency for Integration, Migration and Asylum. (Join our ETNRI WhatsApp channel for all the latest updates) How does Portugal's Golden Visa change? Live Events The changes will also affect Portugal's popular golden visa program. At present, non-Europeans can apply for citizenship five years after making a qualifying investment of €500,000. Under the new rules, the wait will be extended, making the route to citizenship longer for wealthy investors. The government will also create a new border police force and revoke citizenship for naturalized immigrants convicted of serious crimes, Amaro said. In addition, Portugal will end a program that granted nationality to descendants of Sephardic Jews of Portuguese origin. These measures reflect the government's effort to adjust its policies in line with demographic shifts and social needs, Amaro said.
