News archive: May 2015
11 May 2015
In the wake of migrant boat crises in the Mediterranean the European Commission has proposed a controversial Union-wide immigration policy. The proposal, which is set to launch on 13 May 2015, seeks to impose a quota system on the 28 member states requiring them to share the burden of ‘persons in clear need of international protection’ and ‘ensure a fair and balanced participation of all member states to this common effort’. The policy document lays down binding rules establishing a regime of refugee sharing among the member states based on a ‘key’. The system, drafted by EU Commissioner for Migration Dimitris Avramopoulos, determines the proportion of refugees each state is obliged to accept based on criteria ranging from rates of unemployment to national wealth. (more…)
Source: The Guardian | EU plans migrant quotas forcing states to 'share' burden
11 May 2015
Germany has decided to limit its cooperation in joint intelligence efforts with the United States. The decision comes in the wake of revelations of US spying on European partners and signals a breach in the long-standing information sharing partnership between the two nations. For the United States, the restriction follows a series of ‘blows’ to its intelligence apparatus which have included reconsideration of its drone programme, a renewal of the Patriot Act, and a recent ruling by the Appeals Court that its practice of surveillance data collection was illegal. (more…)
Source: The New York Times | Germany Limits Cooperation With U.S. Over Data Gathering
1 May 2015
The Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, James B Comey, told Polish ambassador to the United States that he regretted remarks made earlier which suggested Polish complicity in the Holocaust. The comments were made in the context of a speech given at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, parts of which were reprinted in The Washington Post. The offending passage read: ‘in their minds, the murderers and accomplices of Germany, and Poland and Hungary, and so many, many other places didn’t do something evil. They convinced themselves it was the right thing to do, the thing they had to do. That’s what people do. And that should truly frighten us.’ (more…)
Source: The New York Times | FBI Chief Tells Poland's U.S. Envoy He Regrets Holocaust Remarks
Source: The New York Times | Poland Demands Apology Over F.B.I. Director’s Holocaust Remarks
Source: Reuters | FBI chief tells Poland's U.S. envoy he regrets Holocaust remarks