The European Court of Justice has ruled that women, as a whole, can be regarded as belonging to a social group and thus entitled to asylum if subjected to domestic or sexual violence. NGOs have welcomed the decision.

Germany's president is in Italy amid tensions between Rome and Berlin over migration. He and his Italian counterpart appealed for a peace deal in flood-hit and wartorn Libya, one of the key launching points in Africa.

Thousands of refugee arrivals in Italy are generating political pressure across the European Union. In Germany, too, right-wing parties claim to have simple solutions to the migration issue — but there are none.

The head of Germany's conservatives wants to recognize more states as "safe" countries of origin. The designation enables German authorities to more quickly deport people whose asylum applications have been rejected.

Syrians were the biggest group seeking asylum in Europe in the first half of 2023, according to the bloc's asylum agency. The count didn't include Ukrainian refugees.

Given the increasing pressure on housing, the Belgian state secretary for asylum and migration, Nicole de Moor, wanted to prioritize women and children. The decision has been criticized by human rights organizations,

As increasing numbers of people seek refuge in Germany, some politicians are calling for asylum rights to be watered down. But they are enshrined in the German constitution.

Increasing numbers of educated Turkish citizens who oppose the government and harbor little hope for the future are heading to Germany. Many are seeking asylum, but German authorities are less inclined to grant it.

Italy's far-right government, led by PM Giorgia Meloni, recently made a change to its immigration policy. This involves a crackdown on residence permits for asylum seekers and an increase in deportation centres, in order to discourage illegal immigration.