The government of Malta was ordered to pay €5,000 to a teenage asylum seeker for breaching his fundamental rights. Judge Giovanni Grixti ruled that Ayoubah Fona was unlawfully detained as a minor in poor conditions. Lawyer Neil Falzon from aditus foundation, together...
As 2025 draws to a close, we want to thank you for continuing to walk this journey with us, a journey alongside countless refugees and displaced families who long for safety, peace, and a place to belong. Unfortunately, just when the needs are greatest, devastating...
We are deeply concerned at Malta’s statement urging the Council of Europe to explore how to restrict the fundamental human rights of migrants. Packaged as national security measures, the proposals will result in a dramatic lowering of human rights standards in over...
JRS Malta is launching a Call for a Service Contract for the provision of research studies into the lived experiences of asylum seekers and the legal and policy framework regulating access to healthcare for different categories of migrants. This task is part of the...
JRS Malta is teaming up with Jesuits & Friends to launch the latest in a series of our fundraising efforts. This time, we are calling on all running enthusiasts to join the Jesuits & Friends Team at the LifeStar Malta Marathon and help raise funds for JRS in...
A new JRS Malta report uncovers shocking levels of exploitation and mistreatment among migrant workers in Malta, including withholding of wages, firing people without due cause, violations of health and safety regulations, and numerous instances of bullying,...
On Friday, 12th September, we invite you to gather with us at St Aloysius College, B’Kara, for our annual fundraising celebration, Under the Stars. Doors open at 7pm. This year’s event is all about celebrating community – with live music, delicious food, and a raffle...
We are here for you… At JRS we do our best to provide clients with a professional service focused on supporting clients’ needs. We do our utmost to help clients feel respected and supported, as we meet their needs. If however there has been a situation where you have...
JRS Malta is seeking to recruit a Maternity Leave Cover – Advocacy & Administration to work with forced migrants and asylum seekers. The selected candidate will be offered a 6-month definite term full-time contract. As this post is a maternity leave cover, renewal...
JRS Malta is seeking to recruit a LAWYER, to work with asylum seekers and immigrants in Malta. The post is a full-time post, however applications from individuals wishing to work part-time or reduced hours will also be considered. Individuals who cannot work at least...
On 24-25 October 2023, the directors of 23 JRS country offices met in Brussels for JRS Europe biannual Regional Coordination meeting to exchange experiences and discuss recent developments. Among them, the negotiations on the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum were central.
“We are very concerned about the turn negotiations are taking – stated the JRS directors jointly – As negotiations enter their last stage, we fear that the EU institutions will compromise on human rights and EU values under pressure to reach an agreement before the end of this legislature”.
“We strongly urge the European Parliament and the Council of the EU to abandon a plan that would not only fall short in providing any real operational solutions for the shortcomings of the existing system but would also be harmful for migrants and refugees.”
JRS has been critical of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum since its publication. The organisation had immediately raised concerns about the strong focus on mandatory border procedures, that usually go hand in hand with (de facto) detention and a general lowering of procedural guarantees for asylum seekers.
JRS had also questioned how the plan of examining the majority of asylum applications at the border would operationally solve the question of the high workload for Member States at the external borders, particularly in the absence of a truly mandatory solidarity mechanism.
Nevertheless, JRS, both at European and at national level, has been actively and constructively engaging with EU institutions by providing input and suggestions based on our experience of accompanying asylum seekers on the ground.
However, the positions finally taken by the European Parliament and the Council of the EU did not amend the initial Commission’s proposals substantially.
On the contrary, many of the issues that are most important to JRS, such as a ban on child detention, the exclusion of vulnerable people from screenings and other procedures at borders, or the provision of free legal assistance throughout the asylum procedure, have not been sufficiently addressed.
In addition, some new, worrying concepts have been added to the discussion, such as the possibility of derogating from the regular asylum procedure in case of ‘instrumentalization’ of migrants by countries outside of the EU.
Overall, the proposed measures provide breeding ground for anti-migrant and xenophobic sentiments.
Now, few months before the end of the legislature, JRS is afraid that the pressure to finalise the reform will prevail over a commitment to protect human rights and EU values.
At the same time, JRS offices are experiencing unprecedented demand for services and support. Across Europe, reception conditions are being diluted and living condition are deteriorating. In a number of EU Member States international protection applicants have found themselves on the streets with no offer of accommodation from the State in violation of the Reception Conditions Directive.
JRS urges the European Parliament and the Council of the EU to make a U-turn and reject any plan that would enforce a widespread use of border procedures and would only increase human rights violations and the pressure for Member States at the external borders.
Energy and efforts should rather go into strengthening reception and asylum systems on the territory and mechanisms for meaningful responsibility sharing among Member States.
The government of Malta was ordered to pay €5,000 to a teenage asylum seeker for breaching his fundamental rights. Judge Giovanni Grixti ruled that Ayoubah Fona was unlawfully detained as a minor in poor conditions. Lawyer Neil Falzon from aditus foundation, together...
As 2025 draws to a close, we want to thank you for continuing to walk this journey with us, a journey alongside countless refugees and displaced families who long for safety, peace, and a place to belong. Unfortunately, just when the needs are greatest, devastating...
We are deeply concerned at Malta’s statement urging the Council of Europe to explore how to restrict the fundamental human rights of migrants. Packaged as national security measures, the proposals will result in a dramatic lowering of human rights standards in over...
JRS Malta is launching a Call for a Service Contract for the provision of research studies into the lived experiences of asylum seekers and the legal and policy framework regulating access to healthcare for different categories of migrants. This task is part of the...
JRS Malta is teaming up with Jesuits & Friends to launch the latest in a series of our fundraising efforts. This time, we are calling on all running enthusiasts to join the Jesuits & Friends Team at the LifeStar Malta Marathon and help raise funds for JRS in...
A new JRS Malta report uncovers shocking levels of exploitation and mistreatment among migrant workers in Malta, including withholding of wages, firing people without due cause, violations of health and safety regulations, and numerous instances of bullying,...
On Friday, 12th September, we invite you to gather with us at St Aloysius College, B’Kara, for our annual fundraising celebration, Under the Stars. Doors open at 7pm. This year’s event is all about celebrating community – with live music, delicious food, and a raffle...
We are here for you… At JRS we do our best to provide clients with a professional service focused on supporting clients’ needs. We do our utmost to help clients feel respected and supported, as we meet their needs. If however there has been a situation where you have...
JRS Malta is seeking to recruit a Maternity Leave Cover – Advocacy & Administration to work with forced migrants and asylum seekers. The selected candidate will be offered a 6-month definite term full-time contract. As this post is a maternity leave cover, renewal...
JRS Malta is seeking to recruit a LAWYER, to work with asylum seekers and immigrants in Malta. The post is a full-time post, however applications from individuals wishing to work part-time or reduced hours will also be considered. Individuals who cannot work at least...
The government of Malta was ordered to pay €5,000 to a teenage asylum seeker for breaching his fundamental rights. Judge Giovanni Grixti ruled that Ayoubah Fona was unlawfully detained as a minor in...
As 2025 draws to a close, we want to thank you for continuing to walk this journey with us, a journey alongside countless refugees and displaced families who long for safety, peace, and a place to...
