The European Commission's New Pact on Migration and Asylum: Horizontal Substitute Impact Assessment

This 'Horizontal Substitute Impact Assessment of the European Commission's new pact on migration and asylum' was requested by the European Parliament's Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE). The impact assessment (IA) focuses on the main proposed changes implied by the European Commission's new pact, with a particular focus on the following four proposed regulations: 1) asylum and migration management regulation (RAMM); 2) crisis and force majeure regulation; 3) amended Asylum Procedure Regulation (APR); and 4) screening regulation. The horizontal substitute IA critically assesses the 'system' and underlying logic of the proposed new pact with the aim of analysing how the four Commission proposals would work and interact in practice. The IA also assesses whether and to what extent the proposed new pact addresses the identified shortcomings and implementational problems of current EU asylum and migration law and policy. Moreover, the IA identifies and assesses the expected impacts on fundamental rights, as well as economic, social and territorial impacts of the proposed new pact. The IA concludes that all of the assessed dimensions will be influenced by the proposed new pact. Although interviewed stakeholders indicate that, in certain cases, the new pact stands to have positive impacts on various aspects of migration and asylum in the EU, the overall consensus is that the new pact, as it is currently presented by the Commission, will have significantly negative consequences for Member States, local communities and migrants. Such potential negative effects have been found in all four dimensions covered by the IA: territorial, economic, social and fundamental rights

I Centri di identificazione ed espulsione come strumento di governo della pericolosità sociale

nelle società contemporanee sembra essersi instaurata una certa relazione tra politiche migratorie, detenzione amministrativa e politiche criminali, un rapporto che vorremmo provare ad esplorare nel nostro contributo. La nostra ipotesi è che la detenzione amministrativa degli stranieri possa essere utilizzata come strumento surrogato di una politica criminale il cui scopo è quello di eliminare dalla scena sociale le categorie di stranieri percepite come maggiormente problematiche per la loro marginalità o supposta pericolosità sociale. Dal nostro punto di vista, la detenzione amministrativa sembra in sostanza essersi trasformata in uno strumento di difesa sociale. Proveremo a testare tale ipotesi discutendo alcuni dei risultati di una ricerca sulla giurisprudenza dei Giudici di pace in materia di immigrazione condotta tra il mese di luglio e il mese di dicembre 2014. La ricerca, che è stata svolta presso l’Ufficio del Giudice di pace di Bari, si inseriva nel quadro più ampio dell’Osservatorio sulla giurisprudenza del Giudice di pace coordinato dalla prof.ssa Enrica Rigo presso il Dipartimento di Giurisprudenza dell’Università di Roma Tre6 e mirava ad analizzare empiricamente i giudizi di convalida e di proroga del trattenimento, valutando in particolare l’impatto della ricezione nell’ordinamento italiano della direttiva 2008/115/EC

La inclusión diferencial de los solicitantes de asilo en Italia.

This article aims to critically analyze the reception system for asylum seekers in Italy as a device for “differential inclusion” of migrants on the southern edge of Europe. To defend this argument, first, we will analyze the evolution and the main characteristics of this system, as well as its most recent transformations from 2011. Secondly, we will observe that the three main segments of the reception system can be found on a scale that goes from the greatest exclusion to the greatest inclusion. In third and last place, we will observe that the reception “best practices” also present an ambivalent character, producing a continuous tension between the two poles of reception and integration.Este trabajo pretende analizar críticamente el sistema de acogida de los solicitantes de asilo en Italia como dispositivo de “inclusión diferencial” de los migrantes en los confines meridionales de Europa. Para defender este argumento, en primer lugar, analizaremos la evolución y las principales características de ese sistema, además de sus transformaciones más recientes a partir del 2011. En segundo lugar, observaremos que los tres segmentos principales del sistema de acogida pueden hallarse en una escala que va desde la mayor exclusión a la mayor inclusión. En tercer y último lugar, observaremos que también las “mejores prácticas” de acogida presentan un carácter ambivalente que produce una continua tensión entre los dos polos de la acogida y de la integración

Oral contraceptives modify DNA methylation and monocyte-derived macrophage function

Background: Fertile women may be encouraged to use contraception during clinical trials to avoid potential drug effects on fetuses. However, hormonal contraception interferes with pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics and modifies internal milieus. Macrophages depend on the milieu to which they are exposed. Therefore, we assessed whether macrophage function would be affected by the use of combined oral contraceptives (OCs) and if this influence depended on the androgenic or nonandrogenic properties of progestin. Methods: Healthy adult women were enrolled and stratified into two groups: women who did not use OCs (Fs) and women treated with OCs (FOCs). FOCs were further stratified as a function of androgenic (FOCA+) and non-androgenic (FOCA-) properties of progestins. Routine hematological, biochemical, inflammatory and endothelial dysfunction parameters were measured. Monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs) were evaluated for the expression and activity of estrogen receptors and androgen receptors, and release of tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) was measured from unstimulated and lipopolysaccharide-stimulated cells. Results: As is already known, the use of OCs changed numerous parameters: the number of lymphocytes, iron levels, total iron-binding capacity of transferrin, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein, total cholesterol, and C-reactive protein increased, while prothrombin time and alkaline phosphatase decreased. Hormonal levels also varied: cortisol was higher in FOCs, while luteinizing hormone, folliclestimulating hormone, and testosterone were lower in FOCs. Asymmetric dimethylarginine, an index of endothelial function, was lower in FOC than in Fs, as were cysteine and bilirubin. The androgenic properties of progestins affected the activity of OCs: in particular, white blood cell count, hemoglobin, high-density lipoprotein and calcium were higher in FOCA- than in FOCA+, whereas percentage oxygen saturation and γ-glutamyl transpeptidase were lower in FOCA- than in FOCA+. Importantly, FOCs had a lower global DNA methylation, indicating that OC may have epigenetic effects on gene expression. OC did not modify the expression of androgen receptor but increased estrogen receptor α expression, more considerably in FOCA+, and decreased estrogen receptor β, more considerably in FOCA-. Importantly, the activation state of estrogen receptor β in FOCs was decreased, while estrogen receptor α was not active in either Fs or FOCs. Unstimulated MDMs obtained from FOCs showed higher release of TNFα in comparison with Fs. After lipopolysaccharide stimulation, the release of TNFα was significantly higher in Fs than in FOCs. Conclusions: OC use induced many changes in hematological and plasmatic markers, modifying hormonal levels, endothelial function, inflammation index and some redox state parameters, producing a perturbation of the internal milieu that impacted macrophagic function. In fact, different levels of estrogen receptor expression and release of TNFα were observed in macrophages derived from OC users. Some of the above activities were linked to the androgenic properties of progestin. Even though it is not known whether these effects are reversible, the results indicate that to avoid potential skewing of results only a single type of OC should be used during a single clinical trial.</br

Italy and the Militarization of the Euro-Mediterranean Border Control Policies

In this chapter, I analyse the leading role played by Italy in the increasing militarisation of border control policies taking place at the EU level. I do this by focusing on the evolution of the Italian maritime border control policies in the past twenty years, and thus describing the process that has led to the creation of a complex and integrated border control apparatus. I start with a preliminary examination of the wider context in which the control of irregular migration by sea takes place in the Mediterranean scenario, focusing then on the description of the Italian border control apparatus. In particular, I will describe the legal basis and the complex institutional framework that shaped maritime border surveillance policies in the past twenty years. These policies will be analysed by describing their evolution up to the latest operational activities launched in the Strait of Sicily with the aim to tackle the refugee crisis. By way of conclusion, some final remarks will offer a key to interpret the main driving forces behind the increasing militarisation of immigration law enforcement at the Euro-Mediterranean border

Chiedere asilo in tempo di crisi: accoglienza, confinamento e detenzione ai margini d’Europa

Il contributo descrive le misure adottate nel quadro dll'approccio hotspot e il loro impatto sul sistema di accoglienza italian

Seeking Asylum in Times of Crisis: Reception, Confinement, and Detention at Europe's southern border

This article analyses from a socio-legal point of view how the European Union Agenda on Migration is reshaping the Common European Asylum System by focusing on the impact it has had on the reform of the Italian reception system. After a preliminary examination of the European Union standards on reception, this article focuses on the European Union Agenda on Migration and shows that its main aim is to stimulate frontline Member States to reform their border control and reception practices by strengthening powers for the surveillance and detention of asylum-seekers. It then explores the Italian case, analysing how the hotspot approach has been implemented in practice and the influence it is having in pushing the Italian reception system from a policy model driven - albeit with a certain degree of ambiguity - by humanitarian concerns, to a model where security and border control priorities prevail. Finally, it concludes by describing some of the main features of the social sorting apparatus which was created by the European Union Agenda on Migration for discriminating between asylum-seekers in clear need of protection who can be relocated to other Member States, and others who should be trapped in the reception systems of frontline Member States