Humanitarian organizations take action against Netherlands for breaching Türkiye-EU migration pact

Humanitarian organizations initiate legal proceedings against the Netherlands for violating the migration pact inked between Türkiye and the EU in 2016

Amnesty International, the Ship Refugee Foundation, and the Global Child Defense Organization have initiated legal proceedings against the Netherlands for violating the Refugee Repatriation Pact signed between Türkiye and the EU in 2016.

Despite the accord signed during the Dutch presidency of the EU, migrants endured harsh treatment in Greece.

Humanitarian organizations held the Netherlands accountable for the human rights infringements that ensued.

The legal action recalled Türkiye’s commitment to implementing measures to hinder migrants from traveling to Europe within the framework of the agreement.

Conversely, it’s emphasized that the EU allocated 6 billion euros in 2016 and 3 billion euros in 2021 to assist migrants staying in Türkiye.

Despite the agreement, migrants were compelled to remain in Greece in facilities lacking adequate food, shelter, medical and sanitary amenities – which were both hazardous and unsanitary.

Eight years post-agreement, organizations, noting minimal changes in conditions and the transformation of camps into secure facilities with stringent security protocols akin to detention centers, underscore the Netherlands’ persistent endorsement of the agreement despite reports of human and child rights violations.

According to the plaintiffs, documentation indicates that the Dutch government persisted in expediting the agreement’s implementation despite being cognizant of significant deficiencies in Greece’s asylum and reception system.

Source: Newsroom