EU Migrant Policies and Human Rights: A General Overview

The so called EU “hotspot approach” applied in frontline countries such as Italy and Greece has posed several concerns in the civil society about the respect of fundamental rights of migrants. Italy, after the condemnation by the European Court of Strasbourg, has adopted several reforms aimed at recognising a legal basis to the “detention” of migrants in the hotposts, but notwithstanding the positive assessment by the Committee of Ministers there are still several doubts as to whether the system complies with the ECHR as well as with the Italian Constitution. In this regard, the new Pact on Migration and Asylum, adopted by the European Commission, seems to re-propose the “hotspot approach”: it is necessary to monitor the implementation of future reforms to avoid a reduction in the level of protection of fundamental rights, such as the right to personal freedom.