On 3 and 4 December 2024, Wroclaw (Poland) became the centre of dialogue on migration management as it hosted more than 80 representatives of municipalities of Romania, Poland and the Republic of Moldova which have welcomed Ukrainian refugees.
The participants reflected on the experiences in dealing with the influx of refugees and emergencies caused by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. The conference was also an opportunity to promote a toolkit for emergency management migration strategies for local authorities and stakeholders and a compendium of good practices of multilevel co-operation and migration management, developed in the framework of the project. These tools will help other municipalities.
In his opening address, Congress Secretary General Mathieu Mori praised the role of local and regional authorities in welcoming refugees and giving them access to education or housing. He stressed the importance of cross-border co-operation and multilevel governance to tackle migration challenges.
David Best, Special Representative of the Council of Europe’s Secretary-General on Migration and Refugees, underlined that the recent unprecedented migration influx caused by the war against Ukraine had tested the resilience of our societies and the strength of our commitment to upholding human rights. He pointed out that the Congress’ project was a testament to the power of co-operation, solidarity and shared responsibility.
Martin Kremer, Consul General of Germany in Wroclaw, reaffirmed his country’s commitment to supporting initiatives that align with the vision of human and efficient migration management in Europe. He stressed that regional co-operation was essential to tackling migration challenges and reiterated Germany’s close partnership with Poland in advancing these goals.
The closing conference was organised as part the of the project “Strengthening Resilience in Local and Regional Authorities facing migration challenges” of the Centre of Expertise for Multilevel Governance at the Congress, implemented under the Council of Europe Acton Plan on protecting vulnerable persons in the context of migration and asylum in Europe (2021-2025) with the financial contribution of the Federal Government of Germany.
