Newsletter February 2025
ECtHR Grand Chamber hearings concerning Latvia, Lithuania and Poland
The European Court of Human Right held three Grand Chamber hearings concerning three member States: Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. The case R.A. and Others v. Poland concerns a group of 32 Afghan nationals who claim to have fled Afghanistan after the Taliban came to power. They were left stranded...
Special Envoy of Council of Europe Secretary General on the situation of children of Ukraine appointed
Secretary General Alain Berset has appointed Thórdís Kolbrún Reykfjord Gylfadóttir (Iceland) as his Special Envoy on the situation of children of Ukraine. She will raise awareness of the challenges faced by the children of Ukraine and of the Council of Europe’s standards and initiatives to...
Commissioner visited Greece; called for accountability in the wake of the Pylos shipwreck and reports of pushbacks
The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Michael O’Flaherty, conducted a visit Greece from 3 to 7 February, during which he focused on the protection of human rights in the context of border control operations and on the human rights of Roma. The Commissioner acknowledged the...
CDCJ publishes a feasibility study on a non-binding legal instrument on stateless children’s access to nationality
As a contribution to the Council of Europe Action Plan on Protecting Vulnerable Persons in the Context of Migration and Asylum in Europe (2021-2025) and the Council of Europe Strategy for the Rights of the Child (2022-2027), the European Committee on Legal Co-operation (CDCJ) publishes a...
Council of Europe participates in FRONTEX Consultative Forum on Fundamental Rights
The Division on Migration and Refugees, representing the Council of Europe, participated in the 36th meeting of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (FRONTEX) Consultative Forum on Fundamental Rights, held on 18-19 February in Warsaw. The Council of Europe, represented by the Division on...
CDENF focuses on unaccompanined and separated migrant children
The Committee for the Rights of the Child (CDENF) finalised the implementation review of the Recommendation CM/Rec(2019)11 on effective guardianship for unaccompanied and separated children in the context of migration and published the report after presenting it to the Committee of Ministers...
2nd phase of HELP course on refugee and migrant children for Armenian professionals launched
The Council of Europe project “Protecting the Rights of Armenian Children in Post-Conflict Context” continues to provide key capacity-building to equip professionals working for and with refugee and migrant children with the necessary skills to address the complex challenges these children face....
Strengthening the human rights protection of refugees and migrants in the Republic of Moldova: phase II
On 27 February , the Council of Europe project “Strengthening the human rights protection of refugees and migrants in the Republic of Moldova: phase II” organised the first Steering Committee Meeting. The event aimed to present the new phase of the Project as well as to discuss priorities in the...