During the session of the Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) on 27-28 April 2022, the Migration Committee held exchanges of views with Dunja Mijatović, Council of Europe’s Human Rights Commissioner, and Leyla Kayacik, Special Representative of the Secretary General on Migration and Refugees.
The exchanged focused on pushbacks, the humanitarian consequences of the Russian aggression against Ukraine, the specific needs of vulnerable migrants and refugees, the necessity for independent monitoring mechanisms, and in this context, the important role played by national parliaments.
“These exchanges of views were an opportunity to underline that reinforcing each actor’s actions is essential to ensure impact, and that parliamentarians have a key role in upholding Council of Europe’s human rights standards,” said Theodoros Rousopoulos (Greece, EPP/CD), the Chairperson of the Migration Committee.
At the end of his fact-finding visit to Frontex in Poland from 20-22 April 2022, Pierre-Alain Fridez (Switzerland, SOC) expressed his deep concern about the fate of victims of pushbacks at Europe’s borders.
Mr Fridez, who is preparing a report on this issue, called upon the relevant EU agencies, including Frontex, who are in a position of authority at Europe’s borders, to ensure full compliance with international law and international human rights standards. He drew the attention of Frontex leadership to the recently issued Recommendation by Dunja Mijatović, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, “Pushed beyond the limits. Urgent action needed to stop pushbacks at Europe’s borders”, inviting Frontex to act resolutely to prevent pushbacks in all its forms.
Mr Fridez shared his observations following the missions he held in the recent months to Lesbos in Greece, to Poland’s border with Belarus, to Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. He underscored the importance of taking urgent measures to prevent pushbacks and other types of violence towards migrants and refugees, which would constitute grave violations of international law as regards the right to asylum.
During his visit, he met with Lars Gerdes, Frontex Deputy Executive Director for Returns and Operations, Ana Cristina Jorge, Director of Operational Response Division, Dirk Vande Ryse, Director of Situational Awareness and Monitoring Division, Anna Polak, Head of Executive Affairs Unit, and Eleonora Maffezzoli, Senior Policy Officer in Executive Affairs Unit, as well as Jonas Grimheden, Fundamental Rights Officer of Frontex and his team.
From 4 to 7 May 2022, Pierre-Alain Fridez (Switzerland, SOC), rapporteur on “The humanitarian consequences and internal and external migration in connection with the aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine”, visited Slovakia, Ukraine and Romania. “Cooperation and coordination between the central, regional and local levels is key to ensuring that the needs of more than 5 million refugees and 7 to 9 million IDPs are met in the medium and long term. International support is essential to help the Ukrainian authorities to cope with the huge number of persons who are not able to return home because of the war and destruction,” he said.
The rapporteur stated that neighbouring countries should also be supported in their efforts to provide shelter and integration to Ukrainians fleeing the war. “The needs range from basic requirements, such as food and clothes, toiletries, beds and bedding, to infrastructure, such as sewage, water and garbage services. Long-term accommodation is a priority as the schools hosting IDPs will have to be reopened to ensure access to education,” he underlined.
Previously, Mr Fridez met with civil society representatives in Warsaw on 21 April. The objective of the visits was to gather first-hand information from all the international and national actors dealing with refugees from and IDPs in Ukraine. IOM in Slovakia, the national parliamentary delegations of Romania and Ukraine and the Council of Europe Office in Warsaw provided support to both missions.