Newsletter - May 2019
The Special Representative publishes report on Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia and concludes his mandate
On 24 April 2019, the Special Representative on migration and refugees (SRSG), Ambassador Tomáš Boček, published a report on his fact-finding mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia. While commending Bosnia and Herzegovina for its efforts to provide shelter and basic services to the high...
Expulsion from Switzerland would violate right to family life and hearing on refusal of visas for a Syrian family
On 9 April 2019 the European Court of Human Rights handed down a Chamber judgment in the case of I.M. v. Switzerland (application no. 23887/16), concerning the Swiss authorities’ refusal to renew the residence permit of the applicant (a Kosovar national who has lived in Switzerland since 1993)...
CPT publishes report on a return flight from Germany to Afghanistan, and carries out visit to Denmark
On 9 May 2019, the Council of Europe Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) published the report on its ad hoc visit to Germany carried out in August 2018, together with the response of the German authorities. The report concerns the...
Parliamentarians visit immigration centres in Austria
On 6 May 2019, a parliamentary delegation visited two migration centres – Traiskirchen and Zinnergasse in Austria. The visit was organised by the Committee in the framework of the Assembly's Parliamentary Campaign to End Immigration Detention of Children. The delegation was led by Pierre-Alain...
Effective Protection of Refugee and Migrant Children in Portugal
On 27-28 May 2019, in Lisbon, the Council of Europe and UNHCR are organsing a seminar on Effective Protection of Refugee and Migrant Children in Portugal. The seminar brings together some 80 participants from relevant Portuguese authorities, including the Ministry of Internal Administration,...
Council of Europe adopted a recommendation to assist young refugees in their transition to adulthood
On 24 April 2019, the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers adopted a recommendation advocating that member States should provide additional temporary support after the age of 18 to young refugees to enable them to access their rights. “It is in the best interest of all of us to enhance the...
European Qualifications Passport for Refugees: Evaluation session held in Athens
On 1-5 April 2019 in Athens, 46 refugees had their qualifications assessed during an evaluation session organised in the context of the European Qualifications Passport for Refugees (EQPR) project. Credential evaluators from the European National Information Centres (ENICs) of Armenia, Canada,...
Launch of the manual on intercultural community policing
The Intercultural Cities programme has produced a Manual on Intercultural Community Policing to support local police to effectively serve their increasingly diverse communities so to ensure full access to human rights for everyone. The Manual provides local police, including high-rank police...
- Border protection and the rights of young refugees and children in focus
- Spain did not breach the Convention when returning migrants to Morocco at Melilla border
- PACE to discuss violence and discrimination against religious minorities
- New study on gender-based asylum claims and non-refoulement
- Launch of toolkit on academic integration of refugees into higher education
- Taking young refugees seriously: key messages from the conference
- North-South Prize 2019 honours the efforts to support the integration of migrants