On 10-12 May 2021, an Ad-hoc sub-Committee of the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe will carry out a fact-finding visit to Greece. The aim of the visit is to assess the humanitarian needs of those who suffered as a result of the fire in the Moria camp on Lesvos. The Committee intends to attract the attention of parliamentarians from Council of Europe member States and encourage solidarity by European countries towards these people and to Greece which has to shoulder a very heavy responsibility, made more difficult by the Covid-19 pandemic.

On 20 April 2021, the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons adopted the report “Climate and migration”, by the rapporteur Pierre-Alain Fridez (Switzerland, SOC). In the report, the Committee called upon the member States to combat the effects of climate change and natural disasters to prevent mass displacement of populations. The Migration Committee stressed the importance of protecting human rights for people forced to migrate by climate-change-induced disasters or hardship, with particular attention to vulnerable groups such as “persons living in coastal areas, indigenous people, minorities, older persons, women, children and persons with disabilities”. It called on States, in particular, to ensure that major industrial projects do not harm neighbouring countries, and to guarantee access to quality drinking water for all. The committee also called for increased development cooperation and emergency support in the countries of origin of migrants and suggested that a Europe-based World Solidarity Fund for Climate Migration could help implement these measures. The report will be submitted for adoption in plenary later this year.