The April part-session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) provided an opportunity for the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons to address a broad range of issues covered in reports under preparation, chaired by Oleksii Goncharenko (Ukraine, EC/DA).
Ms Sandra Zampa (Italy, SOC) presented the draft outline of her report on “The challenges and needs of public and private actors in migration management”. This topic arose from fact-finding visit carried out in Calais in October 2023. This visit remarked the deficiencies - observed in many countries - regarding the reception of migrant populations and the perceptions of local populations towards migrants. The rapporteur aims to analyse the challenges and needs faced by states and private actors in managing migrant populations along their migration routes, especially at congestion points, to propose concrete solutions. This will help state authorities and private actors fulfil their duties regarding the dignified reception of migrants. She emphasized her desire to ensure that the Assembly listens to the voices of those involved in managing and receiving migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers, so their concerns can be heard and addressed in her report.
A rich exchange of views took place on “An urgent call to Europe and its partners: envisioning immediate and long-term policy solutions and support for the displaced persons of Ukraine,” with the participation of Bjørn Berge, Deputy Secretary General; Dmytro Lubinets, Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman); and Dr Vilde Hernes, Senior Researcher at the Norwegian Institute for Urban and Regional Research (NIBR), Oslo Metropolitan University. The discussion highlighted that the longer the war lasts, the more temporary perspectives and solutions need to be replaced by longer-term thinking. The exchange also underscored the broad range of actions taken by the Council of Europe to support Ukraine since Russia’s war of aggression. The rapporteur, Lise Selnes (Norway, SOC), concluded that there are dilemmas to be faced, with no quick fixes or win-win situations. She expressed her readiness to propose solutions to ensure a dignified stay for Ukrainians unable to return home and ways to support Ukraine in dealing with the millions who remain and desperately need help.
With the recent adoption of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum, the exchange of views with Stefan Maier, UNHCR, Head of Policy and Legal Support Unit, Representation for EU Affairs, Belgium, Luxembourg, Ireland, and the Netherlands, was very timely. Mr Maier emphasised that for the Pact to be effective, it must be implemented with sufficient safeguards. These include adequate asylum procedures, avoiding the systematic detention of migrants (and ensuring children are never detained in a migration context), implementing systematic monitoring procedures, and preserving access to territory. He reiterated the UNHCR’s firm opposition to the externalization of asylum procedures. Mr Maier stressed that the Pact alone would not solve all the immense migration challenges and that addressing and investing in the root causes of migration while increasing the protection capacity of third countries were essential. This exchange took place in the framework of preparing the report “Ensuring human rights compliant asylum procedures” (rapporteur: Stefanie Krisper, Austria, ALDE).
Finally, the committee appointed by acclamation Mr Paulo Pisco (Portugal, SOC) as rapporteur for the report on “Saving migrants’ lives at sea and protecting their human rights” and Mr Pierre-Alain Fridez (Switzerland, SOC) as rapporteur for the report on “Putting an end to collective expulsions of aliens”.
