On 4 April 2019 in Strasbourg, a variety of concrete examples and practices of alternatives to the detention of migrants from different corners of Europe were presented to some 200 participants at an International conference on Effective Alternatives to the Detention of Migrants, organised jointly by the Council of Europe, the European Commission and the European Migration Network.

Among the key findings were that alternatives are in general under-used by European states and more awareness is needed in order to change that. States need support for a swift and fair resolution of cases, including dignified returns. With more knowledge and overall mapping, states will be better equipped to achieve success and prevent failure with a practical and pragmatic approach to realise effective alternatives to immigration detention.

One of the conclusions of the conference included the need for even greater cooperation at international level in the field, but also on a domestic level. If civil society and national human rights institutions connect constructively with authorities, and if local and national authorities build bridges in the field, then this helps forge results.

The many aspects of alternatives to immigration detention discussed included inter alia, registration, case management or case worker support, regular reporting, designated residence and residential accommodation.