Safe and legal migration pathways: enhancing and implementing good practices

Motion for a resolution | Doc. 16279 | 03 October 2025

Signatories:

Mr Marco SCURRIA, Italy, ECPA ; Mr Garret AHEARN, Ireland, EPP/CD ; Mr Alfredo ANTONIOZZI, Italy, ECPA ; Ms Elena BONETTI, Italy, ALDE ; Mr Vladimir ĐORĐEVIĆ, Serbia, ECPA ; Ms Elisabetta GARDINI, Italy, ECPA ; Lord Michael GERMAN, United Kingdom, ALDE ; Mr Armen GEVORGYAN , Armenia, ECPA ; Mr Oleksii GONCHARENKO, Ukraine, ECPA ; Ms Valentina GRIPPO, Italy, ALDE ; Mr Jan KANTHAK, Poland, ECPA ; Mr Ettore Antonio LICHERI, Italy, UEL ; Mr Arnaldo LOMUTI, Italy, UEL ; Ms Ester MIELI, Italy, ECPA ; Mr Dmytro NATALUKHA, Ukraine, ECPA ; Mr Fabio PIETRELLA, Italy, ECPA ; Mr Graziano PIZZIMENTI, Italy, ECPA ; Ms Catia POLIDORI, Italy, EPP/CD ; Ms Domenica SPINELLI, Italy, ECPA ; Ms Victoria TIBLOM, Sweden, ECPA ; Ms Sandra ZAMPA, Italy, SOC

This motion has not been discussed in the Assembly and commits only those who have signed it.

Facilitating legal pathways is crucial for governing migration flows to Europe, stopping deaths at sea and combating human trafficking.

The Parliamentary Assembly, in its Resolution 2568 (2024) “A shared European approach to address migrant smuggling”, emphasised that one of the key factors in combating migrant smuggling is to increase effective access to safe and legal pathways.

Several projects aim at ensuring safe channels of access to persons in need of protection, complementing the traditional resettlement promoted by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (see Resolution 2025 (2014) “Resettlement of refugees: promoting greater solidarity”).

Since 2015, the European Commission, recognising the potential of “community sponsorship”, has promoted such initiatives, which the new EU Pact foresees to strengthen.

Several States activated community sponsorship projects. In 2019, Germany launched NesT – a government and civil society resettlement programme for vulnerable refugees – which was made permanent in 2023.

Since 2016, in Italy, and later also in France and Belgium, “humanitarian corridors” have been launched by faith-based associations in co-operation with the competent authorities: the organisations identify, in the country of first asylum, vulnerable refugees to be transferred, receiving and supporting them in their integration process. Almost 10 000 people have benefited from this mechanism so far.

As for labour mobility, in addition to the channels already foreseen for highly skilled workers, many States are opening more accessible regular entry routes aimed at meeting labour needs. In Italy, since 2023, foreign workers who have attended vocational training programmes in their origin countries can enter and be hired outside the annual government quotas, with a simplified path. At the same time, there are several training projects launched through the Mattei Plan to create opportunities in the countries of origin.

The Assembly should delve into existing good practices, proposing models of safe, regular and accessible channels for Council of Europe member States to implement.