15/03/2023 | Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons
PACE’s Migration Committee has set out sixteen approaches that Council of Europe member states can take to integrate migrants and refugees in a way which encourages “a sense of togetherness” and minimises fear and resentment towards people arriving from other countries. In a draft resolution...
15/03/2023 | Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons
Ahead of the European Council (23-24 March), the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons recalled the importance of European solidarity to facilitate the reception of migrants and refugees. In a declaration adopted today, it urged European Union institutions to allocate means for...
26/01/2023 | Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons
"As a human rights defender for 20 years, I would have never imagined myself working on war crimes in my country. No one chooses where he or she was born but we all have a choice whether we want to be active against human rights violations or remain indifferent to it. I chose not to be...
26/01/2023 | Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons
The Migration Committee today expressed concern at the Russian Federation's military attack against Ukraine, leading to the highest numbers of refugees and displaced persons since World War II. In this context, the Committee urged member States to show European solidarity, particularly with...
25/01/2023 | Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons
Some 200 to 500 000 Belarusians were forced to flee their country as a result of the repression that fell after the rigged elections of 9 August 2020. While they have a common wish – return as rapidly as possible to a democratic Belarus – they do not necessarily describe themselves in the same...
16/12/2022 | Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons
On International Migrants Day, Theodoros Rousopoulos (Greece, EPP/CD), the Chairperson of the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons, recalled the importance of upholding human rights for all. This should become a reality in the 21st century for migrants and refugees. The...
07/12/2022 | Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons
On the eve of the Council of the EU’s decision on the full application of the provisions of the Schengen acquis regarding Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania, PACE Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced persons today adopted the following statement: "The Committee welcomes the enlargement of...
18/10/2022 | Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons
Theodoros Rousopoulos (Greece, EPP/CD), Chair of the PACE Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons, has made the following statement to mark European Anti-trafficking Day (18 October 2022): “Armed conflicts, climate change, economic recession and food insecurity have multiplied the...
10/10/2022 | Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons
The Ukrainian diaspora in Alsace, the second largest in France, saw its role and responsibilities change after the 24 February 2022 when Russia's aggression against Ukraine began. In an exchange of views held with the Sub-Committee on Diasporas and Integration, Iryna Petrovska, Vice-President of...
29/07/2022 | Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons
“On the eve of the World Day against Trafficking in Persons (30 July 2022), I call on everyone to speak out against the immense suffering and abuse inflicted on huge numbers of victims of trafficking,” said Theodoros Rousopoulos (Greece, EPP/CD), Chair of the Migration Committee of the...
21/06/2022 | Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons
In a declaration adopted today, the PACE Migration Committee has expressed serious concern about the new Nationality and Borders Bill put forward by the United Kingdom Government – and passed by Parliament on 27 April 2022 – which would, in effect, “contravene the United Kingdom’s obligations...
21/06/2022 | Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons
PACE’s Migration Committee is encouraging the development of “new and up-to-date criteria” at the Council of Europe level for states to assess the safety of third countries when transferring asylum seekers. Approving a draft resolution based on a report by Stephanie Krisper (Austria, ALDE), the...