14/12/2011 | Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons
Tineke Strik (Netherlands, SOC), who is carrying out an inquiry for the PACE into “Lives lost in the Mediterranean Sea: who is responsible?”, in particular for the deaths of ‘boat people’ fleeing Libya, will make a fact-finding visit to Malta from 15 to 16 December 2011. During her visit, the rapporteur will meet refugees who arrived from Libya after January 2011 to gather testimony on their experiences, and will meet officials from the Maltese armed forces who are involved in organising rescues.
13/12/2011 | Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons
Tina Acketoft (Sweden, ALDE) will carry out a fact-finding visit to Sukhumi and Gali in Georgia from 12 to 15 December 2011 to continue preparation of her report on “Follow-up on the humanitarian consequences of the war between Georgia and Russia: the humanitarian situation in the war-affected areas”.
30/11/2011 | Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons
“With 1971 boatpeople having perished in the Mediterranean Sea while trying to reach European soil from North Africa, the year 2011 sets a sad record as the deadliest year for boatpeople,” PACE rapporteur Tineke Strik (Netherlands, SOC) said at the end of a hearing on this issue, organised by PACE Migration Committee. “Never before the Mediterranean Sea has been as closely monitored as this year because of the war in Libya and still more boat people than ever perished or disappeared,” the rapporteur added.
30/11/2011 | Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons
“The situation in Syria has become intolerable and requires action,” stressed today Christopher Chope (United Kingdom, EDG), Chair of PACE Committee on Migration, Refugees and Population, at a meeting in Paris and “unreservedly condemned the crackdown and killings in Syria.” He called upon Council of Europe member states to take all the necessary steps to impose immediate sanctions on the regime of Bashar al-Assad.
24/11/2011 | Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons
It is estimated that over a thousand boat people have perished in the Mediterranean Sea since January 2011 while attempting to reach Europe. Who may be responsible? What could have been done to avoid these tragedies? What lessons can be learned from these events? These questions will be central to a hearing organised on Tuesday 29 November in Paris by PACE Committee on Migration, Refugees and Population in connection with the preparation of a report on the subject by Tineke Strik (Netherlands, SOC).
04/10/2011 | Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons
" A child is first and foremost a child, and only in second place a migrant. This is the starting point for any discussion about undocumented migrant children; the status of the child is secondary and arguably irrelevant," according to Pedro Agramunt (Spain, EPP/CD), speaking today at the opening of a joint hearing on the subject of children of undocumented migrants organised by the PACE Sub-Committees on Migration and on Children.
26/09/2011 | Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons
“I was impressed by the progress made by the Russian Federal and local authorities in the North Caucasus in terms of construction and security in favour of the general population and IDPs,” said Nikolaos Dendias (Greece, EPP/CD), rapporteur of PACE's Migration Committee, ending a five-day visit to Moscow and the Republics of North Ossetia-Alania, Chechnya and Ingushetia as part of a fact-finding visit for his report on the “Situation of IDPs and retrurnees in the North Caucasus region”.
22/09/2011 | Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons
“Keep the focus on the people and do not be side-tracked by politics when dealing with the humanitarian consequences of the war between Georgia and Russia.” This was the plea of Tina Acketoft (Sweden, ALDE), rapporteur of the Migration Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), ending a three-day visit to Georgia.
15/09/2011 | Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons
Internal displacement and its consequences, including housing issues, should be systematically included in the monitoring activities of the relevant bodies of the Council of Europe, experts participating in an exchange of views on the situation of IDPs and returnees in the North Caucasus, organised by the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Population in Paris on 13 September, agreed.
13/09/2011 | Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons
“Undocumented migrant children are triply vulnerable, as migrants, as persons in an undocumented situation, and as children. A child should not be discriminated against because of his or her status. A child is first, foremost and only, a child. The issue of migratory status can only ever be a secondary consideration,” Pedro Agramunt (Spain, EPP/CD) said today when presenting his report on undocumented migrant children in an irregular situation at a meeting of the PACE Committee on Migration, Refugees and Population in Paris.
07/09/2011 | Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons
“The PACE inquiry into who is responsible for the more than 1,000 ‘boat people’ thought to have perished in the Mediterranean since January 2011 while trying to reach European soil from North Africa is meant to prevent impunity, PACE rapporteur Tineke Strik (Netherlands, SOC) has said at the end of a two-day visit to Rome (6 and 7 September 2011).
02/09/2011 | Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons
Tineke Strik (Netherlands, SOC), the rapporteur of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) carrying out an inquiry into responsibility for loss of life in the Mediterranean Sea, in particular the death of "boat people" fleeing Libya, will make a fact-finding visit to Rome on 6 and 7 September 2011.