As part of its programme of visits to immigration detention centres, the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons organised a visit to Vordernberg immigration detention centre in Austria on 15-16 November 2016. These visits have a two-fold aim: parliamentarians are first given advice and training using the PACE Guidelines for Visiting Detention Centres and then carry out a visit on which they report back to the Committee.

Manlio Di Stefano, rapporteur for a recent report on the need to avoid child statelessness, participated in an awareness-raising event on 22 November at the European Parliament in Strasbourg co-organised by the European Network on Statelessness and MEP Jean Lambert.

On 24-25 November the Sub-Committee on Cooperation with non-European countries of origin and transit met during the North-South Centre’s Lisbon Forum, which focused this year on how to structure collective action to address migration and human rights challenges. The Chair of the sub-committee, Andrea Rigoni, spoke in a session devoted to dialogue between countries of origin, transit and destination.

At its meeting on 7 December 2016 the Committee will hold an exchange of views with Tomáš Boček, Special Representative on migration and refugees, on his fact-finding mission in September to Calais and Grande-Synthe, France. A report on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza will be proposed for adoption and the Committee will also decide on its priorities for 2017. Other subjects for discussion include the state of play of the EU/Turkey Agreement on migrants, the still critical situation in the Mediterranean and integration of migrants.

On 15 December the Sub-Committee on Integration will meet in Berlin where it will have an exchange of views on Germany’s experience of the integration of refugees and migrants.

The Campaign to end immigration detention of children: http://website-pace.net/en_GB/web/apce/children-in-detention

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