“The issue of migration is central to our democratic institutions because it forces us to consider the best way to guarantee essential rights and freedoms while ensuring that our societies feel peaceful, secure and respectful of their diversity,” stated Congress Vice-President Xavier Cadoret (France, SOC/G/PD) at the Ministerial Conference on Migration in Strasbourg on 10 December 2025.

He recalled the role of local authorities as the primary actors in receiving and integrating migrants, but also their increasingly crucial role in fostering the living-together in our societies, as integration is built over time and space. “Successful integration is a guarantee of peace, security and prosperity for our communities, particularly in the context of the demographic decline that our countries are currently experiencing. It is based on clear strategies and policies defined with all levels of government and key civil society actors,” continued Vice-President Cadoret.

In this context, he stressed that the European Convention on Human Rights continues to be the most effective safeguard for the protection of human rights on the continent, including the rights of migrants, and that its effectiveness and credibility are based on the impartiality and independence of the Court of Human Rights and on the execution of its judgments by Member States.