The Chair of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), Bertil Cottier, held an exchange of views with the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe at the 1541^st meeting of the Ministers' Deputies on 22 October 2025 in Strasbourg. He reiterated the importance of ECRI's mission and of respecting its independence and nature. He took the opportunity to share ECRI's concerns about the development of possible racial profiling practices in the context of police action.

Referring to the European Convention on Human Rights, whose 75th anniversary the Council of Europe will celebrate on 4 November this year, he stressed that when member states implement ECRI's recommendations, they are proactively working to comply with the Convention, can avoid possible condemnations by the European Court of Human Rights and can enable faster execution of judgments concerning them in areas falling within ECRI's mandate.

He also referred to the sensitivity of many of the issues addressed by ECRI in the course of its work, pointing to the risks of manipulation leading to the deliberate or inadvertent questioning not of what ECRI actually says, but of what it does, i.e. its mission, and those who make up ECRI, i.e. independent and impartial experts.

Mr Cottier also pointed out that ECRI's role was neither to investigate nor to condemn, but rather to observe, listen and verify on the one hand, and to engage in dialogue and provide advice on the other, thus offering a valuable "outside perspective" on the situation and government action in each country.

In its annual report published on 28 May 2025, ECRI’s Chair expressed concern about the number of accounts, reports, studies and other information pointing to possible racial profiling practices by law enforcement officials, which have been brought to the commission's attention in a number of countries. In addition to the fact that any such practice is discriminatory, generates feelings of injustice among victims and undermines police action, he considered it essential to examine the issue because law enforcement agencies are also at the forefront of investigating racist and anti-LGBTI hate crimes and, as such, need to benefit from the trust not only of the majority of the population but also of those segments of society that are in a vulnerable position.

Finally, ECRI’s Chair drew attention to other challenges identified by ECRI: combating the segregation of Roma children in schools, combating transphobia and promoting equality for transgender and intersex people, and strengthening equality bodies across Europe.