Newsletter - April 2026
Division on Migration and Refugees publishes report on mission to Poland
The Council of Europe Division on Migration and Refugees (DMR) has published a report following its mission to Poland on 4 -5 February 2026, which focused on the reception and integration of Ukrainian war-displaced persons in the country, currently approximately one million, making Poland the...
Mission to Czechia looks into the protection, reception and integration of war-displaced Ukrainians
On 22-24 April the Division on Migration and Refugees (DMR) carried out a mission to Prague, to collect and analyse information on the protection, reception and integration of war-displaced Ukrainians, Czechia currently hosting around 400 000 of temporary protection (TP) beneficiaries, the...
Building Futures: Legal Pathways and Psychosocial Support for Young Refugees and Migrants in transition to adulthood
On 28-30 April the Council of Europe Youth Department in cooperation with the Council of Europe Division on Migration and Refugees (DMR), and the Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM) held a seminar on strengthening the implementation of Recommendation...
Division on Migration and Refugees takes part in 1st meeting of Council of Europe Committee of Experts on combatting the smuggling of migrants (PC-TM)
The Committee of Experts on combatting the smuggling of migrants (PC-TM) held its first meeting on 28-29 April 2026 in hybrid form, marked the start of work on drafting of a Recommendation on deterring and fighting the smuggling of migrants (SoM), through legal means and other actions, and on...
Advancing coordinated action for children of Ukraine: taking stock and shaping next steps
The Division on Migration and Refugees (DMR) participated in the 9th Plenary meeting of the Council of Europe’s Consultation Group on the Children of Ukraine (CGU) in Strasbourg (14-16 April 2026), bringing together member states, international organisations, civil society and experts to take...
Head of PACE’s Migration Committee urges creation of European search-and-rescue corps to save lives
Sandra Zampa (Italy, SOC), Chairperson of the PACE Committee on Migration, International Protection and Economic Co‑operation, made the following statement : “On Easter night, tragedy once again struck in the Mediterranean. A vessel carrying migrants capsized, claiming the lives of at least...
PACE General Rapporteur urges EU to abandon proposal to detain migrant children in coming Returns Regulation
Lord Michael German (United Kingdom, ALDE), the General Rapporteur on Asylum and Migration of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), has raised the alarm over the position adopted at the end of March by the European Parliament, which would allow for the detention of migrant...
CPT annual report findings about migrant treatment
In its annual report for 2025, the Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) acknowledges progress in certain areas in recent years, but also highlights worrying signs on the treatment and living conditions of individuals in detention in Europe. During its visits to...
Council of Europe supports recognition of refugees’ qualifications at EQPR event in Chișinău
On 28 April 2026 in Chisinau, the Council of Europe in co-operation with the Ministry of Education and Research of the Republic of Moldova, organised an awareness raising event on the topic “Supporting Refugees’ Participation in Higher Education and Labour Market -European Qualifications Passport...
European Court of Human Rights finds violations concerning treatment and detention of Venezuelan nationals intercepted off Curaçao
The case Y.F.C. and Others v. the Netherlands (application no. 21325/19) concerned seven Venezuelan nationals intercepted in April 2019 off the coast of Curaçao, a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the southern Caribbean. Following their interception, the applicants were...
Council of Europe help member states to strenghten rights of displaced people
In April, the Project "Strengthening the human rights protection of refugees and migrants in the Republic of Moldova, Phase II" held two key consultations on developing a national curriculum for Romanian language courses for adult migrants and refugees in the Republic of Moldova. On 08-09 April...