On 3 March 2026, ECRI published its monitoring report on the Netherlands as part of the sixth monitoring cycle. In this report, ECRI welcomed that refugees no longer have to finance their language and integration courses. It also noted efforts taken by the authorities to improve their labour market participation. At the same time, it regretted that family migrants still have to bear the costs of their language and integration courses and that fines can still be imposed for failing to fulfil various obligations in the integration process. It further identified barriers to integration such as lack of childcare places, delays in starting integration process, and difficulties in combining language learning with labour market participation. ECRI further highlighted concerns regarding the quality of transitional classes for migrant children, discrimination in the private rental market, and the difficult situation of refugees awaiting housing in municipalities. ECRI therefore recommended that the authorities further review and develop policies based on positive incentives to improve the integration and inclusion of migrants residing in the Netherlands.
As regards irregularly present migrants, ECRI welcomed that access to primary and secondary education and necessary health care is guaranteed, and that legal firewalls are in place in the area of education. However, it noted that access to pre-school and higher education is more difficult, that funding for the National Immigration Facilities programme was not extended, and that the police “free in, free out” policy enabling irregularly present migrants to report crime is not always effectively ensured in practice. ECRI invited the authorities to ensure the right to emergency accommodation for irregularly present migrants and to ensure effective implementation of that policy within the police.
ECRI also observed that anti-migrant rhetoric, increasingly focusing on refugees and asylum seekers, has become mainstream in public discourse, and expressed serious concern that political speech relies heavily on divisive and hateful speech against migrants, including misinformation about a high influx of asylum seekers and blaming migrants for the housing crisis. It notably recommended that public figures, including high-level officials and politicians, be strongly encouraged to take a prompt, firm and public stance against the expression of racist and LGBTI-phobic hate speech and react to any such expression with strong counter hate speech messages and alternative speech.
On 5 March 2026, ECRI published its conclusions on the implementation of the priority recommendations made in its sixth-cycle report on Poland published in 2023. One of the two recommendations was related to developing and adopting a national migration policy covering not only people who took refuge in Poland as a result of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, but also other migrants with various statuses and purposes of stay. In its conclusions, ECRI noted that, on 15 October 2024, the Council of Ministers adopted the policy document “Regaining control. Ensuring security - a comprehensive and responsible Polish migration strategy for 2025–2030”. It considered that the new policy contains some positive elements, including support for Polish language lessons for foreigners, the integration and inclusion of refugee children into the national education system, and the planned establishment of 49 Foreigners’ Integration Centres across Poland.
At the same time, ECRI considered that the strategy leaves much to be desired when it comes to the integration and inclusion of various categories of migrants, including Ukrainian nationals, and places disproportionate emphasis on immigration control and security. It noted in particular that many regions withdrew from plans to establish Foreigners’ Integration Centres, that the policy document contains few entries on supporting Ukrainians in their integration and inclusion, and that legal amendments adopted in September 2025 reduced previously more generous social and healthcare benefits for Ukrainians by making employment, with some exceptions, a prerequisite for adults to receive them. ECRI therefore concluded that its recommendation had been only partially implemented and strongly encouraged the authorities to develop specific integration and inclusion programmes for different categories of foreign nationals seeking support and protection in Poland.