At its spring session (24-28 April 2017), in preparation for its full-day debate on migration on 28 June, the Parliamentary Assembly’s Migration Committee will discuss and adopt two new reports by Susanna Huovinen on “Integration of migrants in times of critical pressure” and Andrea Rigoni on “Migration as an opportunity for European development”. A plenary debate in the hemicycle on 27 April will address the issue of how to improve the funding of emergency refugee situations. The Committee will also hold an exchange of views with SRSG Tomáš Boček on his recent activities and reports.
Other topics will include the Campaign to End Migration Detention of Children and the training sessions organised in this framework on visiting places where children are detained. The course is designed in cooperation with the Children’s Rights Division, targeting parliamentarians and ombudspersons’ offices. The General Rapporteur for the campaign, Doris Fiala, will chair a round table on the role of NGOs in promoting best practices in care and accommodation. The recent legislative changes in Hungary on detention of migrants will be debated with the participation of Hungarian members of the Committee and experts. On the subject of internal displacements, Mr Vareikis will report on his fact-finding visits to Poland and Ukraine for the preparation of a follow-up report on humanitarian consequences of the war in Ukraine and Mr Munyama will present his introduction to a new report on the humanitarian needs of IDPs.