On 6 May 2019, a delegation from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) will visit two migration centres in Austria, organised by the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons in the framework of the Parliamentary Campaign to End Immigration Detention of Children.
On 8-12 April 2019, several migration-related activities were included in the PACE spring session agenda and side events. In the framework of the Parliamentary Campaign to End Immigration Detention of Children, an exchange of views was held with Philippe de Botton, President of Doctors of the World France, on alternatives to immigration detention and a report on “The situation of migrants and refugees on the Greek islands: more needs to be done” by Petra De Sutter (Belgium, SOC,) was debated by the parliamentarians. The Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons discussed a report on “Stop violence and exploitation of migrant children” and held a hearing on “Investment migration: trends, advantages, standards”.
On 3 April 2019, PACE rapporteur on pushback action by member states, Tineke Strik (Netherlands, SOC), made a statement following a two-country visit to Croatia and to Bosnia and Herzegovina saying: “Basic humanitarian conditions are not ensured for the many hundreds of migrants stranded in the centres at Velika Kladuša and Bihac, despite the efforts of international organisations and NGOs. More solidarity is needed from EU and Council of Europe member states to ensure human rights and dignity for these people.”
On 29 March 2019, in co-operation with the Chairperson of the Icelandic delegation, Ms Rósa Björk Brynjólfsdóttir, the Parliamentary Campaign to End Immigration Detention of Children organised a parliamentary seminar on “Age assessment of unaccompanied migrant children in Europe – the Icelandic case” in Reykjavik. The Special Representative of the Secretary General on migration and refugees, Tomáš Boček, participated in the seminar to present Council of Europe action for the protection of refugee and migrant children and the importance of the future guidelines on age assessment for children in migration. The Council of Europe report on member states’ policies, procedures and practices respectful of children’s rights in the context of migration was also discussed.
On 22 March 2019 in Warsaw, at the invitation of the Polish Parliament, the Parliamentary Network on Diaspora Policies organised a conference on “The role of diasporas in the development of civil society”. 80 participants from 22 countries discussed diasporas as actors in civil society and mechanisms to ensure better involvement of diasporas in decision-making processes. Participants agreed on the necessity for strategic partnerships between states, civil society, the private sector and international organisations. Three diaspora organisations were selected as nominees for the European Diaspora Prize during the conference: the Platform of women of the Congolese diaspora of Belgium, British Abroad and the Ukrainian society in Switzerland.