On 16 April 2019, the Special Representative on migration and refugees, Tomáš Boček, will publish an Issue Paper on human rights aspects of immigrant and refugee integration policies based on a comparative assessment of 11 Council of Europe member states. The aim of the Issue Paper is to identify good integration practices and serve as a tool supporting Council of Europe member states in designing and implementing integration policies which guarantee the human rights and fundamental freedoms of immigrants and refugees in compliance with the European Convention on Human Rights.
On 4 April 2019, a variety of concrete examples and practices of alternatives to the detention of migrants from different corners of Europe were presented to some 200 participants at the International conference on Effective Alternatives to the Detention of Migrants, organised jointly by the Council of Europe, the European Commission and the European Migration Network. In his opening remarks, the Special Representative emphasized that “There is a common understanding about the dangers and costs associated to immigration detention. The next step is to discuss how alternatives work in practice – how, when and where they work and learn from experience about the challenges and limitations”. Among the key findings were that alternatives are in general under-used by European states and more awareness is needed in order to change that. States need support for a swift and fair resolution of cases, including dignified returns. With more knowledge and overall mapping, states will be better equipped to achieve success and prevent failure with a practical and pragmatic approach to realise effective alternatives to immigration detention.
On 27 March 2019 in Brussels, the Office of the Special Representative participated in the Annual Forum of EU Focal Points for Human Rights, Democracy and Civil Society organised by the European Commission. Under the theme “The protection and promotion of human rights in migration”, the Forum aimed at presenting the main international and regional standards and the EU policy framework related to migration and human rights.
On 26 March 2019, in Paris, the Special Representative presented the activities of the Office and the status of the implementation of the Council of Europe Action Plan on Protecting Refugee and Migrant Children in Europe (2017-2019) to the PACE Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons. The Special Representative also exchanged on migration issues with the Steering Committee for Education Policy and Practice (CDPPE) at its plenary session on 20 March, with the Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) at its plenary session on 21 March in Strasbourg and with the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) on 2 April.