Newsletter - May 2021
Council of Europe´s 47 member states agreed on an Action Plan on Protecting Vulnerable Persons in the Context of Migration and Asylum in Europe
On 5 MAY 2021, the Council of Europe´s Committee of Ministers adopted an Action Plan on Protecting Vulnerable Persons in the Context of Migration and Asylum in Europe (2021-2025). “Migrants and asylum seekers face particular challenges, exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, notably access to...
Greek authorities should investigate allegations of pushbacks and ill-treatment of migrants, ensure an enabling environment for NGOs and improve reception conditions
On 12 May 2021, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, addressed a letter to the Minister for Citizens’ Protection, the Minister of Migration and Asylum, and the Minister of Shipping and Island Policy of Greece. In the letter, she urged the Greek authorities to put...
ECRI published its conclusions on the implementation of the priority recommendations made to Malta
On 18 May 2021, the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) published its conclusions on the implementation of two of its priority recommendations made to Malta in its Fifth Monitoring Cycle report in 2018. ECRI recommended that the authorities should continue to allow persons...
PACE addressed the humanitarian situation in North Africa, trafficking in human beings, and the situation on Lesvos island
On 28 May 2021, the Standing Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) debated the report by Lord Alexander Dundee (United Kingdom, EC/DA) on Humanitarian action for refugees and migrants in countries in North Africa and the Middle East. Lord Dundee noted with deep concern the serious...
HELP course on Refugee and Migrant Children launched in the Western Balkans, and Asylum and Human Rights for EU legal professionals
On 25 May 2021, the Council of Europe launched its first ever regional HELP online course on “Refugee and Migrant Children” in the Western Balkans, in co-operation with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the EU´s European Asylum Support Office (EASO), hosted by the...
Recognition of refugee qualifications without documentation and a tool for better integration
On 25 May 2021, the Council of Europe participated in a session on ‘Recognition of refugee qualifications without documentation: is it possible?’ presenting the evidence of the European Qualifications Passport for Refugees (EQPR). The online event was part of the Final Conference of the Thematic...