On 3 July 2020, Parliamentary Assembly´s (PACE) Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons adopted a report on “Effective guardianship for unaccompanied and separated migrant children”, rapporteur Rósa Björk Brynjólfsdóttir, (Iceland, UEL) during its meeting via videoconference. The report calls for harmonisation of guardianship systems in Europe and better training courses for professional guardians. Delays in appointment of guardians and gaps in transitions into and out of guardianship, especially into adult life, were also pinpointed by the rapporteur as areas for improvement.

In addition, the Committee adopted a report by Aleksander Pociej, (Poland, EPP/CD) on Investment migration, which stresses that any award of citizenship, residence permits and tax domiciles to foreign investors must respect established legal standards. The report urges all states to sign and ratify the relevant Council of Europe conventions and comply with the recommendations made by the Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) and the anti-money laundering organ MONEYVAL.

On 23 June 2020, the Parliamentary Assembly´s Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons held and exchange of views on the humanitarian consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic for refugees and migrants in the context of a report to be debated at PACE’s October part-session. The Committee discussed the impact of the pandemic for migrants, and the lessons to be learned for future migration policies. The Speakers included: Drahoslav Štefánek, Special Representative of the Council of Europe Secretary General on Migration and Refugees, Nina Schrepfer, Senior Legal Officer, Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Regional Bureau for Europe, Tineke Strik, member of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) of the European Parliament, former PACE rapporteur on migration issues.