Newsletter - December 2018
Marrakech conference, mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia, CEB grant to Melilla and HELP course launch in Barcelona
On 10-11 December 2018, in Marrakech, the Special Representative of the Secretary General on Migration and Refugees (SRSG) represented the Council of Europe at the UN Intergovernmental Conference, where the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration was adopted by more than 160...
The detention of an asylum-seeker for security reasons did not breach the Convention
On 6 November 2018, the European Court of Human Rights handed down a Chamber judgment in the case of K.G. v. Belgium (application no. 52548/15), concerning an asylum-seeker who was placed and kept in detention under four decisions, for security reasons, while his asylum application was pending....
Commissioner urges Spain to ensure the rights of foreigners entering Ceuta and Melilla
On 23 November 2018, the Commissioner published a letter to the Spanish Congress and Senate on the review of the 2015 Law on Citizens’ Safety. In the letter, as regards the part of the Law which introduced special provisions regarding foreigners entering Ceuta and Melilla, the Commissioner...
PACE Migration Committee visited Röszke transit zone in Hungary, and discussed trafficking and labour migration
On 12 November 2018, a delegation from the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) visited Budapest and the Röszke transit zone in Hungary. The visit was organised by the PACE Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons in the framework of the Assembly's Parliamentary Campaign...
Immigration detention: Council of Europe anti-torture Committee visits France, Albania and Hungary
From 23 to 30 November 2018, a delegation from the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) carried out an ad hoc visit to France, in order to examine the treatment and conditions of detention of persons deprived of their liberty...
Round table on effective protection of children in migration and publication
On 13-14 December 2018 in Strasbourg, Council of Europe Children´s Rights Division, in association with the Special Representative on migration and refugees, organised an international roundtable on “Delivering real change: effectively protecting refugee and migrant children’s rights”. The...
Refugee Academy: First Pilot Seminar
On 17-18 October 2018 in Berlin, the first pilot seminar in the context of setting up an Academy for Democratic Leadership for persons with a refugee background was held at the Federal Foreign Office in Germany. Organised by the Council of Europe and the Schools of Political Studies, the idea is...
Meeting on legal assistance to victims of trafficking in human beings and publication of reports on Azerbaijan and Ukraine
On 21-22 November 2018, in Strasbourg, the Council of Europe Anti-Trafficking Division (GRETA) organised a meeting of specialised lawyers and NGOs providing legal assistance to victims of trafficking in human beings, following up on the first such meeting organised in November 2016, in...
Council of Europe Development Bank provides financial assistance for refugee healthcare in Ceuta and Melilla
On 3 December 2018, in Melilla, a grant agreement was signed between the Council of Europe Development bank (CEB) and the Spanish authorities (Instituto Nacional de Gestión Sanitaria, INGESA) to support healthcare services for migrants and refugees transiting through the autonomous cities of...
Protecting asylum-seekers and refugees against expulsion and refoulement
On 11 October 2018, the UNHCR, the Council of Europe and the State Migration Service of Azerbaijan, organized a joint round table on the “Protection of Asylum-Seekers and Refugees against Expulsion and Refoulement – Judicial Review in Asylum related Cases” in Baku, Azerbaijan. The event brought...
Council of Europe youth department launched a project on social inclusion of young refugees
From 25 November to 2 December 2018, the Youth Department of the Council of Europe launched a project on the social inclusion of young refugees. The aim of the project is to reduce the risks of social exclusion and violence that young refugees, especially minors in transition to adulthood, are...
Greek municipalities participate in the first Intercultural Integration Academy
On 7-9 November 2018, in Thessaloniki, the first Intercultural Integration Academy was held at the initiative of the Intercultural Cities programme of the Council of Europe and the Greek NGO Symbiosis. The Academy gathered representatives from the municipalities of Thessaloniki, Athens,...
- Border protection and the rights of young refugees and children in focus
- Spain did not breach the Convention when returning migrants to Morocco at Melilla border
- PACE to discuss violence and discrimination against religious minorities
- New study on gender-based asylum claims and non-refoulement
- Launch of toolkit on academic integration of refugees into higher education
- Taking young refugees seriously: key messages from the conference
- North-South Prize 2019 honours the efforts to support the integration of migrants