Newsletter June-August 2025
Council of Europe and UNHCR call for solidarity and action
Nearly 12 million refugees have found protection in the 46 member states of the Council of Europe. On World Refugee Day, Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset and UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi reaffirm that this solidarity stands as a vital expression of shared...
Network of Focal Points on Migration: Upholding human rights at borders
The Council of Europe’s 11th Meeting of the Network of Focal Points on Migration (NFPM) on 19–20 June 2025 in Strasbourg, brought together representatives from member states, international organisations and key institutions to share experiences and address common migration and refugee challenges....
High-level conference takes stock of the situation of the children of Ukraine three and a half years into the war
On 9 July 2025, Council of Europe’s Secretary General Alain Berset, opened a high-level stock-taking conference on the Situation of Children of Ukraine: Council of Europe Actions, marking the conclusion of the first mandate (1 August 2023 – 31 July 2025) of the Consultation Group on the Children...
Council of Europe joins statement by the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children
The Council of Europe joined 38 countries[1] and the EU calling on Russia to return the children unlawfully transferred and deported from Ukraine to the Russian Federation without delay and any conditions. The joint statement was issued by the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian...
Human Rights Commissioner: Attacks on the Human Rights of migrants put all our rights at risk
Recent days have witnessed horrific scenes in the small town of Ballymena in Northern Ireland. There, night after night, rioting thugs have tyrannised men, women and children simply because they come from somewhere else. The shocking scenes remind me of the recent repeated arson attacks on...
Saving the lives of migrants at sea and protecting their human rights
In its resolution, the Parliamentary Assembly has called on member states to fully comply with the instruments of international humanitarian law, maritime law and those relating to the protection of migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers. Recalling the obligation to protect the right to life – as...
Responding to the needs of public and private actors involved in migration management
The Parliamentary Assembly today called on member states to strengthen the co-operation between public and private actors involved in migration management, whether in terms of first assistance, reception, or inclusion of migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers. According to PACE, the actors...
Ensuring respect for human rights in the use of AI in migration management
According to the Migration Committee, which met on 24 June in Strasbourg, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in migration management must balance efficiency gains with protection of human rights “at all stages of the migration journey”. In adopting the report by Petri Honkonen (Finland,...
PACE Migration Committee pays tribute to Pierre-Alain Fridez
The June part-session was the last one for Pierre-Alain Fridez (Switzerland, SOC), long-lasting member of the PACE Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons. He was the committee’s chair in 2020 – 2021, during the Covid pandemic. Mr Fridez’ mandate will end on 30 September 2025. For...
Migration - New reference document on the Council of Europe’s non-binding legal instruments
The Council of Europe Division on Migration and Refugees has released a new reference document presenting an overview of selected non-binding instruments (recommendations and resolutions) on migration and refugees adopted in recent years by three institutions of the Council of Europe: the...
New web page on Council of Europe’s work on migration and refugees now online
To improve access to information on the Council of Europe’s work in the field of migration and asylum, a new dedicated web page has been launched by the Division on Migration and Refugees (DMR). > Council of Europe Work on Migration and Refugees This new section brings together in one place...
Council of Europe anti-torture Committee (CPT) publishes reports on ad hoc visit to Bulgaria and periodic visit to Malta
The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT) has published the report on its ad hoc visit to Bulgaria, carried out from 16 to 23 September 2024, together with the response of the Bulgarian authorities. The objective of the visit was...
ECRI publishes its latest country reports on Türkiye, Croatia, Sweden, Portugal and Latvia
In June 2025, the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) published its sixth-cycle monitoring reports on five member states, reviewing developments in the fields of equality, inclusion, and action against racism and intolerance. While recognising significant progress in some...
GRETA publishes its fourth report on the Republic of Moldova
The Republic of Moldova has made progress in several areas related to the fight against trafficking in human beings, according to a report published today by the Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA). Still, the report calls for additional...
European Court finds violations in Hungary’s removal of three asylum seekers
The case of H.Q. and Others v. Hungary concerned the removal of three asylum-seekers – under section 5(1b) of the State Border Act – from Hungary to Serbia without examination of their individual circumstances, and their alleged lack of access to the international-protection procedure. On 24...
With €200 million to support IDPs, Ukraine and the CEB sign their largest loan agreement since the start of the war
Rome – On the sidelines of the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC 2025) in Rome today, the Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine, Oksana Zholnovych, and Carlo Monticelli, Governor of the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) signed a €200 million loan agreement. This marks the largest amount of...
Conference on unaccompanied and separated migrant children
On 3 July the Division on Migration and Refugees (DMR) took part in the online conference “Alternative Care Arrangements for Unaccompanied and Separated Children in the Context of Migration“. The conference was organised as part of the action on Strengthening the human rights protection in the...
Scaling up support for migrant inclusion: CEB and European Commission mark completion of PAFMI initiative
The Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) and the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs (DG HOME) hosted the final event of the “Partnerships and Financing for Migrant Inclusion” (PAFMI) initiative at the CEB headquarters in Paris yesterday. The event brought...
Summer School Fortifies Local Efforts to Protect Rights of Ukraine's IDPs
A targeted Summer School initiative aimed at strengthening cooperation between civil society organisations (CSOs) and local self-government bodies has successfully concluded in Chernivtsi. The event, held from 18 to 22 August, focused on enhancing capacities and promoting effective collaboration...
Photo exhibition (UN)CORNERED opened at Council of Europe to mark World Refugee Day
On the World Refugee Day, the Council of Europe Division on Migration and Refugees (DMR) organised the photo exhibition (UN)CORNERED / (НЕ)ЗАГНАНІ У КУТ by photographer Julia Wimmerlin, in partnership with the Permanent Representation of Ukraine. Held in the Agora building’s Main Hall, the...
Statement of the Conference of INGOs on the suspension of the right to asylum in Greece
The Conference of INGOs of the Council of Europe expresses deep concern on the adoption by the Hellenic Parliament of Article 79 of Law 5218/2025, suspending for three months the possibility to lodge asylum applications for persons arriving from North Africa and foreseeing their immediate...
Protecting children from sexual exploitation and abuse: Launch of Armenian version of HELP course
On 19 August 2025, the Council of Europe launched the Armenian version of the HELP online course on Protecting children from sexual exploitation and sexual abuse. Adapted to the local context as part of the Council of Europe project “Protecting the rights of Armenian children in post-conflict...
Migration and human rights: Highlights from Council of Europe field offices
Over the past months, the Council of Europe’s field offices in Ankara, Yerevan, Chisinau and Tunis have carried out a series of initiatives strengthening the protection of human rights in the context of migration, with a particular focus on children, displaced persons and regional cooperation....
New intercultural analysis: Tenerife, Spain
Tenerife has now become the first member of the Intercultural Cities (ICC) Programme to have completed the ICC index four times – testifying to the value and importance of this tool for local and regional authorities in Europe. The latest report was published on 14 August, analysing the results...