From 18 to 24 March 2018, the Special Representative of the Secretary General on Migration and Refugees (SRSG), is conducting a fact-finding mission to Spain. He will start with the visit of migrant temporary stay facilities and centres for children in the Spanish cities Ceuta and Melilla. He will also visit migrant detention facilities and reception centres for refugees in Murcia, Valencia and the Madrid area. The SRSG will have meetings with Spanish government officials, regional and local authorities, the Ombudsman and the Mayor of Madrid. In addition, he will meet relevant international organisations and NGOs. The purpose of the mission is to gather information on the situation of migrants and refugees and to elaborate proposals for concrete Council of Europe action on how to assist Spain to face the increasing migratory flows, while respecting its human rights commitments. The protection of the most vulnerable groups, in particular unaccompanied children, is one of the Special Representative’s priorities. Following his visit, the Special Representative will publish a report setting out his conclusions and recommendations.

On 26 February 2018, the Special Representative published his First Activity Report covering the last two years and outlining the priorities for his second mandate, which started on 1 February 2018. In the report, he resumes his activities, assesses the situation of refugees and migrants in Europe based on his fact-finding missions and outlines his priorities for the next two-year mandate. In the report the Special Representative calls for a united political will of the member states and a commitment to Council of Europe´s standards and durable solutions. In order to successfully tackle the challenges linked to migration, there needs to be “a clear, principled and holistic approach by the Organisation covering all areas of migration management”, he said.  

On 5 March 2018, in Monaco, the Special Representative participated in a round table on ”Tackling extremism and intolerance in a diverse society”, organised by European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation (ECTR). The aim of the event was to provide an open and non-biased platform for debate and progressive thinking on three particular subjects: political radicalization, online hate speech and models for integration of immigrants. The conference was opened by H.S.H Albert II of Monaco and Tony Blair. Among the participants were former ministers and heads of states and representatives from OSCE, UNESCO, Berthelsmann Foundation, No Hate Speech Movement and academia.