TO THE MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE ON MIGRATION, REFUGEES AND DEMOGRAPHY

SECRETARIAT OF THE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY

 

Synopsis No. 2000/170

20 November 2000

 

The Committee on Migration, Refugees and Demography, meeting in The Hague on 16 - 17 November 2000 with Mr Díaz de Mera (Spain, EPP/CD) in the Chair:

–          held a parliamentary Colloquy on policies for the integration of immigrants;

–          held an exchange of views on the Committee's priorities and work programme for 2000-2001;

–          heard an update on the humanitarian situation in Chechnya by Mr Iwinski (Poland, SOC) as well as a report on the preparation of the visit by a Committee delegation to the region (20-24 November 2000);

–            considered an outline for a report on transit migration in Central and Eastern Europe (Rapporteur: Mr Iwinski, Poland, SOC);

–          heard a statement by Mrs Zwerver (Netherlands, SOC) concerning the rapport on vocational training of young asylum seekers in host countries and gave approval to the Rapporteur's proposal for the commissioning of expert assistance in connection with this report;

–            considered an outline for a report on the humanitarian situation of returnees to Kosovo (Rapporteur: Mr Connor, Ireland, EPP/CD);

–            considered an outline for a report on the activities of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) (Rapporteur: Mrs Aguiar, Portugal, EPP/CD);

–          held an exchange of views with Mr John Packer, Office of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, on the rights of national minorities (Rapporteur for an opinion: Mr Tabajdi, Hungary, SOC) and took note of a memorandum presented by Mr Cilevics (Latvia, SOC) on this subject;

–          heard the following reports by:

·                 Mrs Zwerver (Netherlands, SOC) on the European Conference "All different, all equal: from principals to practice", Strasbourg, 11-13 October 2000;

·                 Mr Tkác (Slovakia, EDG) on the Specialist Group on Roma/Gypsies, Budapest, 30 October-2 November 2000;

–            appointed the following rapporteurs:

·                 Mrs Zapfl-Helbling (Switzerland, EPP/CD): Situation of deserters from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Doc. 8795) for report;

·                 Mrs Zwerver (Netherlands, SOC): Implementation of the economic aspects of the Stability for South-Eastern Europe (Docs 8406 and 8414) for opinion;

·                 Mr Cilevics (Latvia, SOC): Legal situation of Roma/Gypsies in Europe (Docs 8829 and 8830) for opinion;

–            confirmed to hold its next meetings as follows:

·                 Paris, 8 December 2000

·                 Strasbourg, during the first part-session 2001 (22-26 January 2001)

·                 Paris, 23 February 2001.

 

Simon NEWMAN, Agnieszka NACHILO, Markus ADELSBACH