TO THE MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE ON MIGRATION, REFUGEES AND DEMOGRAPHY
SECRETARIAT OF THE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY
Synopsis No. 2001/026
28 February 2001
The Committee on Migration, Refugees and Demography, meeting in Paris on 23 February 2001 with first Mr Einarsson (Sweden, UEL) and then Mr Iwinski (Poland, SOC) in the Chair:
As regards:
– Non-expulsion of long-term immigrants (Rapporteur: Mrs Aguiar, Portugal, EPP/CD): approved a draft report and unanimously adopted a draft recommendation as amended and a draft order;
– The right to family life for migrants and refugees (Rapporteur: Mrs Aguiar, Portugal, EPP/CD): approved a draft report and unanimously adopted a draft recommendation as amended;
– UNHCR and the 50th anniversary of the Geneva Convention (Rapporteur: Mrs Aguiar, Portugal, EPP/CD): considered a memorandum and agreed to propose to the President of the Assembly to invite Mr Lubbers, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, to address the Assembly during the debate on the report;
– Rendering more humane the procedures for expelling illegal immigrants and rejected asylum seekers (Rapporteur: Mrs Vermot-Mangold, Switzerland, SOC): considered a revised preliminary draft report, held an exchange of views with Mr Jérome MARTINEZ, representative of CIMADE, and decided to ask the Bureau to present the report to the Assembly in place of the Standing Committee;
– Committee of experts on the implementation of the migration management strategy: held an exchange of views on the Committee’s activities with Mr Henri de LARY, Chairman of the Committee of experts, and was informed of the preparation for the Conference on irregular migration flows which will be organised by the European Migration Committee (CDMG) in Athens in autumn 2001;
– Illegal immigration and human trafficking: held an exchange of views on the recent arriving of more than 900 Iraqi Kurds in the South of France with:
. Mr Henri de LARY, Chairman of the Committee of experts on the implementation of the migration management strategy;
. Mr Patrick DELOUVIN, Amnesty International (French Section);
. Mr Manuel JORDAO, UNHCR (Paris);
. Mrs Graciela ROBERT, Médecins du Monde;
– Humanitarian situation of returnees to Kosovo (Rapporteur: Mr Connor, Ireland, EPP/CD): approved a draft report and provisionally adopted a draft recommendation, authorised the Rapporteur's fact-finding visit to "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" and Kosovo in early April 2001 and agreed that the report be updated in the light of the findings of the Rapporteur's visit;
– Humanitarian situation of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Chechnya (Rapporteur: Mr Iwinski, Poland, SOC): confirmed Mr Iwinski's appointment as the Rapporteur on the subject and appointed Mr Einarsson (Sweden, UEL) as the Committee's representative to the working group on Chechnya;
– Jubilee Charter of Rights of Displaced People: held an exchange of views with The Very Reverend Father Michael BLUME, SVD, Undersecretary of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People;
– Appointment of Rapporteurs:
. Population displacement in South-Eastern Europe: trends, problems, solutions (Doc. 8936): Mrs Zwerver (Netherlands, SOC);
. Demographic change and sustainable development (Doc. 8806) – for presentation during the second part of the session 2001 (23-27 April 2001) (in place of Mr Paslaru): Mrs Lörcher (Germany, SOC);
– Representation of the Committee at various events:
. MP Network for South Eastern Europe, organised by the East-West Institute and the European Parliament, Skopje ("the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia"), 26-27 February 2001: Mrs Bušic (Croatia, EPP/CD);
. The role of NGOs: from refuge to durable solutions in the Caucasus – constraints, dilemmas and possibilities, organised by the Danish Refugee Council in Baku (Azerbaijan), 12-14 March 2001: Mrs Vermot-Mangold (Switzerland, SOC);
. Flussi migratori e concertazione della politica degli ingressi, Lecce (Italy), 16 March 2001, organised by the University of Lecce: Mr Iwinski (Poland, SOC);
. Specialist Group on Roma/Gypsies, Strasbourg, 10-11 April 2001: Mr Tabajdi (Hungary, SOC);
– Made the following changes in its sub-committees:
. Sub-Committee on Migration: add Mr Legendre (titular), France; add Mrs Vermot-Mangold as alternate for Mrs Fehr, Switzerland; modify as follows: Mr Debono Grech (titular) and Mr Pullicino Orlando (alternate), Malta; on waiting list: Mrs Shakhtakhtinskaya, Azerbaijan.
. Sub-Committee on Refugees: add Mrs Aguiar as alternate for Mr Luís, Portugal; add Mr Gaber as alternate for Mr Udovenko, Ukraine; add Mrs Shakhtakhtinskaya (titular), Azerbaijan.
– Decided to hold its next meetings as follows:
. Strasbourg, during the 2nd part of the session 2001 (23-27 April 2001), Plenary Committee, Sub-Committee on Demography (Hearing on demographic trends in Europe) and Sub-Committee on Refugees;
. Baku (Azerbaijan), 17-19 May 2001, Plenary Committee, Conference on the displacement of population in the South Caucasus (subject to authorisation by the Bureau);
. Belgrade, 5-6 June 2001, Sub-Committee on Refugees, Hearing on refugees and displaced persons in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (subject to confirmation and authorisation by the Bureau);
. Strasbourg, during the 3rd part of the session 2001 (25-29 June 2001)
. Geneva, 6-7 September 2001, Plenary Committee (subject to confirmation and authorisation by the Bureau);
. Strasbourg, during the 4th part of the session 2001 (24-28 September 2001);
. Yalta (Ukraine), October 2001, Plenary Committee, Conference on the follow-up to the Recommendation on repatriation and integration of the Tatars of Crimea (subject to confirmation and authorisation by the Bureau);
. Budapest, November 2001, Sub-Committee on Migration, Hearing on the specific problems of young migrants (subject to confirmation and authorisation by the Bureau);
– Paris or Brussels*, December 2001, Plenary Committee (subject to confirmation *and authorisation by the Bureau).
The Sub-Committee on Refugees (of the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Demography), meeting in Paris on 23 February 2001, with Lord Judd (United Kingdom, SOC) in the Chair:
– elected Mr Gaber (Ukraine, SOC) Vice-Chairman;
– held an exchange of views on the current and future work on the basis of a Memorandum prepared by the Secretariat and approved its conclusions;
– instructed the Secretariat to prepare a list of priorities for the Sub-Committee in 2001;
– accepted the preliminary invitation from the Yugoslav Parliament to hold a meeting in Belgrade on 5-6 June 2001, and to organise a hearing on refugees and displaced persons in the Federal Yugoslav Republic, subject to confirmation and authorisation by the Bureau;
– decided to hold its next meetings as follows:
. Strasbourg during the 2nd part of the session 2001 (23-27 April 2001);
. Belgrade, 5-6 June 2001 (Hearing on refugees and displaced persons in the Federal Yugoslav Republic), subject to confirmation and authorisation by the Bureau.
Halvor Lervik/Agnieszka Nachilo/Markus Adelsbach