All 46 Council of Europe Nations Adopt Migration Declaration
All 46 member states backed a nonbinding text that could make deportations easier and endorse third-country return hubs, officials said.
- On Friday, 46 nations signed a political declaration in Chisinau, Moldova clarifying how the European Convention on Human Rights applies to migration cases, affirming states' sovereign right to control entry while maintaining Convention compliance.
- Member states including the UK, Italy, and Denmark argued that courts' interpretations had protected the wrong people and placed too many limits on expelling foreign criminals, with the ECHR becoming a lightning rod for mass migration concerns.
- The declaration allows national authorities to weigh "respect for private and family life" against "significant weight" of security and economic factors, and permits third-country return hubs in Rwanda and Albania provided Convention obligations are met.
- British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said the declaration means countries can "take action on illegal migration, and strong action, at the same time as upholding international law," though Amnesty International warned against vague security definitions justifying arbitrary restrictions.
- Secretary General Alain Berset rejected Brexit comparisons, describing the non-binding declaration as a political discussion guiding national authorities, while the EU's migration commission hailed it as an important step toward unified migration policy.
63 Articles
63 Articles
Europe's Migration Pact: Balancing Sovereignty and Human Rights
Forty-six European nations have adopted a new interpretation of the European Convention on Human Rights with respect to migration, sparking concerns from rights groups. The declaration, while emphasizing state sovereignty and border protection, may risk weakening Europe's human rights protections, notably in relation to deportation practices and migrants' rights.
Deportations continue to fail at the European Court of Human Rights. Now 46 states are relegating the scope for border protection and deportations. Germany is also involved – despite previous criticisms.
Nations in, around EU shift migrant response
BRUSSELS -- Forty-six nations in Europe and across the world agreed Friday on a new interpretation of the European Convention on Human Rights in migration cases, including how it applied to the controversial use of deportation centers set up in third countries.
What caused controversy a year ago is now becoming a principle shared by the forty-six members of the Council of Europe, said the Italian Prime Minister.
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