Human rights challenges in the field of migration and asylum policies have long been a focus of the Council of Europe and in recent years they have taken on a renewed importance. As the root causes of migration (armed conflicts, instability, demographic and economic development, climate change, etc.) have become increasingly present in Europe’s neighbouring regions, addressing these challenges remains a priority for the Council of Europe.
The “Council of Europe Action Plan on Protecting Vulnerable Persons in the Context of Migration and Asylum in Europe (2021-2025)” aims at addressing the main challenges and opportunities identified after the previous action plan, focusing on children, was completed in 2019. This new action plan proposes targeted measures and activities to enhance the capacity of member states to identify and address vulnerabilities throughout asylum and migration procedures. The action plan is composed of four pillars: three of them based on the core mandate of the Council of Europe – human rights, democracy and the rule of law – and a fourth transversal pillar focusing on co-operation.
CONTEXT RATIONALE, SCOPE AND DURATION OF THE ACTION PLAN ON PROTECTING VULNERABLE PERSONS IN THE CONTEXT OF MIGRATION AND ASYLUM IN EUROPE (2021-2025)
Pillar 1 – Ensuring protection and promoting safeguards by identifying and responding to vulnerability (human rights)
Pillar 2 – Ensuring access to law and justice (human rights and the rule of law)
Pillar 3 – Fostering democratic participation and enhancing inclusion (human rights and democracy)
Pillar 4 – Enhancing co-operation between migration and asylum authorities in Council of Europe member states (Transversal Support)
TRANSVERSAL APPROACH MULTILATERAL CO-OPERATION IMPLEMENTATION MODALITIES
