“The Pact on Migration and Asylum presented by the European Commission offers an opportunity for more effective migration governance in Europe based on a commitment to human rights and respect for the dignity of migrants”, said Drahoslav Štefánek, Special Representative of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe on Migration and Refugees, on the evening of Wednesday 23 September.
In the same communiqué, Birgit Van Hout, Representative for Europe to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), noted that “Commission President Ursula von der Leyen clearly expressed the European Union’s commitment to a rules-based world order” and sees the Pact as “a unique opportunity to lead by example” by advocating migration policies “rooted in human rights” “in accordance with international and regional standards”. This implies the prohibition of arbitrary detention and collective expulsions, she adds.
Both welcomed the fact that the Pact includes an independent monitoring mechanism to guarantee human rights and offered to place their expertise at the service of the European Union and its Member States. (Original version in French by Véronique Leblanc)