Council of Europe Chief Rejects Calls to Make ECHR More Flexible on Immigration
Nine EU countries signed an
On May 24, Berset said in a
The Council of Europe (CoE) was established in 1949 to promote democracy, protect human rights, and uphold the rule of law in Europe. It also monitors member states' progress in adhering to its human rights standards.
Its best-known convention is the ECHR. The European Court of Human Rights oversees how it is implemented.
The letter, organized by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her Danish counterpart, Mette Frederiksen, and co-signed by leaders such as Poland's Donald Tusk, said that the court 'posed too many limitations on the states' ability to decide whom to expel from their territories' in terms of the deportation of criminal foreign nationals.
Austria,
Belgium, the
Czech Republic,
Estonia,
Latvia, and
Lithuania also signed the letter
requesting 'a new and open minded conversation about the interpretation' of the ECHR.
The letter said the scope has extended 'too far as compared with the original intentions behind the Convention, thus shifting the balance between the interests which should be protected.'
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Berset dismissed the letter and said that 'debate is healthy, but politicizing the Court is not.'
He said: 'Institutions that protect fundamental rights cannot bend to political cycles. If they do, we risk eroding the very stability they were built to ensure. The Court must not be weaponized—neither against governments, nor by them.'
Europe is hardening its
Illegal immigrants are entering the EU primarily via Mediterranean sea crossings from North Africa and by overland routes through Poland and the Balkans, according to data from Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency.
Illegal crossings are usually arranged by organized criminal networks and smugglers.
Under pressure from parties with strong anti-illegal immigration platforms, establishment political parties have steadily abandoned their previous immigration stances and supported the reintroduction of
Under the EU's Pact on Migration and Asylum, member states are looking to strike agreements with non-EU states to handle asylum claims extraterritorially, potentially setting up processing centers in North Africa or beyond.
On
While no third countries have been chosen yet, in 2024, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen
In April, Italy became the first EU state to successfully send illegal immigrants beyond the bloc's borders, after its first three attempts were blocked by national and European courts.
Meloni's
By adding Albania to its own safe third-country list and rebranding detention centers as 'repatriation hubs,' Italy bypassed a European Court of Justice ban.
On April 14, Italy sent 40 illegal immigrants to the Italian-run centers in Albania.
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