The UN Global Compacts on refugees and migrants and the role of Parliaments, Brussels - Main contents

(c) Atelier de Genval- Cerau - M. Van Campenhout, - Tractebel dev s.a. et ingénieurs associés

date	February 27, 2018 14:30 - 15:30
city	Brussels, Belgium
location	József Antall building (JAN) i
station	EbS+
attending	(Claude) Moraes i, (Elena) Valenciano i, (Roberta) Metsola, D. (Dubravka) Šuica i, D. (Dimitris) Avramopoulos i et al.
organisation	European Commission (EC) i, Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) i

The Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs of the European Parliament in association with the Committee of Foreign Affairs organise an inter-parliamentary meeting with Members of National Parliaments under the title "The UN Global Compacts on refugees and migrants and the role of Parliaments”. The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, 27 February 2018, from 14h30 to 18h30, at the European Parliament premises in Brussels.

The inter-parliamentary committee meeting aims at bringing together Members of the National parliaments and the European Parliament to discuss about the content of the UN Global Compacts. Furthermore, the inter-parliamentary committee intends to strengthen the parliamentary dimension of the EU position and to support the work of the EEAS and of the Member States in the final phase of the process leading to the adoption of the Compacts. The outcome of the conference will also contribute to develop an EP perspective on the negotiations, which will materialize in a plenary resolution to be adopted in March.

The UN agencies, the co-facilitators, the EEAS, the European Commission, the Council Presidency and different stakeholders from the civil society will participate in the discussions.

Location: European Parliament, József Antall Building, room JAN 2Q2

Last updated: 27-02-2018

OJ_Com

• - 

  European Parliament

  2014-2019

  Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs in association with the Committee on Foreign Affairs

  DRAFT PROGRAMME

  INTERPARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE

  MEETING

  The UN Global Compacts on refugees and migrants and the role of Parliaments

  27 February 2018, 14.30 to 18.30 European Parliament, Brussels Room: JAN 2Q2

  BACKGROUND NOTE

  The New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants¹, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in September 2016, is a milestone for global solidarity with refugees and migrants, containing a set of principles and commitments to enhance the protection of Refugees and Migrants.

  The New York Declaration provided in two annexes that negotiations in consultation with States and other stakeholders would follow. These negotiations and consultations aims at the adoption of two global compacts in 2018:

  • • 

    A Global Compact on refugees (GCR) (including the development of the so-called “Comprehensive refugee response framework”, CRRF) targeting to achieve a more equitable sharing of the burden and responsibility for hosting and supporting the world's refugees;

  • • 

    A Global Compact for safe, orderly and regular migration (GCM) targeting to develop principles, commitments and guidelines on the treatment of migrants in vulnerable situations;

  These two processes are “separate, distinct and independent”, although very much related.

  The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) was tasked to develop the practical aspects of the Global Compact on refugees. A final text of the Global Compact on Refugees will be proposed by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees for adoption by the UN General Assembly in 2018. The aim is to achieve a more equitable sharing of the burden and responsibility for hosting and supporting the world's refugees. A ‘zero draft' of the global compact on refugees was released on 31^st January². This ‘Zero draft' provides the basis for the discussions, ahead of formal talks with UN Member States in Geneva, which began in February.

  The discussions for the Global Compact for safe, orderly and regular migration are

  conducted through intergovernmental negotiations³, chaired by the 2 co-facilitators (Mexico and Switzerland), while the UN Secretary General is responsible to provide appropriate support for the negotiations while the International Organization for Migration (IOM) provides the technical and policy expertise. In spring 2017, the UN Secretary-General appointed Louise Arbour as his Special Representative for International Migration who will be also the Secretary-General of the intergovernmental conference on international migration to be held in 2018.

  On 11 January 2018, the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres presented his report "Making Migration Work for All"⁴, as an input to the zero draft of the global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration and related intergovernmental negotiations. On 5^th

  February 2018, a ‘Zero draft' of the GCM⁵ was presented to UN Member States. The final negotiation phase will follow from February to July 2018 with the aim of submitting the GCM, during the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly, to the Intergovernmental Conference for adoption in December 2018 in Morocco.

  The European Parliament has paid great attention to the processes leading to the Global Compacts, acknowledging that it represents a historical opportunity for achieving a range of principles and commitments regarding international migration in all its dimensions.

  Already in September 2016, the European Parliament participated at the Summit for Refugees and Migrants⁶, which adopted the New York Declaration. In particular, the LIBE Committee⁷ adopted a set of actions⁸ aiming for an active involvement and contribution to the process leading to the Global Compacts. Since then, different meetings of the LIBE Committee have been dedicated to the Global Compacts in cooperation with other interested Committees.

  The inter-parliamentary Committee meeting (“The UN Global Compacts on refugees and migrants: the role of Parliaments’’) which is to take place on 27 February 2018 in the afternoon, aims at bringing together Members of the National Parliaments and the European Parliament to discuss about the content of the UN Global Compacts. Furthermore, in this significant final stage of the process, this meeting will provide the occasion for in-depth exchange on the positions of the different Member States and to foster the role of parliaments in this process. Finally, the inter-parliamentary committee intends to strengthen the parliamentary dimension of the EU position and to support the work of the EEAS and of the Member States in the final phase of the process leading to the adoption of the Compacts. The outcome of the conference will also contribute to develop an EP perspective on the negotiations, which will materialize in a plenary resolution to be adopted in March.

  The UN agencies, the co-facilitators, the EEAS, the European Commission, the Council Presidency and different stakeholders from the civil society have been invited to participate into the discussions.

  Order of business

  14h30 - 14h45 Opening remarks by Claude MORAES, Chair of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, Dubravka SUICA, ViceChair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the European Parliament and Dzhema GROZDANOVA, Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria.

  14h45 - 15h05 Keynote speech by Commissioner AVRAMOPOULOS, DG HOME, European Commission;

  FIRST SESSIONThe global compact on refugees (GCR)Chaired by Claude MORAES,LIBE Committee Chair _15.05 - 16.15 (70')_

  15h05 - 15h20 15h20 - 15h30 15h30 - 15h40

  15h40 - 15h50

  15h50 - 16h10

  16h10 - 16h15

  Intervention by Volker TURK, Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, UNHCR;

  Intervention by Leonor NIETO LEÓN, Head of Unit of ECHO B1, Policy Development and Regional Strategy, European Commission;

  Intervention by Aspasia PAPADOPOULOU, Senior Policy Officer at the European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE)⁹;

  Intervention by Fr. Fabio BAGGIO, Under-Secretary, Migrants and Refugees Section, Holy See;

  Debate with representatives of National Parliaments and EP, with the participation of Roberta METSOLA and Cecilia KYENGE, corapporteurs of the report on the need for a holistic EU approach to migration¹⁰;

  Conclusions by Claude MORAES, LIBE Committee Chair

  SECOND SESSION

  The global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration (GCM) Chaired by Dzhema GROZDANOVA,

  Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the National Assembly of the

  Republic of Bulgaria

  16.15 - 18.00 (105')

  16h15 - 16h35

  Intervention by H.E. Juan José GÓMEZ CAMACHO, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Mexico to the UN in New York and H.E. Jürg LAUBER, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the UN in New York, co-facilitators to lead the intergovernmental consultations and negotiations on issues related to the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration;

  16h35 - 16h45

  Intervention by Jonathan PRENTICE, Chief of Office of Louise Arbour, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for International Migration;

  16h45 - 16h55

  Intervention by Eugenio AMBROSI, Regional Director for the EU, International Organization for Migration (IOM);

  16h55 - 17h05

  Intervention by Aneliya IVANCHEVA, Co-Chair of the High Level Working Group on Asylum and Migration in the Council of the EU during the Bulgarian Council Presidency;

  17h05 - 17h25

  Intervention of 2 National Parliament representatives

  presenting national perspectives:

  • - 

    Maria FERM, Member of the Swedish parliament

  • - 

    Constanta URBANO DE SOUSA, Member of the Portuguese Parliament;

  17h25 - 17h55

  Debate with representatives of National Parliaments and EP with the participation of Elena VALENCIANO and Agustin DIAZ DE MERA, co-rapporteurs of the report “Addressing refugee and migrant movements: the role of EU External Action”¹¹;

  17h55 - 18h00

  Conclusions by Dzhema GROZDANOVA, Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria;

  CLOSING SESSION

  Chaired by Dubravka SUICA,

  AFET Committee Vice-Chair

  18.00 - 18.30 (30')

  18h00 - 18h15

  Closing speech by a representative of the European External Action Service (EEAS);

  18h15 - 18h30

  Closing remarks by Claude MORAES, LIBE Committee Chair and Dubravka SUICA, AFET Committee Vice-Chair.

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  6/7 OJ\1146643EN.docx

  PRACTICAL GUIDELINES FOR THE DEBATE

  • • 

    During the discussion, so as to make it possible for the highest number of parliamentarians to intervene, speaking time of speakers will be limited to ten minutes and speaking time of other participants to two minutes per contribution or question.

  • • 

    Speakers wishing to supplement their speeches may do so in writing by submitting a document (preferably in English or French) in advance to the secretariat (email: libe-secretariat@europarl.europa.eu). These documents will be circulated during the meeting.

  • • 

    Meeting documents will be progressively added to the Events section of the LIBE Committee pages: htty://www.europarl.europa.eu/committees/en/libe/events-nationalparl.html and to the WebNP event webpage: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/relnatparl/en/meetings.html

  IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR THOSE WISHING TO ATTEND THE MEETING

  This meeting is open to the public. However, for security reasons, participants who do not have a European Parliament access badge must obtain a pass in advance. Those wishing to obtain an entry badge must register by following the link below until 20 February 2018 at 12:00:

  http://www.opinio. europarl.europa. eu/opinio/s?s =secured_20180124_LIBE_European_Agenda_on_

  Migration

  Without this information, the Security Service will not provide entry passes¹².

  THE MEETING IS BROADCASTED LIVE AND RECORDED

  LIBE Committee pages:

  http://www.europarI.europa.eu/activities/committees/homeCom.do?Ianauaae=EN&bodv=LIBE

  ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

  David Chico Zamanillo

  Maria del Pilar Alvarez Alvarez

  Administrator

  Assistant

  Office: SQM 08 Y 041

  Office: SQM 08 Y 054

  Phone: +32(2)28 42583

  Phone: +32(2)28 42483

  david.chico@europarl.europa.eu

  mariadelpilar.alvarez@europarl.europa.eu

  Céline CHATEAU

  Ivana URBANOVA

  Administrator

  Assistant

  Office: SQM 08 Y 035

  Office SQM 08 Y 051

  Phone: +32(2)28 30960

  Phone: +32(2)28 40507

  celine.chateau@europarl.europa.eu

  ivana.urbanova@europarl.europa.eu

  OJ\1146643EN.docx 7/7 PE618.128v02-00

  EN

  ¹

  Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 19 September 2016, A/RES/71/1 (New York Declaration).

  ²

  http://www.unhcr.org/Zero-Draft.pdf

  ³

  For more details see the modalities resolution (A/RES/71/280)

  ⁴

  https://refugeesmigrants.un.org/SGReport

  ⁵

  http://refugeesmigrants.un.org/sites/default/files/180205 gcm zero draft final.pdf

  ⁶

  http://www.europarl.europa.eu/cmsdata/121381/1116780EN-fmal.pdf

  ⁷

  The LIBE Committee is in charge at the European Parliament of all the topics relating migration and asylum, the integrated management of common borders as well as police and judicial cooperation in criminal matters (i.e. smuggling of human beings).

  ⁸

  http://www.europarl.europa.eu/cmsdata/136742/libe-set-of-actions-23-1-18.pdf

  ⁹

  http://www.unhcr.org/events/conferences/5a4377f47/statement-european-council-refugees-

  exiles.html

  ¹⁰

  European Parliament resolution of 12 April 2016 on the situation in the Mediterranean and the need for a holistic EU approach to migration (2015/2095(INI))

  http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?tvpe=TA&reference=P8-TA-2016-

  0102〈uage=EN&ring=A8-2016-0066

  ¹¹

  European Parliament resolution of 5 April 2017 on addressing refugee and migrant movements: the role of EU External Action (2015/2342(INI)) http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//TEXT+T A+P8-TA-2017-0124+0+DOC+XML+V0//EN

  ¹²

  The processing of personal data is subject to Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 of 18 December 2001 (OJ.L 8 12.1.2001,

  • p. 

    1)

  Other documents

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    National Parliaments ' page for the event

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