“External co-operation on asylum and migration needs to be designed and implemented with great care, so as not to put human rights at risk. Governments developing externalisation policies in this field should carefully assess their potential negative impact on human rights, as such policies can expose women, men and children to significant risks of serious harm and protracted suffering”, said today the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Michael O’Flaherty, while releasing a new report on externalisation policies already implemented or being negotiated across Europe. 

The report, entitled “Externalised asylum and migration policies and human rights law”, provides an overview of the challenges that come with transferring asylum, return and border control functions to other countries. In the absence of adequate human rights preconditions and safeguards, externalisation policies might result in people being subjected to torture or other ill-treatment, collective expulsions and arbitrary detention or may put their lives in danger. Such policies might also hinder effective access to asylum and deprive individuals of legal remedies.

The document identifies three areas in which risks are particularly acute: external processing of asylum claims; external return procedures, including through so-called “return hubs”; and the outsourcing of border control to other countries, some of which have a documented history of serious violations against people on the move.

In view of the human rights challenges that these measures may entail, the Commissioner makes four main recommendations to Council of Europe member states, acting individually or collectively, including in the context of membership of the EU:

First, adopt a precautionary approach by carrying out comprehensive human rights risk assessments, developing adequate risk mitigation strategies before engaging in external co-operation, and reviewing ongoing activities for their human rights impact.

Second, define clear and non-negotiable principles that exclude any cooperation likely to put people at risk of human rights violations, and ensure that children and other vulnerable people are never subjected to externalised procedures.

Third, ensure adequate human rights preconditions and safeguards, adapted to each model of co-operation, including preventing the shifting of responsibility to other countries, ensuring no one is transferred to a partner country without a rigorous individual assessment, and limiting any use of return hubs to specific, clearly defined situations.

Fourth, strengthen transparency, monitoring and accountability, through robust agreements, transparent information-sharing, independent monitoring, and effective investigations of any alleged violations.

“As European states continue to pursue externalisation, the impact on the human rights and dignity of people on the move must not be overlooked. Member states should assess the risks involved, commit to strong legal guarantees, and ensure scrutiny of their actions. This is crucial for their policies to be in line with their legal obligations to uphold human rights at home and internationally,” said the Commissioner.

Read the full report.

We are excited to announce the launch of our newly refreshed Good Complaints Handling training after the recent publication of our updated Statement of Complaints Handling Principles.

This training is a self-guided course aimed at staff handling complaints at stage 1 of the Model Complaints Handling Procedure (MCHP) but would be useful for anyone involved in complaints handling looking to develop their knowledge.

Course content: 

• SPSO Statement of Complaint Handling Principles
• what a complaint is and isn’t, according to the MCHP
• complaint outcomes, responses and record-keeping
• what makes a good apology
• respectful engagement

Course information:

• self-paced: complete anytime online
• knowledge checks: test as you learn
• time efficient: approximately 45 minutes
• SPSO accredited certificate: awarded on completion
• Cost: £50 per person

Register for Good Complaints Handling Training

A Lincolnshire man had to sleep in his car because South Kesteven District Council did not do enough to help him, when he told it he was homeless.

The man, who has mental and physical health issues, applied to the council as homeless at the start of 2024. He told the council about his medical issues and said he was sleeping in his car.

The council issued the man with a Personal Housing Plan in mid-January, but it did not consider whether he may be particularly vulnerable when homeless and therefore be provided with accommodation while it decided his application.

In February the man sent the council information about the effect being homeless was having on him. He said he had been in hospital and had been told by doctors this was related to how he had been sleeping in the winter weather while homeless.

Despite this, the council still failed to properly consider whether it needed to provide him with accommodation, while it reviewed the medical evidence.

The man then complained to the Ombudsman who upheld his complaint.

Julie Odams, Chief Executive at the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, said:

“South Kesteven District Council has left a man with health needs to sleep in his car during some of the coldest months of the year, when it should have helped him.

“The threshold for providing interim accommodation is low. The council needed to decide whether he could be vulnerable when homeless. It did not need to prove this.

“I am satisfied the man missed out on suitable accommodation for around two and a half months because of this poor decision-making by the council.

“I am disappointed the council is refusing to accept what has gone wrong in this case, and continues to maintain its interpretation of the law is the correct one.

“I would urge local councillors to take a hard look at the council’s decision-making process when discussing the report formally, and accept the remedies I have recommended to put things right.”

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman remedies injustice and shares learning from investigations to help improve public, and adult social care, services. In this case the council should apologise to the man and pay him a combined £1,175 for the lack of accommodation provided and the distress caused.

The Ombudsman has the power to make recommendations to improve processes for the wider public. In this case the council should remind officers of the correct test and threshold for providing accommodation whilst considering a homeless application, review its standard letters to ensure these comply with the requirements of the Housing Act 1996, and remind officers of the requirements for homelessness decisions, including when these should be made and what these decisions must contain.

Fit for Cooperation (Fit4Co) supporta le amministrazioni pubbliche di due Euroregioni nella realizzazione di progetti di cooperazione, abbattendo gli ostacoli transfrontalieri e rafforzando la collaborazione a lungo termine. L'Euregio Tirolo-Alto Adige-Trentino ha avviato il progetto insieme all'Euregio Senza Confini (Carinzia-Friuli-Venezia Giulia-Veneto) – finanziato da Fondo europeo di sviluppo regionale e Interreg VI-A Italia - Austria 2021-2027, attualmente già alla sua seconda edizione come Fit4Co CBO. Ora il progetto modello viene presentato anche sulla scena europea: alla Settimana europea delle regioni e delle città (#EURegionsWeek) a Bruxelles.

La 23esima edizione del più grande evento dedicato alla politica regionale in Europa si terrà a Bruxelles dal 13 al 15 ottobre 2025 con il motto “Shaping Tomorrow, Together”. Sono previsti oltre 200 eventi con circa 10.000 partecipanti provenienti dal mondo della politica, dell'amministrazione e della scienza. Anche i cittadini interessati possono partecipare gratuitamente: è possibile registrarsi fino alla fine di settembre sul sito web della #EURegionsWeek.

Dal basso verso l'alto - e insieme

Con l'approccio bottom-up di Fit4Co, gli attori locali – Comuni, amministrazioni, parti sociali e management regionali – vengono coinvolti affinché le cooperazioni possano crescere “dal basso verso l'alto”. Le organizzazioni che desiderano avviare progetti transfrontalieri vengono accompagnate e supportate da project coach. In questo modo si intende rafforzare la crescita, la competitività e la resilienza e approfondire la cooperazione europea.

Da ottobre 2024 a giugno 2025, nell'ambito di Fit for Cooperation, un totale di 17 tandem di progetto hanno sviluppato le loro idee e avviato progetti concreti. Sei di questi sono già in fase di realizzazione, come ad esempio la valorizzazione delle zone di confine Sillian-San Candido e a Passo Stalle (tra l’Alto Adige e il Tirolo Orientale), una brochure Euregio per i Consigli comunali o l'estensione a tutto l'Euregio del concorso di disegno Crazy Bike per gli alunni delle scuole elementari.

La Settimana europea delle regioni e delle città è organizzata dalla Commissione europea e dal Comitato europeo delle Regioni e si tiene ogni ottobre a Bruxelles. Il workshop Euregio su Fit4Co si terrà in inglese il 15 ottobre. Inoltre, a Bruxelles verrà presentato come best practice il lavoro del tandem di progetto “Una salute a misura di cittadino”, composto dall'Associazione dei pazienti del Tirolo (Patientenvertretung Tirol) e delle Difese civiche dell'Alto Adige e del Trentino.