Committee of Ministers
Comité des Ministres
Strasbourg, 19 December1997
Restricted
CM(97)218
For consideration at the 615th meeting
of the Ministers’ Deputies
(20 January1998, A level, item 6.1b)
EUROPEAN COMMITTEE ON MIGRATION
(CDMG)
37th meeting
Strasbourg, 5-7 November 1997
___________________________________
LIST OF ITEMS DISCUSSED AND DECISIONS TAKEN
1. The European Committee on Migration (CDMG) held its 37th meeting from 5 to 7 November 1997 with Mr Tomasz Kuba Kozlowski in the Chair. The list of participants is set out in Appendix 1 and the agenda in Appendix 2.
2. A large part of the first day of the meeting was devoted to a seminar on integration measures for newly arrived migrants. A number of delegations, by invitation, made formal presentations of the measures taken by their countries, and these gave rise to a lively debate.
3. The Committee also held an exchange of views on recent developments in policies relating to migration and migrants. Significant new initiatives had been taken in several member States. The Committee decided to declassify the national reports prepared in connection with the exchange of views, subject to a number of corrections.
4. The Committee was informed about the progress of the project "Tensions and tolerance: building better integrated communities across Europe". It also took note of a report on the national round tables on integration and community relations policies.
5. The Committee considered the plans for the preparation of the new report on community relations. It made a number of observations and suggestions and authorised the Bureau to appoint a consultant and to set up the editorial group which would be responsible for the work. The Committee stressed the importance of this work, which would be one of its main priorities for the next two or three years.
6. The Committee adopted specific terms of reference for a Select Committee of Experts on security of residence for long-term immigrants (MG-R-RES). It should be noted that they provide for seven members rather than the five originally foreseen in the draft programme of activities for 1998. These terms of reference are submitted to the Committee of Ministers for approval (see Appendix 3).
7. The Committee heard a report on the work of the Reflection Group on managing migration in the wider Europe. It went on to discuss the plans for a seminar on this topic to be held in 1998 and based mainly on the report of the Reflection Group. The Bureau was asked to submit detailed plans for this event at the next meeting of the Committee. The Committee emphasised that this seminar was expected to make a major contribution to defining a comprehensive strategy for managing migration in Europe.
8. The Bureau having already consulted the CAHAR on the matter, the Committee considered the future of the annual joint meetings of the two committees on the subject of pan-European migration trends and policies. In line with the views of the CAHAR, the Committee proposed that such meetings should in future be organised in an ad hoc manner, in response to a clear need and when there was a specific topic to discuss. Importance was attached to continuing the cooperation with the CAHAR, as well as the work on pan-European migration, but in a more flexible manner. In order to allow for more discussion of these matters, the Committee agreed that the Bureaux of the two committees should hold a joint meeting in March 1998. The Committee of Ministers was asked to take note of these plans.
9. The Committee examined the proposal for a new activity on the role of employment services in the promotion of equal opportunities for migrants and disadvantaged ethnic groups. It requested the Secretariat to include it in the draft programme of activities for 1998 and agreed to be responsible for supervising it and examining its results in due course.
10. The Committee was informed about the work of the Specialist Group on Roma/Gypsies and congratulated the Group on the quality of its work. It took note of the report on the study visit to Valdemingomez (Madrid) and agreed to declassify it (document MG-S-ROM (97) 8).
11. The Committee further agreed to extend the terms of reference of the Specialist Group on Roma/Gypsies for a further three years and adopted terms of reference incorporating one or two other very minor revisions. At the same time, in response to a request from Ukraine, the Committee agreed to propose that the number of States whose representatives are reimbursed by the Council of Europe be increased from eight to nine. The terms of reference incorporating these changes are now submitted to the Committee of Ministers for adoption (see Appendix 4.).
12. The Committee examined the ideas put forward by the delegations of Central and Eastern Europe for future work. While some would be more suitable for work in other organisations, others could be considered for inclusion in the cooperation programmes with Central and Eastern Europe. The Bureau and the Secretariat were asked to continue their consideration of the possibilities.
13. The Committee took note of the report of the meeting of the Consultative Committee of the European Convention on the Legal Status of Migrant Workers and hoped that it would be possible to implement the Consultative Committee's proposal to prepare a document explaining the provisions of the Convention in more detail.
14. The Committee adopted an opinion on paragraph 9.vii of Recommendation 1291 (1996) and submits it to the Committee of Ministers (see Appendix 5).
15. The Committee adopted an opinion on paragraphs 6.ii and 6.iii of Recommendation 1325 (1997) and submits it to the Committee of Ministers (see Appendix 6).
16. The Committee was informed about relevant work in progress within the Council of Europe and in other international bodies.
17. The Committee elected the following persons:
Chair: Mr Kozlowski (Poland)
Vice-chair: Mme Marot (France)
Members of the Bureau: Ms Fenzl (Austria), Ms Palanca (Italy) and Mr van Rienen (Netherlands).
18. The Committee agreed to hold its 38th meeting from 25 to 27 March 1998
.APPENDIX 1
LIST OF PARTICIPANTS/
LISTE DES PARTICIPANTS
Chair/Président : Mr Tomasz Kuba KOZLOWSKI (Poland/Pologne)
Vice-Chair/Vice-président : Mr Michael GILLESPIE (United Kingdom/Royaume-Uni) (apologised/excusé)
Austria/Autriche: Mrs Heide-Marie FENZL, Head of Division, Ministry of the Interior, WIEN
Belgium/Belgique : M. Thierry LHOIR, Inspecteur principal, Administration de l'Emploi, Service de l'Immigration, Ministère de l'Emploi et du Travail, BRUXELLES
M. Michel VILLAN, Directeur, Division de l'Action Sociale et de l'Intégration des immigrés, Ministère de la Région Wallonne, NAMUR
Ms Annemie DEGROOTE, Secrétaire de la commission interdépartementale des minorités ethniques et culturelles de la communauté flamande, Ministère de la Communauté Flamande, BRUXELLES
Bulgaria/Bulgarie: Mrs Assia Mihaylova TCHOLACHKA, Chief Specialist, National Employment Service, Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, SOFIA
Mr VENELIN VELIKOV, Deputy Director of the National Bureau of Territorial Asylum and Refugees, SOFIA
Croatia/Croatie: Ms Bozena KATANEC, Head of Department for Migrations and Foreigners of the Ministry of Internal Affairs , ZAGREB
Cyprus/Chypre: Mr Charalambos KOLKOTRONIS, Department of Labour, Section Head, Ministry of Labour and Social Insurance, NICOSIA
Czech Republic/République tchèque: M. Petr SVITAK, Head of Conception and Migration Section, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Consular Department, PRAGUE 1
Denmark/Danemark: Mr Henning Lund SØRENSEN, Delegate, Ministry of the Interior, COPENHAGEN K
Mr Henrik THOMASSEN, Special Advisor, Danish Immigration Service, COPENHAGEN 0
Estonia/Estonie: Mr Andres KOLLIST, Director General, State Citizenship and Migration Board, TALLINN
Finland/Finlande: Mr Risto LAAKKONEN, Special adviser, Ministry of Labour, HELSINKI
France: M. GAEREMYNCK, Directeur de la Population et des Migrations au Ministère de l'Emploi et de la Solidarité, PARIS
(5 November only/5 novembre seulement)
Mme Nadia MAROT, Chef du Bureau des affaires internationales, Direction de la Population et des Migrations, Ministère de l'Emploi et de la Solidarité, PARIS
M. Christian LEFEUVRE, Bureau des affaires internationales, Direction de la Population et des Migrations, Ministère de l'Emploi et de la Solidarité, PARIS
M. Laurent BUISSON, Adjoint du chef du bureau des étrangers, Ministère de l'Intérieur, Direction des Libertés publiques et des Affaires Juridiques, PARIS
M. Denis FROMAGET, Ministère des Affaires Etrangères, Direction des Français à l'étranger, PARIS
Germany/Allemagne: Mr Werner STOCK, Ministère du Travail et des Affaires Sociales, BONN
Greece/Grèce: Mrs Zoi KRAIA, Chef de la Section des Organismes Internationaux et de la Coopération Internationale du Secrétariat Général pour les Grecs à l'étranger, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ATHENS
Hungary/Hongrie: Dr. Zoltan SZILAGYI, Senior Counsellor, Office of Refugee and Migration Affairs, Ministry of the Interior, BUDAPEST
Mr Peter SARKOZY, Head of Division, Migration and Refugee Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, BUDAPEST
Ireland/Irlande: (apologised-excusé)
Italy/Italie: Mrs Vaifra PALANCA, Ministry of Social Affairs, ROMA
Mrs Gabriella VENTI, Ministerio Lavoro e Prev Sociale, Servizio Problemi, Lavor Immigrant, ROMA
Latvia/Lettonie: Mr Ints ZITARS, Head of the Department for Citizenship and Migration Affairs of the Ministry of the Interior, RIGA
Liechtenstein: (apologised/excusé)
Lithuania/Lituanie: Mr Janas VIDICKAS, First Deputy Director, Migration Department, Ministry of Internal Affairs, VILNIUS
Luxembourg: M. Pierre JAEGER, Commissaire du Gouvernement aux Etrangers, Ministère de la Famille, LUXEMBOURG
Moldova: Mr Vsevolod GRIGORIEV, Deputy Head of the European Organisations Department to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, KICHINEV
Netherlands/Pays-Bas: Mr J.J.M MALMBERG, Director for Social Policy, Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, RIJSWIJK (5 November only/5 novembre seulement)
Mr VAN RIENEN, Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, RIJSWIJK
Mr Gerard C. DE BOER, Senior Policy Adviser, Policy Department, THE HAGUE
Mr Gody FREDRIKS, Senior Policy Advisor, Ministry of Interior, THE HAGUE
Norway/Norvège: Ms Litt Woon LONG, Head of Division, Department of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs, Ministry of Local Government and Labour, OSLO
Poland/Pologne: Mr Tomasz Kuba KOZLOWSKI, . (Chair/Président)
Mr Maciej KUCZYNSKI, Vice-Director, Department for Migration and Refugee Affairs, Ministry of Interior and Administration, WARSAW
Portugal: Mr Joaquim ROSARIO, Directeur du Service des Migrations et de l'Appui Social, Direction Général des Affaires Consulaires et Communauté Portugaises, LISBONNE
Romania/Roumanie: Mr Tudor MARIN, Head of Office for Migration Issues and Refugees, Ministry of the Interior, BUCAREST
Russian Federation/Fédération de Russie: Mr Dmitry KNAZHINSKIY, Counsellor of the Department of International Humanitarian Cooperation and Human Rights, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, MOSCOW
San Marino/Saint Marin: M. Domenico CECCHETTI, Ministère du Travail et de la Cooperation de la Republique de Saint-Marin, Co-ordinateur du Départment des Secteurs productifs et du Travail, Republica di San Marino
Slovak Republic/République Slovaque: Mr Vladimir BELO-CABAN, Director, Office for Migration, Migrancy Urad, BRATISLAVA
Mrs Katarína ZVAROVÁ, Adviser, Migration Office, Ministry of Interior, BRATISLAVA
M. Zigmund BERTÓK, Head of Unit, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Stromova 1, 83336 BRATISLAVA.
Slovenia/Slovénie: Mr Uroš BU_AR, Inspector, Ministry of the Interior, Office for Foreigners, LJUBLJANA
Spain/Espagne: M. Manuel de MONTES MEANA, Chef de Section, Ministère du Travail et des Affaires Sociales, Division Générale de Réglementation des Migrations, MADRID
Sweden/Suède: Mr Göran LINDQVIST, Deputy Director, Ministry of Interior, STOCKHOLM
Ms Anna GRALBERG, Ministry of Interior, STOCKHOLM
Switzerland/Suisse: M. Peter GASSER, Division du marché du travail, Office Fédéral de l'industrie, des arts et métiers du travail, Département fédéral de l'économie publique, BERNE
M. Michel FORNEROD, Chef de la section des affaires internationales et intégration, Office fédéral des étrangers, Département fédéral de justice et police, BERNE
"the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia"/"L'ex-République Yougoslave de Macédoine"
Mr Blagoja STOJKOVSKI, Head Inspector for Foreigners, Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Macedonia, SKOPJE
Turkey/Turquie: Mr. Funda TEZOK, Director for Overseas Turkish Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ANKARA.
Ukraine: Mr Mark MARTYNYUK, Head of the Department for International Relations, State Committee of Ukraine for Nationalities and Migration, KYIV
United-Kingdom/Royaume Uni: (apologised/excusé)
EUROPEAN COMMUNITY/COMMUNAUTE EUROPEENNE
Commission:
M. Alessandro IANNIELLO, Direction Générale Relations extérieures: Europe et nouveaux Etats indépendants, politique étrangère et de sécurité commune, service extérieur, BRUXELLES
Mme Marjatta HAUTALA, Secrétariat Général, Task-Force "titre VI du traité" (coopération dans les domaines de la justice et des affaires intérieures, BRUXELLES
Secretary General of the Council/Secrétariat Général du Conseil: (Apologised/excusé)
OTHER PARTICIPANTS/AUTRES PARTICIPANTS :
Parliamentary Assembly/Assemblée Parlementaire: Mrs Manuela AGUIAR, Chair of the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Demography, LISBOA
Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe/Congrès des pouvoirs locaux et régionaux de l'Europe:
Ad hoc Committee of Experts on the legal aspects of territorial asylum, refugees and stateless persons/Comité ad hoc sur les aspects juridiques de l'asile, des réfugiés et des apatrides (CAHAR): M. Giovanni KOJANEC, Juriconsult, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, AGEAS, ROME
OBSERVERS/OBSERVATEURS :
Non-member States/Etats non membres :
Belarus: Mr Vladimir I KREMYANKO, 2nd Secretary of the Department of Humanitarian Affairs, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Republic of Belarus, MINSK
Canada: Mr Mark ROBINSON, Counsellor, Permanent Mission of Canada, GENEVA
Holy See/Saint Siège : Père Antonio PEROTTI, LUXEMBOURG
Japan/Japon : (apologised/excusé)
United States of America/Etats Unis d'Amérique:
International intergovernmental organisations/organisations internationales gouvernementales:
International Labour Office (ILO)/Bureau International du Travail (BIT) : (apologised/excusé)
International Organisation for Migration (IOM)/Organisation internationale pour les migrations (OIM) : (apologised/excusé)
Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE):
OECD/OCDE : M Jean-Pierre GARSON, Chef de l'Unité des Migrations Internationales, Direction de l'Education, de l'Emploi du Travail et des Affaires Sociales, Organisation de Coopération et de dévelopment Economiques, PARIS
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees/Haut Commissariat pour les Refugiés:
Mr Salvatore LOMBARDO, Council of Europe Liaison Office, STRASBOURG
Mme Ida HUUSSEN, Legal Assistant, Council of Europe Liaison Office, STRASBOURG
United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation/Organisation des Nations Unies pour l'Education, la Science et la Culture (UNESCO) : (apologised/excusé)
European Free Trade Association (EFTA)/Association européenne de libre-échange (AELE):
Chair of Budapest Group/Président du Groupe de Budapest: Dr. Zoltan SZILAGYI, Department of Law Enforcement, Ministry of the Interior, BUDAPEST
International non-governmental organisations/organisations internationales non gouvernementales :
European Trades Union Confederation (ETUC)/Confédération européenne des Syndicats (CES): (apologised/excusé)
Union of Industries of the European Community (UNICE)/Union des Industries de la Communauté Européenne (UNICE) : Mr Alexandre PLASSARD, Union patronale suisse, ZURICH
Churches' Commission for Migrants in Europe (CCME)/Commission des Eglises auprès des migrants en Europe (CEME) : Mr Jan NIESSEN, General Secretary, BRUXELLES
International Catholic Migration Commission/Commission internationale catholique pour les migrations (ICMC) : Père Philippe SCHILLINGS, Président du Comité Catholique pour les Migrations Intra-Européennes, BRUXELLES
*
* *
SECRETARIAT:
Mr John MURRAY, Principal Administrative Officer, Population and Migration Division (Secretary to the CDMG)/Administrateur principal, Division de la Population et des Migrations (Secrétaire du CDMG)
Mme Eva KOPROLIN, Administrative Officer, Population and Migration Division(Co-Secretary to the CDMG)/Administratrice, Division de la Population et des Migrations (Co-Secrétaire du CDMG)
* * *
Mr Robin GUTHRIE, Director of Social and Economic Affairs/Directeur des Affaires Sociales et Economiques
M. José CREMADES, Principal Administrative Officer, Population and Migration Division/Administrateur Principal, Division de la Population et des Migrations
Mme Hilde LEDY, Principal Administrative Assistant, Population and Migration Division/ Assistante administrative principale, Division de la Population et des Migrations
Mlle Françoise KEMPF, Administrative Assistant/Assistante Administrative, Population and Migration Division/Division de la Population et des Migrations
Mme Brigitte THOMAS, Secretary/Secrétaire, Population and Migration Division/Division de la Population et des Migrations
Mrs Shellie CARPENTER, Secretary/Secrétaire, Population and Migration Division/ Division de la Population et des Migrations
Office of the Clerk/Greffe de l'Assemblée
Mr Simon NEWMAN, Principal Administrative Officer, Secretary to the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Demography/Administrateur Principal, Secretaire de la Commission des Migrations, des refugiés et de la démographie.
APPENDIX 2
AGENDA
I. ADOPTION OF THE DRAFT AGENDA
[CDMG (97) OJ 37 prov.; CDMG (97) 19]
II. STATEMENT BY THE SECRETARIAT [CDMG (96) 14 final; CDMG (97) 20; Final documents of the Summit Conference; Recommendation 1321 (1977); Recommendation 1327 (1977); Recommendation 1334 (1997]
III. SEMINAR ON INTEGRATION MEASURES FOR NEWLY ARRIVED MIGRANTS [CDMG (97) 24; CDMG (97) 25, ...]
|
IV. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN POLICIES RELATING TO MIGRATION AND MIGRANTS [CDMG (97) 17 prov.]
Note: this debate took place on 5 November in the afternoon.
V. ACTIVITIES IN THE FIELD OF INTEGRATION AND COMMUNITY RELATIONS
a. Tensions and tolerance: building better integrated communities across Europe [MG-S-INT (97) 4 rev.; MG-S-INT (97) 3 prov.]
b. National round tables organised by the Migration Policy Group on behalf of the CDMG
c. Plans for the new report on community relations: discussion with Professor Entzinger
d. Possible future cooperation with the European Research Centre on Migration and Ethnic Relations (ERCOMER), University of Utrecht
VI. LEGAL STATUS OF MIGRANTS: ADOPTION OF TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR A SELECT COMMITTEE OF EXPERTS [CDMG (97) 21]
VII. MANAGING MIGRATION IN THE WIDER EUROPE
a. Report on the work of the Reflection Group
b. Plans for the seminar on pan-European migration to be held in 1998
c. Proposal by the Bureau to discontinue the annual joint meetings of the CDMG and the CAHAR on pan-European migration flows and policies
VIII. PROPOSED ADDITIONAL ACTIVITY ON THE ROLE OF EMPLOYMENT SERVICES IN THE PROMOTION OF EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR MIGRANTS AND DISADVANTAGED ETHNIC GROUPS [CDMG (97) 18 revised]
IX. ACTIVITIES ON ROMA/GYPSIES
a. Report of the fourth meeting of the Specialist Group on Roma/Gypsies (Bucharest, 13-16 October 1997) [MG-S-ROM (97) 15]
b. Renewal of the terms of reference of the Specialist Group on Roma/Gypsies [CDMG (97) 22]
c. Progress report on activities financed by the special budget on Roma/Gypsies in Central and Eastern Europe [MG-S-ROM (97) 10]
X. IDEAS PUT FORWARD AT THE INFORMAL SESSION OF THE BUREAU AND THE DELEGATIONS OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE [CDMG (97) 16]
XI. REPORT OF THE MEETING OF THE CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE OF THE EUROPEAN CONVENTION ON THE LEGAL STATUS OF MIGRANT WORKERS
[T-MG (97) 1]
XII. LABORATORY FOR DISPERSED ETHNIC MINORITIES: OPINION TO BE ADOPTED BY THE CDMG [Recommendation 1291 (1996)]
XIII. TRAFFIC IN WOMEN AND FORCED PROSTITUTION: OPINION TO BE ADOPTED BY THE CDMG [Recommendation 1325 (1997)]
XIV. ACTIVITIES OF OTHER COUNCIL OF EUROPE BODIES IN THE MIGRATION FIELD
a. Follow-up to the childhood policies project
b. Project on human dignity and social exclusion
c. Traffic in women and forced prostitution
d. Other activities of interest to the CDMG
XV. ACTIVITIES OF OTHER INTERNATIONAL BODIES IN THE MIGRATION FIELD
a. Ministerial Conference of the Budapest Group (Prague, 14-15 October 1997) [CDMG (97) 23]
b. Important recent developments in the work of other international bodies
XVI. ELECTION OF THE CHAIR, VICE-CHAIR AND MEMBERS OF THE BUREAU
XVII. OTHER BUSINESS
XVIII. DATES OF FUTURE MEETINGS
APPENDIX 3
SPECIFIC TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR THE
SELECT COMMITTEE OF EXPERTS ON
SECURITY OF RESIDENCE OF LONG-TERM IMMIGRANTS
Specific terms of reference
1. Name of committee: SELECT COMMITTEE OF EXPERTS ON SECURITY OF RESIDENCE OF LONG-TERM IMMIGRANTS
[MG-R-RES]
2. Type of committee: Select committee of experts
3. Source of terms of reference: European Committee on Migration (CDMG)
4. Terms of reference:
On the basis of the study carried out by a consultant in 1997, to prepare draft guidelines and principles on the subject of law and practice concerning the security of residence of long-term immigrants. The Select Committee may decide to present its guidelines in the form of a draft recommendation of the Committee of Ministers.
5. Membership:
The Committee of experts shall consist of seven experts designated by the governments of the following member sates: Finland, France, Greece, Netherlands, Poland, Russia and Spain.
The Council of Europe budget will bear the travel and subsistence expenses of these seven experts.
These experts shall be persons having responsibility for legislation and policy on the residence status of long-term immigrants.
6. Structures and working methods:
The Select Committee will be assisted by a consultant.
7. Duration:
The terms of reference of the Committee of experts shall expire on 31 December 1998.
APPENDIX 4
TERMS OF REFERENCE
OF THE SPECIALIST GROUP ON ROMA/GYPSIES(MG-S-ROM)
FOR THE PERIOD 1998-2000
Specific terms of reference
1. Name of committee: SPECIALIST GROUP ON ROMA/GYPSIES (MG-S-ROM)
2. Type of committee: Committee of experts
3. Source of terms of terms of reference: Committee of Ministers
4. Terms of reference:
The Specialist Group shall:
i. implement the plan of work approved by the Committee of Ministers;
ii. consider how the Council of Europe might contribute to the solution of problems faced by Roma/Gypsies and, through the CDMG, to advise the Committee of Ministers accordingly;
iii. carry out specific studies or other activities as the Committee of Ministers or the CDMG may decide.
5. Membership of the Committee:
a. All the member states may designate specialists to participate in the Group's work. However, the Council of Europe will cover the travel and subsistence expenses of only nine specialists selected by the Bureau of the CDMG on the basis of proposals from members of the CDMG.
b. The Parliamentary Assembly and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe shall each have the right to send representatives to meetings of the Group.
c. Where this seems desirable for purposes of co-ordination of activities, the Group may invite representatives of other Council of Europe bodies to take part in its meetings.
d. Representatives of the following bodies will be invited to take part as observers in the meetings of the Group:
- European Commission
- Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights)
e. The Group may decide to invite other international organisations to hearings or to participate in individual meetings as required.
6. Working structures and methods:
In carrying out its work, the Specialist Group shall seek to inform itself widely from governments, experts and NGOs. It shall work in close co-operation with other international bodies, especially the European Commission and the OSCE/ODIHR, and in this way seek to avoid duplication of work. It shall establish working relations with selected Roma/Gypsy associations which it judges to be in a position to make a useful contribution to its work.
The Group may be assisted in its work by consultants.
7. Duration:
These terms of reference shall be valid until 31 December 2000. They shall then be reviewed.
APPENDIX 5
LABORATORY FOR DISPERSED ETHNIC MINORITIES
(Recommendation 1291 (1996) on Yiddish culture)
Opinion of the CDMG
The Ministers' Deputies have asked the European Committee on Migration (CDMG) to give an opinion on paragraph 9.vii of Assembly Recommendation 1291 (1996) on Yiddish culture. In the paragraph in question the Assembly recommends that the Committee of Ministers:
"set up under the auspices of the Council of Europe a `laboratory for dispersed ethnic minorities' with a mandate, inter alia:
a. to promote the survival of minority cultures;
b. to carry out surveys of persons still speaking minority languages;
c. to record, collect and preserve their monuments and evidence of their language and folklore;
d. to publish basic documents (for example the unfinished lexicon of the Yiddish language);
e. to promote legislation to protect minority cultures against discrimination or annihilation."
The Council for Cultural Cooperation (CDCC), in the opinion it has already adopted on the same text, stated that the proposal to create a "laboratory" deserved close consideration and that "it is evident....that [it] could benefit also from and put to the best possible use the results of the Council of Europe's activities concerning Gypsies."
Given, therefore, that Roma/Gypsies are clearly one of Europe's main dispersed ethnic minorities, the Ministers' Deputies have asked the CDMG to express an opinion on the proposal.
Being of the opinion that the CDMG did not have the competence to express a view of its own on this subject, the Bureau of the CDMG decided to consult the Specialist Group on Roma/Gypsies(MG-S-ROM). At its meeting in Ploiesti from 13 to 16 October 1997, the MG-S-ROM expressed the following views:
"1. The proposal to take a new initiative to promote the language and culture of dispersed ethnic minorities is of considerable interest for Roma/Gypsy minorities. Not only is this the largest dispersed ethnic minority in Europe but it also has the most pressing practical needs in the field of culture and language. Governments seeking to introduce Romani language teaching and to develop other initiatives to assist with the development of Romani culture would find a centre or laboratory of great practical value.
2. This being said, it is clear that the Assembly's Recommendation reflects mainly, indeed almost exclusively, a concern for the Yiddish language and culture. It would need to be made clear whether a "laboratory" would in reality be concerned with other dispersed minorities as well.
3. The MG-S-ROM has also been discussing plans for a Roma/Gypsy cultural route. It could be that the two ideas could be merged. A centre for dispersed ethnic minorities could take responsibility for a Roma/Gypsy cultural route; this would primarily imply extensive networking in order to support and to set up links between the numerous more localised initiatives for promoting the development of Roma/Gypsy culture.
4. Finally, the MG-S-ROM strongly advocated avoiding the word "laboratory", which may be felt to have sinister historical connotations. A more neutral term such as "centre" should be preferred."
The CDMG has agreed to forward the above views of the MG-S-ROM to the Committee of Ministers.
APPENDIX 6
OPINION ON RECOMMENDATION 1325 (1997)
OF THE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY
on traffic in women and forced prostitution
in Council of Europe member states
In response to the occasional terms of reference given to it by the Committee of Ministers in Decision No. CM/688/140597, the European Committee on Migration (CDMG) adopted the following Opinion on paragraphs 6(ii) and (iii) of the above-mentioned Recommendation:
"1. The CDMG welcomes the Assembly's recommendation addressed to the Committee of Ministers in paragraph 6 (ii) to urge member states to introduce training schemes for immigration staff enabling them to be fully aware of the problem of trafficking in women and to recognise potential victims. The CDMG underlines however, that in its view the identification of a person as a potential victim of traffickers should not systematically lead to a refusal to deliver a visa or to allow this person access to the territory of the state concerned. The legal effects and other consequences of such an identification should be examined on a case-to-case basis, while taking into consideration the protection needs of the potential victims.
2. The CDMG takes note of the recommendation contained in paragraph 6(iii) to create specific police structures to combat traffic in women and forced prostitution and to improve international co-operation in this field. Given that the Budapest Group enjoys observer status in the CDMG, it is also emphasised that such international co-operation has recently been recommended through very concrete proposals by the Conference of Ministers on the prevention of illegal migration held in the context of the Budapest process in Prague on 14 and 15 October 1997. The CDMG therefore suggests to transmit Recommendation 1325 (1997) of the Parliamentary Assembly to the Budapest Group for information."