Thursday, 18 June 2026

Focus on:

Pre-removal detention of migrants, in the light of European and international standards, and member States’ practice

09:00-09:15

09:15-09:45

09:45-10:00    

Arrival and registration

Daniele Cangemi, Head of Department of Human Rights and Justice Standards, DGI, Introductory remarks

Izabella Majcher, Ad hoc consultant to DMR, Migrants’ pre-removal detention – European standards and state practice

10:00-10:15

10:15-10:30

10:30-10:45

10:45-11:00

11:00-11:15

11:15-11:30

11:30-11:45

11:45-12:00

11:45-12:00

Pamela McCormick, Lawyer, CDDH Secretariat, Overview of Court’s case-law concerning migrant detention

Musa Khasanov, Legal Officer, Department for the Execution of Judgments of the ECHR, Developments regarding pre-removal detention of migrants from the perspective of the execution of judgments

Sebastian Rietz, Advisor, European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, CPT monitoring and standards regarding pre-removal detention of migrants

Q&A

Coffee break

Catherine Delacour, Head of Sector, European Commission, Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs, HOME C.1 – Irregular Migration & Return, Updates on the changes of the Return Regulation to the legal framework on detention in the return process (online)

Grigorios Tsioukas, Deputy Fundamental Rights Officer, FRONTEX, Pre-removal detention standards and impact on Frontex activities, (online)

Carolina Hernandez, OHCHR’s Advisor on Migration and Human Rights and Coordinator of the Migration & People on the Move Unit, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Pre-removal detention under international human rights law, (online)

Q&A

12:00-12:15

Group Photo

12:15-14:00

Lunch break

14:15-14:30

Angela Garabagiu, Secretary to the Committee on Migration, International Protection and Economic Co-operation, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Parliamentary Assembly’s position on immigration detention and alternatives to it  

14:30-14:45

14:45-15:00

Oana Girlescu, coordinator of the Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP) in the EU project, Presentation of the HELP course on Alternatives to Immigration Detention (online)

Silvia Carta, Advocacy Officer, Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants (PICUM), The EU Return Regulation: What do the new rules on detention and ATDs mean for undocumented persons? (online)

15:00-15:15

Q&A

15:15-15:30

Coffee break

Presentations by Member States on the topic of the meeting

15:30-15:45

15:45-16:00

16:00-16:15

16:15-16:30

Donatella Candura, Vice-Prefect, Head of the legal affairs Unit - Directorate General for Migration and Asylum Services (ITALY)

Almir Lutvica, Expert Associate, Ministry of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sector for Immigration (BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA)

Alban Haxhi, Specialist, Border and Migration Policy Sector, Directorate of Policies against Organized Crime, Migration and Asylum, General Directorate of Public Security and Migration Policies, Ministry of Internal Affairs (ALBANIA)

Milada Pantic, Deputy Director for Legal and Institutional Affairs, Directorate for European and International Affairs (FRANCE)

16:30-16:45 

16:45-17:00

Q&A

Nikos Sitaropoulos, Head of the Council of Europe Division on Migration and Refugees, Conclusions of first day’s discussion