TL:DR – Council of Europe Secretary General warns against ECHR reforms on migration
• Alain Berset, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, warned that reforming the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) regarding migrants could undermine human rights more broadly.
• In May 2025, nine EU countries signed an open letter supporting the review of ECHR protections.
• Berset is urging caution in talks with countries like Belgium, Denmark, and the United Kingdom about potential changes.
• Berset convened a conference for justice ministers in December 2025 to discuss migration issues and the ECHR.
• There is currently no consensus among member states on ECHR reforms.
Push to review ECHR over migration could set dangerous precedent, CoE boss says
The Council of Europe’s Secretary General, Alain Berset, expressed concerns regarding the review of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and its potential implications for human rights protections, particularly for migrants, in an interview with Euronews. His comments follow an open letter signed by nine European Union countries in May 2025, calling for reforms that could include greater flexibility in managing the deportation of foreign criminals and irregular migrants.
Berset warned that such reforms could embolden governments to roll back human rights protections more broadly. He stated, “What we are doing now will be very well observed. What will happen now with migration, other countries may start discussing other (changes to human) rights.”
Alain Berset Urges Caution in Reforms
Berset has highlighted the need for caution in discussions with countries like Belgium, Denmark, and the United Kingdom, urging that “we must be really careful.” He pointed out that political pressure on human rights frameworks could lead to undesirable consequences, stating that the method of calling for reinterpretation of the ECHR is misaligned with appropriate practices.
He noted, “It is clear that migration is an issue and a concern in the majority of the member states,” acknowledging the need for platforms to address these concerns.
Call for Dialogue Among Member States
To foster productive dialogue, Berset will convene an informal conference among Council of Europe member states’ justice ministers in December 2025 to discuss migration and the ECHR. This comes as member states urge preparation of a political declaration on the issues, which is expected to be adopted in May 2026.
However, Berset reported that there is currently “no consensus at all” on the proposed changes, emphasising that member states must determine the way forward. He concluded, “We need to find, as far as possible, a consensus for this, and then to see what will happen with it.”
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