Overview
- Keir Starmer and Mette Frederiksen set the tone with a joint Guardian op‑ed urging an updated interpretation of the Convention while pledging protection for people fleeing war.
- Twenty‑seven Council of Europe states endorsed a document seeking changes that would safeguard expulsions of foreigners convicted of serious crimes such as rape or drug trafficking.
- The discussion agenda includes tougher action against smugglers, possible return hubs, and outsourcing of asylum processing, with several reports indicating a target to reach an agreement by spring.
- Council of Europe leaders and legal experts pushed back against weakening the system, with Secretary General Alain Berset defending the Convention and data showing immigration cases are a small share of the court’s docket.
- France declined to join the reform bloc and reiterated support for the court’s independence, as EU interior ministers separately advanced texts that could allow reception centers outside the EU subject to parliamentary approval.