Our new briefing takes stock of progress made by EU Member States towards the implementation of statelessness provisions in the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum, ahead of the 12 June deadline.
Under the Pact, EU Member States now have a legal requirement to identify and record indications of statelessness, pending a determination. This constitutes important progress towards improved identification and protection of stateless people and beneficiaries of international protection in Europe.
As our briefing shows, there has been some progress towards implementation, but our members across Europe inform us that much work remains to be done.
Our briefing includes recommendations to Member States, the European Commission, EU agencies, the European Parliament, and UNHCR and civil society, on how they can work collaboratively to remedy any remaining implementation gaps and to support full application in practice of the statelessness provisions in the Pact.
At ENS, we stand ready to support this process to help guarantee the full rights and support owed to stateless applicants and beneficiaries of international protection under international law.
Background
Statelessness was invisible in the original Pact proposals. In response to this omission, ENS, our members, and partners engaged extensively with the European Parliament, Council, and Commission throughout the negotiations to advocate for clear provisions reflecting EU MS international obligations to protect the rights of stateless persons.
Several of our calls to address statelessness were heard and incorporated in the final Pact instruments adopted in 2024. In November 2024, we published a briefing with detailed recommendations to support the implementation of new requirements to identify and address statelessness in the lead-up to the 12 June 2026 deadline.
Now, this latest briefing takes stock of progress and focuses on application.
