When the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum was first introduced in September 2020, statelessness was invisible.
Following our extensive engagement with the European Parliament, Council, and Commission over the past four years, we were pleased to see several provisions aimed at improving the identification and protection of displaced stateless people incorporated in the final Pact instruments.
Now the focus is on implementation, and we stand ready to help support and inform this process over the coming months and years.
Building on our May 2024 briefing, and informed by the European Commission’s Common Implementation Plan, our latest briefing outlines detailed recommendations to the European Commission, Member States, EU agencies, the European Parliament, Eurostat, UNHCR and civil society actors to fully implement the Pact and ensure that stateless people’s rights are respected in EU asylum systems.
ENS recommends that:
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The European Commission engages with Member States, monitors how statelessness provisions are implemented and provides resources, and develops practical tools to identify and determine statelessness.
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Member States adjust their national frameworks and policies, and upskill officials, to ensure that they can identify statelessness and uphold the rights of stateless people under international law.
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EU Agencies (EU Asylum Agency, FRA, Frontex, EU-Lisa) mainstream their legal requirement to identify and record indications of statelessness and ensure that mechanisms are in place to uphold the specific rights of stateless persons under international law.
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Eurostat ensures that data collection mechanisms are equipped to identify and record indications of statelessness
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The European Parliament monitors and provides oversight of implementation of the statelessness provisions and protection of the fundamental rights of stateless persons
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UNHCR and civil society actors incorporate recommendations on statelessness into relevant publications and advocacy interventions at regional and national levels, and ensure their teams are equipped to support stateless individuals and those with undetermined nationality to access their rights
For further details on our recommendations, please read the full briefing.
We and our members will continue to engage collaboratively with all relevant stakeholders – including communities affected by statelessness - to ensure the successful implementation of these provisions across Europe.
