Refugee crisis, terrorism top PACE spring session agenda

The European refugee crisis will be at the center of the spring session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) being held this week in Strasbourg.

Several important figures, such as Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker, will also address the members of the pan-European organization.

At the opening of the session on Monday, PACE President Pedro Agramunt sounded the alarm over the dangers of the refugee crisis. An effective remedy for the difficulties facing European migration policy, under stress since the massive arrival last year of close to a million refugees, has yet to be found.

Divisions between European Union member states "create fertile ground for populist political discourses. Let us not underestimate the risks that are posed by the rise of nationalist and anti-immigration parties of the extreme left and extreme right, who advocate for the closure of their countries," warned PACE President Pedro Agramunt.

On Wednesday, the parliamentarians will hold an urgent debate on "The situation of refugees and migrants under the EU-Turkey Agreement of 18 March 2016."

This agreement, reached between Ankara and European heads of state and government, provides for the return to Turkey of irregular migrants arriving on Greek islands. In return, for every Syrian returned to Turkey, the EU must receive and resettle another from Turkish soil. The agreement, however, only just launched, has been under harsh critique.

What response must Europe bring to the Syrian refugee crisis? What rights should there be for refugees and migrants in the Western Balkans? What about forced migrations? These questions and more must be considered this week for PACE.

Other than the migratory question, that of terrorism and radicalization -- particularly that aimed at children -- are at the forefront of the agenda for this spring session. An urgent debate titled "After the Brussels attacks, urgent need to address security failures and step up counterterrorism cooperation," will be held Thursday. In his opening speech on Monday, the PACE president warned against adopting radically restrictive measures and policies.

Additional themes on the agenda for the week: the question of the fight against anti-Semitism in Europe and the management of public health emergencies of an international importance. Enditem