European Council on Refugees and Exiles

European Council on Refugees and Exiles
Name	European Council on Refugees and Exiles
Abbreviation	ECRE
Formation	1974
Type	Non-governmental organization
Headquarters	Brussels
Region	Europe
Fields	Refugee protection, asylum policy, human rights

European Council on Refugees and Exiles is an umbrella non-governmental organisation concerned with refugee protection and asylum law across Europe. Founded in the 1970s, it brings together national NGOs, legal centres, and advocacy groups from across European Union member states, the Council of Europe region, and neighbouring states. ECRE engages with institutions such as the European Commission, the European Parliament, the European Court of Human Rights and the UNHCR to influence policy, litigation, and practice on asylum and migration.

History

ECRE was established in 1974 amid debates involving actors such as the United Nations agencies and national bodies reacting to displacement following the Vietnam War and the Yom Kippur War, while contemporaneous organisations like Amnesty International and Save the Children expanded advocacy networks. During the 1980s and 1990s, ECRE interacted with developments including the formation of the Schengen Area, the adoption of instruments linked to the European Convention on Human Rights, and jurisprudence from the Court of Justice of the European Union, aligning with legal centres such as the Right to Remain and national refugee councils in states such as Germany, France, United Kingdom, and Italy. The organisation adapted its work to crises triggered by the Balkan Wars, the Syrian Civil War, and shifting policy frameworks like the Dublin Regulation and the Common European Asylum System, while engaging with actors such as Frontex and national ministries in countries including Greece, Hungary, Sweden, and Netherlands.

Organisation and Structure

ECRE's membership model mirrors coalitions such as European Youth Forum and federations like International Rescue Committee, comprising national NGOs from Poland, Spain, Portugal, Norway, Denmark, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, Ireland, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Luxembourg, Malta', Cyprus, and others. Governance features a members' assembly and an elected board akin to structures seen at Human Rights Watch and Red Cross (International Committee of the Red Cross), and a secretariat based in Brussels that coordinates policy teams and legal advisers, often liaising with the European Commission Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs and delegations to the Council of the European Union. ECRE employs legal researchers, policy officers, communications staff, and project managers who work across networks such as the European Legal Network on Asylum and collaborate with academic institutions like University of Oxford, University College London, Sciences Po, Università di Bologna, University of Amsterdam, and Central European University.

Policy and Advocacy

ECRE conducts advocacy before bodies like the European Parliament Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, and the UN Human Rights Council, producing policy papers and legal briefs in contexts including the reform of the Dublin III Regulation, the proposal for a European Union Agency for Asylum, and directives such as the Qualification Directive and the Reception Conditions Directive. It has intervened in litigation before the European Court of Human Rights and the Court of Justice of the European Union alongside organisations like Human Rights Watch, Refugee Legal Support, International Commission of Jurists, and national bar associations. ECRE's positions intersect with debates driven by political parties such as European People's Party, Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, Identity and Democracy Party, and actors including Angela Merkel, Emmanuel Macron, Boris Johnson, Viktor Orbán, and policymakers from Germany and France.

Programs and Activities

ECRE runs programmes in legal assistance, strategic litigation, capacity building, and research, working with partners such as UNHCR, International Organization for Migration, European Council on Refugees and Exiles-aligned NGOs, and national refugee councils in Greece, Italy, Lebanon, Jordan, and Turkey to respond to displacement from the Syrian Civil War and conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. It organises training for lawyers and NGO staff on the implementation of instruments like the Dublin Regulation and the Asylum Procedures Directive, convenes conferences similar to those of International Association for Refugee Law and publishes studies comparable to reports by European Migration Network. ECRE also leads monitoring projects on reception conditions in locations such as the Lesbos reception centres, detention practices in Röszke and Melilla, and border procedures at Ceuta, liaising with forensic researchers, statisticians, and civil society coalitions.

Funding and Partnerships

ECRE's funding model combines grants from European institutions including the European Commission and the Council of Europe with project funding from foundations like the Open Society Foundations, the Oak Foundation, the Sigrid Rausing Trust, and philanthropic donors such as Andrew Carnegie-related trusts, along with contributions from member organisations and fee-for-service research commissioned by bodies like the European Migration Network and universities. Partnerships include collaboration with international organisations such as UNHCR, IOM, Council of Europe, and networks like PICUM and Migrant Rights Network, as well as alliances with legal actors such as the European Association for the Defence of Human Rights and professional bodies like national bar associations.

Impact and Criticism

ECRE has influenced policy outcomes and jurisprudence through submissions to the Court of Justice of the European Union and interventions before the European Court of Human Rights, and contributed to shaping elements of the Common European Asylum System, winning support from civil society actors including Amnesty International, Médecins Sans Frontières, Caritas Europa, and RED Cross societies. Critics from political groups such as Alternative for Germany and national administrations in Hungary and Poland have accused ECRE of policy bias, while some practitioners have debated its positions relative to NGOs like Refugee Council (UK), Asylum Aid, and Danish Refugee Council over priorities in strategic litigation, humanitarian assistance, and engagement with agencies such as Frontex. Academic commentators at institutions like London School of Economics, King's College London, and European University Institute have both praised its research outputs and questioned aspects of advocacy strategy, creating an active discourse involving think tanks such as Migration Policy Institute and European Policy Centre.

Category:Human rights organizations in Europe