Present at the meeting from the ELI’s side were ELI President, Prof Dr Pascal Pichonnaz and ELI Secretary General, Dr Vanessa Wilcox. The were joined by the Co-Reporters of ELI’s Update of  Detention of Asylum Seekers and Irregular Migrants and the Rule of Law: Checklists and European Standards project, Senior High Court Judge, Administrative Court of the Republic of Slovenia, Ad hoc Judge of the European Court of Human Rights and former President of the International Association of Refugee and Migration judges, Prof Dr Boštjan Zalar, and Senior Lecturer at Newcastle Law School and External Expert of the EU Asylum Office (EASO), Prof Dr María-Teresa Gil-Bazo.

From DG Home were Deputy Head of Unit, HOME.A4 Legal affairs and Anti-corruption, Ute Stiegel, Head of Sector, HOME.A4.002, Enforcement, Legal and UK Matters, Borbala Szigeti, Legal Officer, HOME.A4.002, Enforcement, Legal and UK Matters, Carlos Oviedo Moreno, and Legal and Policy Officer, HOME.C1: Irregular Migration and Returns, Sarah Bures.

The meeting served as an opportunity to discuss recent developments on the EU’s migration policy as well as possible avenues for cooperation.