The Chișinău process: dialogue or duress?

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Donald, A. and Forde, A. 2026. The Chișinău process: dialogue or duress? ECHR Blog .
TypeBlog
TitleThe Chișinău process: dialogue or duress?
AuthorsDonald, A. and Forde, A.
Abstract

It has been a testing year for the European Court of Human Rights, from the letter of nine states in May 2025 to the Joint Statement of 27 to the Chișinău process that will culminate in a political declaration on migration on 15 May 2026. The origins of the process (opportunistic sniping from various capitals) and its conduct (rushed, opaque and exclusionary) have provoked mounting concern that it could trigger regression in human rights protection, including in respect of the absolute prohibition of torture and other severe ill-treatment, based on what Ed Bates calls a “false and … damaging narrative”.

In this piece, we build on our previous calls for evidence-based scrutiny, principled engagement and an inclusive and transparent process. As member states head into the final push for consensus ahead of the summit in Chișinău, we emphasise some of our remaining headline concerns.

KeywordsECHR; European Court of Human Rights; Chișinău; migration; human rights
Sustainable Development Goals16 Peace, justice and strong institutions
Middlesex University ThemeHealth & Wellbeing
Publication or CollectionECHR Blog
PublisherECHR Blog
Publication dates
Online14 Apr 2026
Publication process dates
Accepted13 Apr 2026
Deposited26 May 2026
Output statusPublished
Web address (URL)https://echrblog.com/the-chisinau-process-dialogue-or-duress/
LanguageEnglish
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