During the meeting, the CPT examined and adopted the reports on its visits to Albania (January-February 2026), Bosnia and Herzegovina (March 2026), Bulgaria (January-February 2026), Germany (November - December 2025), Kosovo* (February 2026), and Montenegro (November 2025). These reports will now be communicated to the national authorities.
Over the course of the session, the Committee also adopted new standards on women in prison and on immigration detention. With these standards, the CPT further clarifies the requirements that must be applied to these two groups of persons deprived of their liberty, providing additional guidance to national authorities and consolidating the specific protection that these persons need. Both documents will be published soon.
Another issue discussed by the Committee is the impact of climate. "The current heatwave in Europe affects all segments of the population but is particularly alarming for persons deprived of their liberty often held in unadapted buildings" said Alan Mitchell, CPT President. He also recalled that "when heatwaves and cold snaps set in, detention conditions quickly become unbearable and even degrading. This raises difficulties in different places of deprivation of liberty, both for persons deprived of liberty and staff working in these places. For example, in the face of ever more frequent heatwaves, specific measures must be taken to alleviate the high temperatures in prison cells and ensure that all detained persons have adequate access to drinking water." He added that "many prisons in different parts of Europe are severely overcrowded with persons sleeping on mattresses on the floor and confined to their cells for large parts of the day which further exacerbates the sweltering and often poor living conditions in which they are held. Immediate relief and long-term measures are needed to guarantee the dignity of all those deprived of their liberty and to offer acceptable working conditions for staff as extreme weather patterns become a more regular feature of our climate."
In addition, Committee members participated in a training session on interviewing persons with mental illness deprived of their liberty.
The CPT welcomed two new members: Brigitte Konz, in respect of Luxembourg, and Orsolya Czenczer, in respect of Hungary.
