On Wednesday 31 January a members of the CEP/EuroPris Expert Network on Foreign Nationals in Prison and Probation got together for the first meeting in 2024. This meeting was a milestone one as new members of the network joined to introduce themselves to other network members as well as to get more detailed information on the work of the Expert Network in 2024 and 2025, streams of work, its event planning and involvement of the expert members.  Both CEP and EuroPris launched a call to nominate new representatives and the network now has members from across Europe representing both prison and probation.  Foreign nationals in prison and probation have been one of the longest-working expert networks and the topic is crucial to both fields.

During the past years, the network has been very active: three workshops, training on the CoE Recommendation, research on foreign national only prisons in Norway and The Netherlands, a presentation on outcomes to the CoE PC-CP plenary meeting, good practice collection and an e-learning module has been developed in cooperation with the CoE European Programme for Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP). EuroPris and CEP organized also a webinar and expert conferences.

The aims of the Expert Network are wide, covering the objectives of organizations, statutory and voluntary, working with their nationals imprisoned and on community sanctions abroad as well as foreign nationals of other countries, imprisoned or on community sanctions in their country. These needs are complementary and produce a shared perspective with common objectives and purposes focused on effective rehabilitation and resettlement, and the reduction of the risk of reoffending, based on European and international instruments, guidance and recommendations with a human rights perspective. The CEP & EuroPris FNPP Expert Network works collaboratively to improve the management and resettlement of FNPPs in European prisons by assisting in the collection, sharing and dissemination of information that provides value to interested individuals and groups, and CEP and EuroPris members.