(TibetanReview.net, May18’26) – The European Union has said Apr 29 that it has been urging Nepal, as a part of the Refugee Core Group in Nepal, to address the long-standing humanitarian challenges faced by Tibetan refugees in the country as many of them have continued to remain undocumented for decades. It has vowed to bring up the issue during the next annual EU-Nepal joint Commission planned to be held in the second half of this year.
This message was conveyed by the European External Acton Service – the diplomatic service in charge of executing all international relations of the European Union – in response to a Mar 3 letter from MEPs Dainius Zalimas and Hannes Heide, Co-Chairs of the Inter-parliamentary Group for Tibet in the European Parliament, addressed to EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic regarding the precarious status of Tibetan refugees in Nepal.
The EU has been pushing for the issuance of Personal Account Number (PAN) cards as an immediate measure to at least give the Tibetan refugees an identity that should enable them to open bank accounts, access the labour market, and manage daily administrative tasks.
Apart from economic inclusion, the EU is also calling on Nepal to protect fundamental civil and cultural rights of Tibetans, specifically the right to peacefully observe important religious and cultural events without restriction.
The EU has also urged Nepal to facilitate visa waivers and exit permits for refugees who have been accepted for resettlement in third countries or for those who wish to return to their home countries.
The European External Acton Service has said these recommendations, formally presented to Nepal’s Ministry of Home Affairs in late 2025, remain a diplomatic priority for the EU and will be central to the agenda during the upcoming annual EU-Nepal Joint Commission to be held in the second half of 2026.
Governments in Nepal have shown willingness or at least interest to register most of the around 20,000 undocumented Tibetan refugees living in the country but have been stymied by pressure from China which is opposed to any recognition of Tibetans as refugees, including by the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
A Refugee Core Group typically refers to an international coalition of diplomatic, governmental, and humanitarian partners that collaborate on specific, localized displacement crises or broader resettlement initiatives. These groups mobilize political, financial, and technical support while advocating for the rights of displaced populations.
(Based on Tibet.net report May 19, 2026, and other sources)