Strengthening actions and tools to meet integration challenges – Report to the 2008 Ministerial Conference on Integration
Policy context: the European framework for the integration of third-country nationals
Integration of third-country nationals is one of the most important challenges that Europe has to address today as there can be no successful immigration policies without integration strategies. Since the adoption in 2005 of the Common Agenda for Integration implementing the Common Basic Principles on integration (CBPs) established by the Council in 2004, the EU is acting as a facilitator to exchange good practice by providing common points of reference and promoting evaluation and comparative analysis for designing effective integration measures.
As requested by Council Conclusions of June 2007, this Report highlights what has been done to consolidate the Common Agenda and implement the CBPs by developing approaches to integration that involve society as a whole. It focuses on participation and citizenship; on measures targeting the host society; and on how integration policies may contribute to the prevention of social alienation. It also elaborates on new instruments such as common European modules for integration and common tools for evaluating integration policies. These instruments will contribute to further addressing the integration aspects highlighted by the June 2008 Communication and the up-coming Ministerial Conference on Integration and the European Pact on Immigration. The report also covers very recent developments in employment, social inclusion and education as crucial elements of the participation of immigrants in European societies.
The Report will be the subject of discussions at the 2008 Ministerial Conference on Integration organised by the French Presidency on 3/4 November in Vichy.
Strengthening actions and tools to meet integration challenges
- Participation and citizenship
Despite the various forms of participation and the variety of approaches to citizenship policies, results from the Migrant Integration Policy Index indicate that Member States score low on nationality and participation policies are still weak. Participation in the democratic process is crucial to foster integration and should be promoted. Acquisition of citizenship can enhance solidarity and strengthen a sense of belonging to a society both among immigrants and the rest of the population.
- Measures targeting the host society
As Europe becomes increasingly diverse, measures targeting its societies are crucial to support understanding and co-existence between different cultural identities. Structural barriers against the empowerment of immigrants should be removed and measures targeting the host society and involving the media to foster understanding of immigration should be implemented to enhance the mutual accommodation process.
- Prevention of social alienation
It is important to explore further how integration policies can help prevent social alienation by fostering immigrants' empowerment and putting the focus on the benefits that successful integration brings for host society and immigrants alike. Intercultural and inter- and intra- religious dialogues should be further promoted as instruments to actively fight racism, xenophobia, discrimination and isolation of immigrants.
- Common European modules for integration
To promote successful strategies for integration policies, different aspects of the integration process were studied and various integration measures put into practice at EU and national level. It is now time to develop Common European modules as building blocks for comprehensive integration strategies covering the various aspects of the integration process. The creation of these modules will form an established but flexible point of reference that can be adapted to different contexts contributing to the successful design of integration programmes across Europe.
- Evaluation of integration policies
To effectively shape policies and improve performance by learning from the highest standards, yardsticks relating to various aspects of integration are crucially needed. The capacity to collect, analyse and disseminate integration-related information should now be enhanced more systematically. The Commission intends to design specific indicators for integration strategies to monitor and evaluate policies and provide for comparative analysis.
Employment, social inclusion and education as key to the participation of immigrants in European societies
Immigrants should be given the chance to participate and develop their full potential. In order to make this happen special attention should be paid to promote measures to strengthen the integration of immigrants into the labour market, in the host society and in the educational systems.
Employment is a key part of the integration process and is central to the participation of immigrants, to the contribution they make to the host society and to making such contribution visible. Integration of immigrants into the labour market remains a major challenge to be further addressed.
Social inclusion and the effective access to social protection play a crucial role in the successful integration of migrants. Migrants face a higher risk of poverty than the rest of the population and specific obstacles in accessing housing, health care and financial services. This situation, compounded by discrimination, is hampering their full participation in society and should soon be reversed.
Education and training provide tools for improving the level of successful attainments and contribute to establishing cultural bridges for a more cohesive society. Immigrant children and young people face specific challenges that need to be faced by targeted measures.
For more information:
A common framework for the integration of third-country nationals
http://ec.europa.eu/justice_home/fsj/immigration/integration/fsj_immigration_integration_en.htm
Published on: 2008-10-08
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