Annexes to COM(2011)455 - European Agenda for the Integration of Third-Country Nationals - Main contents
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This page contains a limited version of this dossier in the EU Monitor.
| dossier | COM(2011)455 - European Agenda for the Integration of Third-Country Nationals. |
|---|---|
| document | COM(2011)455  |
| date | July 20, 2011 |
1.3. Efforts in the education system
Most EU countries have a growing proportion of students with a migrant background[18]. School systems need to adapt to the increasing diversity of the student body to deliver high-quality education for all and to capitalise on the potential of this diversity. In order to facilitate successful learning of the language, measures taken at an early age, starting from the pre-school stage are beneficial.
The average educational level of third-country nationals is below that of EU nationals[19]. Young people with a migrant background are at greater risk of exiting the education and training system without having obtained an upper secondary qualification. Additional efforts are needed to prevent early school leaving among migrant youth[20].
Teachers and other staff should receive training for managing diversity. The recruitment of migrants as teachers or in the childcare workforce may also be useful both to encourage learning in classes with a concentration of migrants and as a means of further opening national education systems to other European and non-European cultures. Language classes for parents in connection with their children's schooling guidance, mentoring and tutoring are examples of useful actions. Schools in especially disadvantaged areas with a high concentration of migrant youth could develop specialised programmes, mentoring systems and access to training to have competitive advantages.
1.4. Ensuring better living conditions
Social inclusion measures targeted at migrants should aim to remove possible barriers blocking effective access to social and health services, and fight against poverty and exclusion of the most vulnerable[21]. The integration of beneficiaries of international protection requires particular attention. They have often had traumatic experiences, which require specific social and psychological care. Policies should, therefore, be designed to minimise isolation of beneficiaries of international protection and restrictions to their rights, and provide for effective language learning, access to accommodation, access to health care in health systems that promote integration and culturally adapted health promotion programmes. Access to vocational training and assistance in seeking employment should also be targeted.
The situation of Roma third-country nationals legally residing in the EU deserves particular attention.
1.5. Better use of EU funding
A better use of existing EU instruments should therefore support migrants' participation and the implementation of bottom-up integration policies. The European Fund for the Integration of Third-Country Nationals and the European Refugee Fund support measures such as reception and introductory schemes, participation in social and civic life and equal access to services. They are complemented by measures to facilitate access to and integration into the labour market funded under the European Social Fund, and the European Regional Development Fund can support a large range of integration measures in the context of regional development.
Recommendations
Member States should ensure:
· the provision of language courses, reflecting migrants varying needs at different stages of their integration process;
· the organisation of introductory programmes for newly arrived migrants, including language and civic orientation courses. These programmes should address the specific needs of migrant women in order to promote their participation in the labour market and strengthen their economic independence;
· measures to map and assess the individual's needs and to validate qualifications and professional experiences;
· increasing labour market participation of migrants through active labour market policies;
· efforts in education systems equipping teachers and school leaders with the skills for managing diversity; recruiting teachers from migrant backgrounds; and participation of migrant children in early childhood education; and
· special attention to specific needs of vulnerable groups of migrants.
The Commission should support:
· the exchange of practice and policy coordination in the areas of employment, education and social policies; and
· a better use of existing EU financial instruments to support migrants' participation.
2. Rights and obligations – achieving equal treatment and a sense of belonging
The respect of universal values and fundamental human rights is enshrined in the Treaty. Efforts to fight against discrimination and to give migrants instruments to become acquainted with the fundamental values of the EU and its Member States should be strengthened.
Migrants' participation in the democratic process is important for their integration. Obstacles to migrants' political participation in terms of legislative and structural barriers must be overcome to the greatest extent possible. The involvement of migrant representatives, including women, in the drawing up and implementation of integration policies and programmes should be enhanced.
Outreach programmes and work placements can help to build capacity within migrant organisations and encourage and support the participation of these organisations at the local level, such as school boards, housing administration etc.
Measures to enhance democratic participation could include training and mentors, granting migrants access to voting rights in local elections, creating local, regional and national consultative bodies, encouraging entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation[22].
Recommendations
Member States should ensure:
· measures to implement in practice the principle of equal treatment and to prevent institutional as well as every-day discrimination; and
· efforts to remove obstacles to migrants' political participation. The involvement of migrant representatives in the drawing up of and implementation of integration policies and programmes should be further enhanced.
The Commission should ensure:
· the full and correct implementation of existing directives on non-discrimination and in the area of legal migration.
B. MORE ACTION AT LOCAL LEVEL
Integration policies should be formulated and implemented with the active involvement of local authorities. Local authorities are responsible for a wide range of services and activities and they play an important role in shaping the interaction between migrants and the receiving society.
1. Addressing especially disadvantaged urban areas
Many migrants settle in urban areas and face particular integration challenges there. Integration policies must specifically address the challenges of deprived neighbourhoods in order to allow urban areas to stimulate economic and cultural activity and contribute to social cohesion. Contracts or other agreements between national, regional and local authorities have been successfully developed in several Member States to support urban development. Involving representatives of local organisations and inhabitants in such agreements is fundamental. Effective integration also requires supportive measures to ensure social infrastructures and urban regeneration, based on an integrated approach in order to avoid segregation.
2. Improvement of multi-level cooperation
Even if integration measures are mainly for local authorities, close cooperation between the different levels of governance is important to coordinate the provision, financing and evaluation of services. Effective integration can only be realised in partnership between the whole range of stakeholders such as the European institutions, Member States and national, regional and local actors. The EU can provide a framework for monitoring, benchmarking and for the exchange of good practice among the various governance levels, as well as creating incentives promoting good local and regional models.
'Territorial pacts' between relevant stakeholders at different levels should provide all participants the necessary flexibility of means to achieve certain policy goals, while providing the possibility to streamline policy instruments and funding channels and procedures. In this regard, the Committee of the Regions could have a role to play.
Examples:
The INTI-Cities project was built to assess local integration policies, practices and governance arrangements based on a benchmark and was successfully tested in the municipalities of Helsinki, Rotterdam, Malmö, Düsseldorf, Genoa and Lyon. Moreover, the DIVE project was developed to evaluate how municipalities use diversity and equality principles when acting as employers, buyers of goods and services, policy-makers and service-providers. The DIVE benchmark was applied on the ground in Amsterdam, Leeds, Berlin and Rome. Cities participating in DIVE committed to a Charter on Integrating Cities[23].
The Region of Valencia has a legal framework providing for the active cooperation between a range of actors for the integration of newcomers. In addition, a 'Pact for Immigration' has been signed between the regional government, trade unions and the employers' association to manage diversity in the workplace and encourage the active participation of migrant workers, and a 'Local Pact for Integration' brings together public authorities from the local, provincial and regional level to boost cooperation and ensure coherence of the actions developed in different areas to support integration.
3. EU financial support to local action
The European Fund for the Integration of third-country nationals has proven valuable in supporting Member States' efforts to enable third-country nationals to fulfil the conditions of residence and to facilitate their integration[24]. For the next multiannual financial framework, the Commission proposes to simplify the structure of the expenditure instruments by reducing the number of programmes to a two pillar structure, including a Migration and Asylum Fund[25]. One component will be actions supporting the integration of third-country nationals. The funding will also have an external dimension covering action in both the EU and third countries.
The focus of future EU funding on integration should be on a local, more targeted approach, in support of consistent strategies specifically designed to promote integration at local level. These strategies would be implemented mainly by local or regional authorities and non-state actors taking into account their particular situation. Results would be measured in terms of their contribution to the overall objective of enhanced participation, on the basis of 1) an increased employment rate; 2) a higher level of education; 3) better social inclusion; and 4) active citizenship.
Recommendations
Member States should ensure:
· comprehensive integration strategies designed and implemented with the effective involvement of all local and regional stakeholders with a 'bottom-up' approach.
Actors at all levels of governance should support:
· 'Territorial pacts', as a framework for cooperation between relevant stakeholders at different levels, to be developed for designing and implementing integration policies.
The Commission should support:
· the involvement of local and regional actors in the definition of integration policies within the framework of EU programmes, through a strategic partnership with the Committee of the Regions and European networks of cities and regions; and
· a higher degree of coordinated programming of existing EU financial instruments to target local action. This should be done through the use of the European Fund for the Integration of third-country nationals, the European Refugee Fund, the European Social Fund and the European Regional Development Fund.
C. INVOLVEMENT OF COUNTRIES OF ORIGIN
Countries of origin can have a role to play in support of the integration process in three ways: 1) to prepare the integration already before the migrants' departure; 2) to support the migrants while in the EU, e.g. through support via the Embassies; 3) to prepare the migrant's temporary or definitive return with acquired experience and knowledge.
1. Pre-departure measures in support of integration
Countries of origin could help migrants with pre-departure information for example on the required visas and work permits but also with language tuition or by offering vocational training to reinforce their skills. To this end, support to third countries on pre-departure measures should be given and also to improving methods for the recognition of migrants' qualifications and skills.
To assist people who want to migrate to the EU to access the necessary information on the application procedures, the Commission will launch the 'EU Immigration Portal' later this year.
2. Beneficial contacts between diaspora communities and their countries of origin
Remittances as well as the transfer of skills, innovation and knowledge may favour sustainable investments and the development of the countries of origin.
The promotion of transnational entrepreneurship through a more dynamic strategy will favour entrepreneurs operating in both EU Member States and in partner countries. Such enterprises can create employment in the countries of origin and bring benefits both in terms of integration of migrants and increased trade between countries.
3. Circular migration and development in countries of origin
Temporary and circular migrants should be supported by a rights-based framework that can ensure a clear legal status and facilitate mobility. Mobility partnerships with partner countries could be a suitable framework for promoting initiatives on integration in EU Member States that also benefit the countries of origin. Positive political messages from both sides could help creating a more favourable environment for integration but also for temporary and circular migration.
Recommendations
Member States and countries of origin should ensure:
· pre-departure support to migrants in order to facilitate integration to be part of the dialogue and cooperation frameworks between the EU and partner countries. A key element in this regard is to improve methods for recognition of the migrant's qualifications and skills.
3. THE WAY FORWARD
Managing integration is crucial for realising the full potential of migration, both for the migrants and the EU. Effective integration policies are fundamental to reconcile economic growth with social cohesion and to deal with increasingly diverse European societies. This process requires a structured and informed debate. Coherent strategies are needed in order to achieve better participation of migrants in the societies in which they live.
3.1. Enhanced cooperation, consultation and coordination
Integration challenges will need to be met in partnership between national governments, regional and local authorities, while ensuring dialogue with relevant stakeholders at all levels of governance. Stronger cooperation with the countries of origin is also needed. The approach of a 'three-way process' between migrants, receiving societies and countries of origin could be strengthened. The EU should provide the necessary support to this process.
The Commission plays an important role in bringing together relevant actors in dialogue on the main integration challenges. Exchange of knowledge and good practice between Member States takes place in the network of National Contact Points on Integration, which could be further developed through targeted meetings and benchmarking exercises. Coordination and monitoring of policy developments within existing policy frameworks among the EU institutions, and in close cooperation with the Member States, can contribute to more efficient and effective integration policies.
Civil society representatives from Member States and EU level meet in the European Integration Forum set up by the Commission in cooperation with the European Economic and Social Committee. Consultative processes should be further strengthened with strategic meetings, for example with the Committee of the Regions and cities' associations. The Forum could be supported by national, regional or local forums. The European Web Site on Integration gathers important information from various categories of stakeholders and it provides an interactive tool for exchanging information to be further developed through on-line profiles.
3.2. Developing a flexible European toolbox
In order to reinforce coordination and knowledge exchange, a flexible European toolbox is being developed, allowing authorities in Member States to choose the measures which are most likely to prove effective in their context. So-called 'European modules' are being designed to support policies and practices. The modules build on the experiences of Member States and other actors and they can be adapted according to the needs of individual Member States, regions and cities[26]. The modules would constitute a European reference framework for the design and implementation of integration practices in Member States. They are developed in three thematic areas: 1) introductory and language courses; 2) strong commitment by the receiving society; and 3) active participation of migrants in all aspects of collective life.
3.3. Monitoring of results
Migration and integration policies rely heavily on high quality statistics for policy formulation and monitoring of results. The EU institutions and the Member States should work together to develop a framework for mainstreaming migration statistics and to improve the capacity to collect and publish statistics on migrants and their socio-economic situation.
Common European 'indicators' have been identified in four areas of relevance for integration: employment, education, social inclusion and active citizenship[27]. They will be used to monitor results of integration policies, with the aim of increasing comparability and enhancing the European learning process. Common indicators will make it possible to assess the efforts in support of integration in relation to European targets in the areas of employment, education and social inclusion and, thereby, to enhance coordination of national and EU policies. The Commission will monitor developments and formulate recommendations, in dialogue with Member States.
Recommendations
The Commission should support:
· the further use and coordination of European platforms for consultation and knowledge exchange (including the National Contact Points on Integration, the European Integration Forum and the European Web Site on Integration), to enhance their input in policy decision-making, monitoring and coordination of policies;
· the further development of a flexible tool-box, including 'European modules', to support national and local policies and practices. It will be implemented, in strategic alliance with the Committee of the Regions, by national, regional and local authorities and civil society; and
· common European 'indicators' in the areas of employment, education, social inclusion and active citizenship to monitor results of integration policies and which should serve as a basis for systematic follow-up.
[1] A breakdown of the population by citizenship in 2010 showed that there were 32.4 million foreigners living in the EU-27 Member States (6.5% of the total population). Of those, 12.3 million were EU-27 nationals living in another Member State and 20.1 million were citizens from a non-EU-27 country (4% of the total population), http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/population/introduction.
[2] The increase in the total population of the EU in recent years was mainly due to net immigration. At the same time, the Union has witnessed a downward trend in immigration over the last few years, Eurostat, Statistics in focus, 1/2011, http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_OFFPUB/KS-SF-11-001/EN/KS-SF-11-001-EN.PDF.
[3] Conclusions of the European Council, 25/26 March 2010, EUCO 7/10, CO EUR 4, CONCL 1.
[4] The Stockholm Programme - An open and secure Europe serving and protecting citizens, OJ 2010/C 115/01.
[5] The Annual Growth Survey 2011, which brings together different actions which are essential for the EU to move towards its Europe 2020 objectives, has shown the need for urgent reforms to promote skills and to create incentives to work both for the national and migrant population, COM(2011) 11 final, Annex 2, Macro economic report.
[6] Conclusions of the Council and the Representatives of the Governments of the Member States on Integration as a Driver for Development and Social Cohesion, Council document 9248/10.
[7] Council document 14615/04, 19.11.2004.
[8] COM(2005) 389 final; SEC(2010) 357 final.
[9] Third-country nationals are referred to as migrants coming from countries outside the EU and not holding the citizenship of an EU country. This group includes both persons born in a country outside the EU and persons born in the EU but not holding the citizenship of a Member State.
[10] See the accompanying Commission Staff Working Paper.
[11] An overview of recent EU initiatives supporting the integration of third-country nationals is presented in the accompanying Commission Staff Working Paper.
[12] Conclusions of the European Council, 25/26 March 2010, EUCO 7/10, CO EUR 4, CONCL 1.
[13] See CEFR, http://www.coe.int/t/dg4/linguistic/cadre_en.asp.
[14] In 2010, the average employment rate of the total population aged 20-64 was 68.6% (compared to 69.1% in 2009) and that of third-country nationals aged 20-64 was 58.5% (compared to 59.1% in 2009).
[15] At the prime-working age, 25-54, the employment rate of female third-country nationals in 2010 was almost 20 percentage points lower than the average employment rate of all women in that age group. Eurostat, EU Labour Force Survey, quarterly data on employment rates by sex, age groups and nationality – comparison of employment rates for nationals and citizens of countries outside the EU-27:
http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/employment_unemployment_lfs/data/database.
[16] Ethnic minority and Roma women in Europe: A case for gender equality? Synthesis report prepared for the European Commission 2009.
[17] Recent statistics provided by the Chamber of Commerce of the Region Lombardy show that 60% of the new enterprises created in the region are founded by migrants, www.lom.camcom.it.
[18] Progress Report, SEC(2011) 526. Across the EU, the share of non-nationals in the age group 6-17 is 5.7%, respectively 7.9% in the age group 18-24. In Germany and Austria over 9% of children aged 6-17 are non-nationals, in Spain and Ireland over 11%, while in Luxembourg over 45% are non-nationals.
[19] The EU Labour Force Survey shows that migrants are significantly under-represented at the medium educational level and over-represented to a much greater extent at the lowest educational level. At the same time, the overqualification rate of third-country nationals was 45% in 2009 compared to 29% for EU citizens, http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/employment_unemployment_lfs/data/database.
[20] COM(2010) 296; COM(2011) 18.
[21] COM(2010) 758.
[22] Summary report of the fourth meeting of the European Integration Forum, 6-7 December 2010, http://ec.europa.eu/ewsi/UDRW/images/items/static_38_812142537.pdf.
[23] See the Integrating Cities website, http://www.integratingcities.eu.
[24] Council Decision of 25 June 2007 establishing the European Fund for the Integration of third-country nationals for the period 2007 to 2013 as part of the General programme Solidarity and Management of Migration Flows (2007/435/EC). An amount of 825 Million Euro is available for the whole period.
[25] COM(2011) 500 final.
[26] The modules are a natural evolution of the 'Handbook on Integration for policy-makers and practitioners', (the 3rd edition of the Handbook is available on the European Web Site on Integration: http://ec.europa.eu/ewsi/en/resources/detail.cfm?ID_ITEMS=12892).
[27] Conclusions of the Justice and Home Affairs Council of 3-4 June 2010, Council document 9248/10; Eurostat Methodologies and Working Papers, Indicators of Immigrant Integration - A Pilot Study, http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/product_details/publication?p_product_code=KS-SF-11-030.