1st meeting of the European Integration Network
11 and 12 October 2016
Brussels
This was the 1st meeting of the European Integration Network, whose establishment was announced
in the Commission's Action plan on the integration of third country nationals adopted on 7 June.
Most of the EIN representatives used to take part in the EIN’s forerunner, the network of National
Contact Points on Integration.
The Slovakian presidency of the EU is steering the conclusions on the integration of third country
nationals through Council. The plan is for the conclusions to be adopted by the Council in early
December.
11 October
Introductory remarks
After welcoming delegates to the first meeting of the European Integration Network, Belinda Pyke,
the Director for Migration, Mobility and Innovation at the European Commission’s DG Home,
explained that the EIN has a mutual learning mandate, including a broad range of peer learning
activities. EIN delegates are expected to have a coordination role at national level (between different
national ministries, levels of governance and other integration actors) and relay information between
them and the Commission’s DG Home, which will
coordinate information from different Commission
departments.
She stressed that it is "important to keep integration of
all third-country nationals (not only newcomers) on the
radar".
As far as EU funding for integration is concerned, the
Commission is concerned about the low take-up of the
Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (absorption
rate). It will continue to argue for more funding for
integration in the EU's next Multiannual Financial
Framework (MFF). However, this argument is
undermined if the existing funding is not being spent.
2017 EIN Work Programme
Based on replies from EIN delegates to a questionnaire, the Commission has produced a draft
programme for activities for 2017. Transport, hotel and logistics costs of delegates will be funded by
the Commission. The proposed activities are the following:
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Two regular EIN meetings – one in each semester in Brussels and in Tallinn (kindly proposed
by Estonia, who will hold the next Presidency of the Council of the EU).
Seminar on EU funding for integration possibly after Brussels meeting (at the request of
representatives from civil society, as well as local and regional authorities).
Seminar on another topic (to be defined) possibly after Tallinn meeting.
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Two study visits with a small group of five delegates, possibly to Sweden and Germany.
Peer review session - Norway and Belgium have agreed to host a peer review session.
The Commission will circulate an indicative calendar but is still open for comments. These activities
will require active participation by the host member state and those taking part.
After the presentation of the proposed programme, a discussion took place:
EIN role
Greece and Germany argued that an overall framework or
policy document within which EIN activities operate is missing,
and that EIN should shape policy. COM stressed the need to
have expertise on what is working in Member States on
integration and for MS to find out what works elsewhere.
Belinda Pyke explained that the policy framework is the
Commission Action Plan on integration, while Council
conclusions to be adopted in December will set out a political
vision. She encouraged EIN members to influence the
discussion in the Council through their Permanent
Representations.
On the role of EIN members, COM offered to compile a
manual/guidelines based on the experiences and practices
reported by members (how they implement their coordinating
role, organise national roundtables, liaise with different
integration stakeholders etc).
Activities
In terms of topics to be dealt with during future activities, France suggested to look at tools that
enable language learning. Greece called for presentations from academia and civil society at the
seminars. Luxembourg pointed out that both expertise in diversity and integration are needed
together. Luxembourg also stressed the need to cater for the vulnerable in mainstream integration
policies. Belgium mentioned the use of AMIF funding as a possible topic for discussion.
For study visits, MS will be able to bring up to three or four people each (e.g. a subject specialist from
an MS and people from civil society/local level in addition to the MS delegate). Austria indicated their
wish to participate to the study visit to Sweden.
For the next regular EIN meeting (beginning of spring 2017), COM plans to invite local and regional
authorities to build up a dialogue on governance that may be missing in some MS.
Communication & dissemination
Concerns were expressed about the dissemination of the results of the EIN’s activities. COM will
reflect on how to disseminate the results and how to help dissemination in national administrations
and to national stakeholders. Suggestions put forward included the publication of an EIN newsletter,
the production of audio-visual instruments to be disseminated on social media, an annual report of
the network with some findings of the research/visits. Portugal suggested replicating the EIN at the
national level and inviting stakeholders (plus the Commission) to tell them about outcomes of the
EIN work done every year.
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State of play on AMIF support to integration
Matthias Oel, the Director for Migration and Security Funds of DG HOME, was invited to give a short
overview on the state of play of the use of the AMIF Fund with regard to integration of third-country
nationals.
Further to influxes of refugees in several Member States and growing scepticism towards foreigners,
a successful integration policy is becoming of key importance. The EU only has limited competences
in integration but can and does support integration first by providing foras and platforms for
international and regional stakeholders and by providing financial support from several EU Funds,
including the Home Affairs ones. Exchange of information is crucial as it helps the Commission to
reflect on new proposals and to steer funding to where the needs are and to achieve the best
possible results.
After having to react to the big influx of refugees in 2015 and 2016 by providing a lot of emergency
assistance to Member States, the aim for 2017 is to use a large part of the funding not reactively
but proactively to reinforce long term actions, notably in integration.
For the budget year 2017 the Commission asked for 150m euro in addition to the budget already
available for integration. These funds should make it possible to give greater support to integration
actions at regional and local level.
Under direct management, in 2016 and 2017, there will be a total of 56.9m euros. The results of the
2015 call will be available soon. The priorities for this call were integration in the workplace and
integration of migrant women. A new call under 2016 on the promotion of the active participation of
third country nationals should be published by the end of the year.
In 2017, the Commission is planning a conference for regional and local authorities and actors to
facilitate information on and access to EU funding for regional and local level actors (taking place
possibly back-to-back with an EIN meeting).
In the framework of the mid-term review, the Commission is also proposing to highlight migration,
asylum and integration as thematic priorities in the EU structural and investment funds.
With regard to the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), the college of Commissioners had an
orientation discussion over the summer. DG Home has set up an internal task force developing
orientation papers with other directorates and plans to involve MSs soon in this process. The
Commission will send a questionnaire to be sent to MSs in the coming two weeks and the AMIF-ISF
committee on 25 November will be used to have a first substantial tour de table on the questionnaire
and on key points regarding the MFF.
There are three main challenges: flexibility given that the situation can change after funding has been
agreed. The Commission stressed the need to develop ideas for the next financial period to make EU
funding more flexible for situations like this. Two other challenges being the need for a stronger
integrated approach and adequate level of funding, DG HOME is working with DG REGIO, DG AGRI,
DG MARE and DG EMPL to create more synergies in funding.
The Commission believes that it needs to find a solid funding base for the next period from 2020
onwards given that there are a lot of proposals such as PNR, Dublin and the border and coastguard
system.
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The Commission is very concerned about the
absorption of AMIF funds. Some Member
States have only designated responsible
authorities recently. In addition, emergency
assistance cannot be a replacement for
national programmes. The Commission was
open on this this year because of the crisis
but now we have to go back to the normal
mode of shared management, with Member
States fully absorbing national programmes'
funding. The money in national programmes
will be lost if it is not used.
In the exchange that followed, some key issues were discussed:
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Synergies are not easy in times of financial crisis but are still possible and useful, especially when
absorption rates are low.
Legally, the EU cannot give direct funding under AMIF to the local level and regions. But there are
calls for proposals where the regions can bid.
COM is organising, at the request of MS, synergies conferences where EIN members can invite
stakeholders who need to know more and who could have a role in the implementation of funds.
For the workshops in the AMIF committee, COM urges EIN members to come up with proposals
rather than let the Commission come up with proposals that may not be of interest to MS.
In the Financial Directorate in DG HOME there is now a one-stop-shop with a desk officer for
each MS, who is in direct contact with the national authorities.
As regards Italy, COM agreed a needs assessment over the summer and is ready to provide
additional support where necessary.
Thematic workshops
In the afternoon session, EIN members were able to choose to attend two out of three parallel
sessions. They were on the following areas: Integration through sport and culture, Promoting
diversity and combating discrimination and Increased participation in local government structures.
A. Integration through sport and culture
Cinemaximilien is a volunteer-run project
that began last year when large numbers of
asylum seekers were camped in parc
Maximilien in the centre of Brussels waiting
for their asylum procedures to start. Two
committed individuals set up cinema
screenings to give people something to do.
It has now been expanded to debates, film
screenings in Brussels and in Belgium, art
exhibitions and musical events. The aim is to
build bridges between the host society and
refugees.
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Les Gazelles de Bruxelles is a volunteer-run jogging group that started spontaneously because people
wanted to take part in the Brussels 20K running race. They offer training sessions twice a week to
give them the opportunity to train together and to train for running competitions if they so wish. The
group is primarily made up of migrants but also of other people with a disadvantaged background.
During the discussions, it emerged that art
and sport are often seen as secondary needs
in terms of integration measures that are
put in place. People think first of food, a bed
and access to jobs. But from the experience
of the two projects, there is not only a major
need for sport and culture but also a lot of
interest from third-country nationals. Many
migrants have artistic backgrounds. These
sorts of projects are very good entry points
for integration to start, giving refugees and
asylum seekers the chance to meet local
people, to build friendships and to find work.
Another issue addressed by these kinds of projects is that people waiting in asylum centres are often
bored and may become depressed over time. Having an activity to be involved in gives them
motivation and enables them to get through difficult moments and avoid depression.
The EU can provide funding to help but also support the dissemination of the practices. Sweden,
Germany and the US have similar initiatives to Les Gazelles. During the debate, the Commission and
other public authorities were invited to look at barriers that we have in different parts of society that
we might not recognise (e.g. official sports clubs with relatively high fees and a ‘non-diverse’
membership base), and to see what can be changed in terms of this access issue.
B. Promoting diversity and combating discrimination
UNIA is fighting discrimination in all its forms. One of its key activities is to deal with complaints
about discrimination. After receiving such complaints, it tries to find mediation solutions (e.g. via
lawyers) before going to court if necessary. It collects data on discrimination and provides
recommendations to federal government. It also launches awareness campaigns (e.g. via movies or
beermats with wording such as ‘‘XXXX’ discrimination’).
The regional centre for integration is a secondary line of integration. It acts as a resource provider to
local authorities who are primarily responsible for integration. It provides social services, gathers
data and supports an integration path that all migrants have to follow. It also visits schools to raise
awareness among children and provides training about immigration history (e.g. Italians who came in
large numbers in the past).
Key questions included: What about
discrimination between migrant groups?
How to engage with the local population?
How to deal with different cultures (e.g. in
schools and hospitals)? How to foster the
training of professionals?
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Referring to the EU legal requirement for Member States to have equality bodies, Belinda Pyke
stressed how important it is for EIN members to develop links with them if they are not familiar with
them. Diversity charters are also very important in this area.
C. Increased participation in local government structures
During the discussion, it emerged that the question of racism is key and that awareness raising
campaigns are needed to help migrants.
The Minderhedenforum (Minorities Forum) is an umbrella organisation of 1,800 organisations
recognised by the Flemish government. It tries to empower migrants to take part in advisory councils
and to be involved in other forms of participation.
Its ‘changemakers’ project, which receives
money from the EU integration fund, aims to
train and coach young migrants to take part in
different forms of participation. A hundred
young people are still active in different forms of
participation.
The main challenges for this kind of organisation
include having to represent a lot of nationalities,
excessive pressure on volunteers and the issues
of populism and racism.
A key point to emerge was that people have a right to participate but, for that to happen,
confidence, trust and a sense of belonging have to be created. For example, there is a shortage of
teachers and police officers with a migrant background because of a lack of confidence.
To conclude the day’s proceedings, the European Association
of Regional and Local Authorities for Lifelong learning (EARALL)
presented a refugee integration project run by the Swedish
Västra Götaland region. This included a testimony by a former
refugee, Adnan Abdul Ghani.
A Syrian former computer engineer, Mr Ghani arrived in
Sweden two years ago at the country’s biggest asylum camp.
Whilst refugees are relieved at reaching safety when they first
arrive, the hope gives way to depression and even anger when
the asylum process drags on and they realise that their skills
are deteriorating. Engineers, doctors, teachers, carpenters and
plumbers end up sitting in their rooms depressed.
That is why a Support Group Network was set up. The aim is for
them to have “activities (e.g. children’s clubs, sports clubs etc.)
for a meaningful waiting time”. The activities encourage selfempowerment and mobilisation and ensure that people do not
lose their skills, shifting people’s mindset from a ‘victim
approach’ to a ‘competence approach’.
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The Support Group also uses a network of volunteers to find internships for other refugees in the
cities, which has led to 40 jobs. This means the refugees pay taxes while they are in the refugee
camps. In 2015, the Support Group created over 900 activities. It also set up job fairs for engineer
refugees and companies. 18 job opportunities came out of that. In addition, refugees have become
teachers in schools. Even if the asylum seekers end up being sent back to their home country they
will have gained valuable experience in the workplace and in society.
Mr Ghani is now working in 16 asylum camps doing a similar thing.
The possibility of including a visit for EIN members to this centre is considered within the framework
of a study visit to Sweden in 2017.
12 October
On the second day of the meeting, EIN members visited Convivial, a refugee support organisation in
Forest, Brussels, and Bon, an integration agency in Molenbeek, Brussels.
Convivial, the refugee support organisation
Convivial was set up following the genocide in Rwanda in the 1990s. Belgians housed Rwandan
asylum seekers, helped them with asylum procedures and helped them find homes and jobs. Once
the Rwandans had settled, they also invested in Convivial. A key specificity of the centre is that it was
co-created by Belgians and Rwandans and this Belgian-Rwandan cooperation continues. One of the
Rwandans working at the centre is Jean Bosco, who is a Belgian citizen now. He is the head of
individual guidance towards social and professional integration.
In all, there are around 70-80 workers (including a core team of 35 long term workers skilled in social
issues), and about 20 volunteers
with different profiles (e.g. top
managers giving help with training).
The organisation works individually
with
refugees
building
their
confidence
and
giving
them
opportunities to get involved in
society. In addition, it works
collectively via training and groups
where
refugees
can
share
experiences. The three main areas of
work of Convivial are the following:

Settlement (once the asylum seeker has been officially recognised as a refugee): first three to six
months. The housing department helps them find housing and to deal with landlords. Convivial
has a loan fund so that refugees can pay their first housing payment on time and maintains long
term contact with landlords to overcome any prejudices they may have towards refugees. The
organisation also collects furniture from donors and provides that to refugees. Refugees are
helped with activities such as opening a bank account, seeing local authorities and finding a
school for their children.
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Insertion (once they have a home). The organisation offers individual guidance/mentoring. This
can involve finding training to gain Belgian recognition of their experience or working to have
their qualifications recognised in Belgium. There is also collective training (e.g. citizenship classes
to help them understand Belgian values and how the healthcare and education systems work),
computer training (internet, email use) and French classes. The centre also offers practical jobrelated training such as a four month basic carpentry course. This can lead to further more
specialist courses such as interior decorating or old furniture repair. The main aim is to help
refugees start their new lives. It is important to help them find an orientation quickly and be
active.
Raising awareness. The centre gives Belgian locals the opportunity to meet refugees and vice
versa so that they can share stories. Due to the Syrian crisis, there is now more awareness of
refugees in Belgium and there is huge demand from civil society to do things to help. So Convivial
helps develop local social solidarity (e.g. a local driving a refugee far from the city centre to the
city centre to go to a local authority).
The focus is on refugees (not migrants). Around 60-65% of asylum seekers are currently being
granted protection.
Bon, the integration agency
Bon is an agency of integration and citizenship with four local offices and around 100 multilingual
employees. The main target group is adult newcomers but it also caters for people who have been in
Brussels for a while (‘oldcomers’) and newcomers who are minors.
The first thing the agency does when migrants arrive is to test their cognitive skills to determine their
level of education. They then sign a mutual commitment contract regarding the programme. In 2015,
13,500 new contracts were signed in Flanders. 3,500 contracts were signed in Brussels.
Its integration programme for migrants is based on:
A social/civic orientation course: The five week civic orientation course is done in the migrant’s
language to facilitate them absorbing lots of new information. The main goal is to enable migrants to
acquire knowledge about how things work in Belgium.
A language course (elementary Dutch): The length of it depends on the individual.
Individual guidance: Key element of success. The guidance focuses on empowering the migrants so
that they are able to resolve their problems themselves.
Career orientation – relating to jobs, education and leisure time: This is done from a professional
perspective, educational perspective and diploma recognition and socio-cultural perspective.
A new effort offering opportunities for dialogue between Brussels locals and newcomers is ongoing.
A caravan is the space for the dialogue. The agency has people trained in how to start a dialogue
between people who don’t know each other. The person invites locals off the street for a coffee and
a chat. The newcomers come from the agency’s programmes.
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Among its projects, there is a project
on
diploma
recognition;
a
programme
based
on
civic
integration and a Dutch course for
youngsters who need to learn to be
independent (e.g. teaching them
practical things such as how to cook);
and MindSpring - a service where
another
trainer
(trained
by
psychologists) is called on to identify
major problem (mainly mental health
problems related to traumatic
experiences) that refugees are
suffering from and enables them to discuss these openly. The agency holds around four or five group
sessions to identify the problems. It enables the migrants to feel comfortable enough to talk about
the traumas that they have endured in their home country. This has had a big impact.
Where the agency is not the right place to help the migrant, it sends them to the right place (e.g. to
Actiris for employment-related issues).
The agency helps around 3,500 people per year. The clients usually come to Bon by word of mouth.
Some key lessons learnt
Culture (e.g. the volunteer-run cinema group Cinemaximilien) and sport (e.g. the jogging group called
Les Gazelles) are very good entry points for integration to start, giving refugees and asylum seekers
the chance to meet local people, to build friendships and to find work.
Increased participation in local government structures: People have a right to participate but will only
do so fully once confidence, trust and a sense of belonging have been created. For example, there is
a shortage of teachers and police officers with a migrant background because of a lack of confidence.
It is important for asylum seekers and refugees not to get bored while in centres but to remain active
and to keep practising their skills. The concept of self-empowerment is key, shifting people’s mindset
from a ‘victim approach’ to a ‘competence approach’.
Holding courses about subjects (e.g. civic orientation) in the migrant’s language helps ensure they
acquire the skills that they need.
Individual guidance is a key element of successful integration.
Involving refugees in the work of a migrant centre or support organisation helps them to keep busy,
acquire skills and learn about the host country and offers migrants the chance to discuss their issues
with people who have had similar experiences.
Public administrations could look into barriers to entry into organisations (e.g. sports clubs), identify
these and suggest steps to make the organisations more inclusive to refugees/migrants.
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Concluding follow-up points
The Commission will be publishing the names of EIN members on a website and will send everyone a
link before this goes live.
The Commission will also circulate an updated document including the 2017 Work Programme.
With regard to the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), the Commission is preparing a
questionnaire to be sent to MSs in the coming two weeks. The AMIF-ISF committee on 25 November
will be used to have a first substantial tour de table on the questionnaire and on key points regarding
the MFF.
The Commission is planning an EIN meeting with representatives from local and regional authorities
in 2017.
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