Local communities are the palces where integration happens. They offer great opportunities for migrants and non-migrants to interact, whether through working, studying or raising their families. But local communities also face challenges regarding integration and inclusion. The EU works very closely with local and regional authorities in the design and implementation of integration policies and supports them through funding.
The Urban Agenda Partnership on Inclusion of Migrants and Refugees
The partnership brings to the same table cities, national governments, the European Commission (EC) and civil society organisations to discuss and put in place concrete actions to improve migrants’ integration in the EU. The partnership was launched in 2016 as part of the Urban Agenda for the EU.
It's first phase run the 2016-2019 period. It saw the creation of the European Migrant Advisory Board, a self-led group of advisors with immigrant and refugee-backgrounds providing advice on integration matters, and the Urban Academy on Integration, a training programme on integration for policymakers from cities and regions. The second phase spanned from 2021 to 2022, with the partnership striving to consolidate past achievements while also addressing new challenges, including then-ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Efforts were guided by the agenda's 2021-2022 action plan. Further updates will be added in the second half of 2024.
Funding
Several EU funds support local and regional authorities in their integration activities, including the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF), the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Funding opportunities can be found on the European Website on Integration (EWSI)'s funding pages.
Committee of the Regions
The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) is the voice of regions and cities in the EU. It represents local and regional authorities across the EU and advises on new laws that have an impact on regions and cities. In 2019, the CoR launched the Cities and Regions for Integration Initiative (CRII) to promote exchanges between local and regional authorities working on integration. The CoR has also contributed a collection of good practices in integration published on EWSI.
Those who are working in cities and are looking for specific information on studies, projects and funding opportunities can also visit the EC's webpage Inclusion of migrants and refugees in cities.