To mark the 20th anniversary of the 1999 Tampere Conclusions, which have strongly influenced EU migration policy until the present day, the European Migration Network Finland, European Policy Centre and Odysseus academic network organised the conference From Tampere 20 to Tampere 2.0 to provide suggestions from experts, civil society, the public sector and other stakeholders for the next five-year period, coinciding with the arrival of the new European Parliament and Commission, as well as the negotiations of the EU’s next Multiannual Financial Framework.

The input of the conference participants, as well as those who took part in the series of preparatory workshops and events leading up to the conference, have now been gathered in the conference publication, which contains dozens of ideas and suggestions proposed by the conference participants across a range of relevant topics.

Participant suggestions on funding include:

• Funding aimed at refugees should remain for refugees, rather than being directed toward border control or other uses. Part of the total ESF+ allocation should go to the integration of third-country nationals, with a specific portion dedicated to refugee integration.
• There should be a higher EU co-financing rate for Member States’ integration actions.

Participant suggestions on integration include:

• There should be an emphasis on holistic integration policies, rather than stressing specific elements, as well as acknowledgment that a sense of togetherness cannot be imposed top-down though legislation.
• Naturalisation should be reintegrated into the conceptualisation of immigration policies. Besides incorporating naturalisation into policy papers, Member States could create informal exchanges on nationality laws.
• Integration should focus on effective outcomes, rather than only equal treatment on paper. The claims of ethnic minorities should be taken seriously, and they should have a part in formulating integration policies.
• Perhaps the term ‘integration’ should be replaced by ‘equality’ to counter the impression that integration is primarily an obligation imposed on immigrants.
• EU institutions should foster equality and non-discrimination by promoting diversity not only based on gender and nationality but also ethnicity and race.

Read the conference summary report and conference publication