European Website on Integration - January 2022

• The European Commission (EC) invites local authorities to apply for the first edition of the European Capitals of Inclusion and Diversity Award. The award recognises work carried out by cities, towns, and regions in Europe to promote inclusion and create discrimination-free societies. Regions and cities from all EU countries can apply until 15 February. Find out more here.
• On 24 January Commissioner Johansson gave a virtual address at the High-level meeting on integration in and by the labour market for third country nationals, hosted by the French presidency. Read her speech in full.

Masaryk Democratic Academy in the Czech Republic launched a new six-month integration course aimed at a wide audience.

New integration measures and changes to existing ones were introduced by the Slovak government. These will facilitate asylum seekers’ access to the labour market, counselling and orientation courses, and will increase integration allowances.

In 2020, language course fees in Denmark were abolished. A recently published research shows there has since been an increase of 78% in the number of self-supported students enrolled in language courses.

On 2 February the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) will launch the third round of its annual competition to acknowledge outstanding contributions to social cohesion across Europe.

La législation relative aux discriminations dans l’accès au logement s’est développée et les obligations de mixité sociale dans l’attribution des logements sociaux ont été affirmées. Pour les acteurs du logement, ce cadre apparaît complexe. Ils doivent  définir des politiques d’attribution conformes au cadre législatif et s’appuyer sur des pratiques professionnelles non discriminantes. Il apparaît donc important de les former. Au regard de ces constats, une action de formation des acteurs du logement en région Hauts-de-France a été mise en place.

The PartecipAzione programme, run by INTERSOS and UNHCR , supports refugee-led associations and community-based organisations that encourage the participation of refugees in different fields (economic, social, and cultural). By offering training courses, capacity-building and coaching activities, the programme promotes the consolidation, growth, and sustainability of these organisations.

The My Place to Integration project promotes the integration of both beneficiaries of international protection and migrants in Romania. It encourages interactions between locals and foreigners, strengthens links between local institutions and migrant communities, and develops local support networks through the involvement of cultural mediators, interpreters and volunteers.

The Includ-EU project published a new analysis of the housing situation of migrants in Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Romania, Slovenia and Spain, focusing on housing’s implications on integration. Funded by the EC’s AMIF, Includ-EU contributes to the building of more inclusive societies by enhancing transnational knowledge and experience sharing, cooperation and partnerships between local and regional authorities.

The Bulgarian Council on Refugees and Migrants (BCRM) published a collection of translated EWSI good practices in refugee integration. The collection includes projects and initiatives that have proven successful, sustainable and could be replicated, and are beneficial for both refugees and the local population.