Capacity building seminar: What migration and integration measures are needed for employment, education and social inclusion?

 
Date: February 27 Time: 14.00-16.00  Place: Social Platform

Immigrants play a significant role for Europe in reaching its overall targets of the Europe 2020 Strategy. Closing the gap between immigrants and non-immigrants could account for around 10% of the Europe 2020 targets across EU member states. Closing the gap in employment would account for 10,7%, closing the gap for migrant early school leaving would account for 30% 3.3 million immigrants could be lifted out of poverty or social exclusion bringing the whole of the EU 16.3% closer to reaching its target.

 

AGENDA

13.30-14.00 Arrival and coffee

14.00-14.05 OPENING REMARKS

By Jan Niessen, Director MPG

14.05-14.50 PRESENTATION: RESEARCH FINDINGS

The Migration Policy Group will present its findings of a review of annual reports prepared in the framework of the Europe 2020 Strategy (the Open Method of Coordination and the National Reform Programmes), European Migration Network as well as by DG Home Affairs.

The researchers have studied what policies and practices are reported on and what Country Specific Recommendations are made. The study has particularly looked at the Zaragoza indicators in the areas of: employment, education, social inclusion, and active citizenship*.

14.50-15.10 COFFEE BREAK

15.10-16.00 EXCHANGE OF VIEWS: WAYS FORWARD

The findings will demonstrate that there are opportunities to use policy mechanisms of the Europe 2020 Strategy to mainstream migrant integration but the current situation shows that these opportunities are underutilised. In this session we are interested in knowing your views on what migration and integration measures are needed and how they can be put on European agendas in a systematic way.

15.55-16.00 CLOSING REMARKS

By Jan Niessen (MPG) and Annica Ryngbeck (Social Platform)

*The Zaragoza Declaration was approved at the JHA Council on 3-4 June 2010, where the Commission was called upon to undertake a pilot study to examine proposals for common integration indicators.

 

BACKGROUND

In preparation of the meeting we recommend you to have a look at the report on ‘Using indicators to monitor immigrant integration and evaluate policies in the EU’ (Aug, 2013, requested by DG Home) as well as Social Platform's position paper on migration, which includes several recommendations referring to the need for migration mainstreaming into general EU processes and policies, such as:

  • General international and EU commitments, such as the EU accession to the ECHR and the Social Charter
  • Implementation of existing anti-discrimination law (the Racial Equality and the Employment Equality Directive) and of the Victim’s Rights Directive and the Anti-Trafficking Directive
  • Mainstreaming into EU’s regular policy priorities (the EU Strategy on Equality between Women and Men, Europe 2020 Strategy, NRF, CSR, European Semester)
  • Removal of national legislation that criminalise solidarity actions (including by service providers and health professionals) and investment in universal social protection systems
  • Access to essential services – including housing, education, financial services (e.g. access to basic bank accounts)
  • Respect of labour rights and decent working conditions (e.g. respect of ILO, use of ESF, Anti-Trafficking Directive)
  • Guarantee social rights to all EU-citizens and define better sets of criteria on free movement