The European Integration Forum is an innovative dialogue platform, created and
... 100 representatives of EU-wide and national organisations dealing with.
IMI standing group and the European Integration Forum
Mr PARIZA CASTAÑOS
The European Integration Forum The European Integration Forum is an innovative dialogue platform, created and managed by the European Commission and the EESC. •
100 representatives of EU-wide and national organisations dealing with integration of immigrants express their opinions and exchange experiences, helping the EU institutions to better elaborate and implement integration policy.
•
The first idea of the Forum came from the EESC and it has been created in 2009 at the request of the Justice and Home Affairs Council.
•
The Commission, in charge of creating it, first requested that we issue an exploratory opinion on how to set up the Forum, and then asked us to co-organise it with them and run its secretariat.
Objectives and functions
• Advisory role and elaboration of reports •
Exchange of know-how and best practice among national realities and different levels (local/national/EU)
•
Stakeholders’ involvement in the elaboration of integration policy and launch of ideas & suggestions in the policy arena
The European Integration Forum: its recent meetings
5 - Integration through local action (5.2011) 6 - The involvement of countries of origin in the integration process (11.2011) 7 - Family reunification (31.5/1.6.2012) 8 – Contribution of migrants to the EU economy (10.2012) 9 (planned) – Integration of young migrants in the EU (06.2013)
The standing group IMI • Set up by the EESC Bureau in 3.2009 (confirmed in 10.2010) in order to: • cooperate in the activities of the European Integration Forum; • assist the SOC section in preparing opinions and any other activities required.
The standing group IMI: its activities (I)
• Its members have actively participated in all the meetings of the FORUM • IMI Group has adopted opinions and information reports to give a strong political input to the works of the FORUM
The standing group IMI: its activities (II) • The IMI group has adopted, since its creation: • 2 exploratory opinions at the request of UE Presidencies, one of which has largely served as basis for the conclusions of the Zaragoza Ministerial Conference • 3 own-initiative opinions: - Integration and social agenda - Cooperation between CSOs and local and regional authorities - Migrant entrepreneurship • 1 information report: - New challenges of integration • 4 opinions on referral :
- Integration of labour migrants - Seasonal workers - European Agenda for the Integration of Third-Country Nationals - Family reunification
The standing group IMI: its activities (III) It has organised: • A large conference, in Valencia (ES) on the role of local and regional authorities on integration (300 participants) (March 2011) • A large conference with the Belgian Presidency on legal migration and the demographic challenge (200 participants) (November 2010) • 5 hearings - Integration and social agenda (9.2009) - Integration of labour migrants (1.2010) - Immigration and demographic challenge (5.2010) - Seasonal workers (1.2011) - Migrant entrepreneurship (11.2011)
The standing group IMI: planned activities • A new own-initiative opinion on: A more inclusive citizenship open to immigrants (scheduled for adoption in 10.2013, with a hearing) - Conference, co-organised with the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) on: „Labour Migration and Mobility in the EU” (7 May 2013)
