The Assembly calls upon the Council of Europe member States
to take positive measures to enhance the integration of migrants
and refugees aiming at their full inclusion in the host society.
Integration can be achieved, in practice, by a wide variety of methods.
The exchange of best practices at local, national and European levels
needs to be facilitated. The following approaches can be promoted.
5.1 Establish
a new social contract: public authorities, when confronted
with major changes in society, are often prompted to make significant
changes. Such changes may need to be better prepared. The integration
of migrants and refugees may benefit from a new social contract
which sets out the rights and responsibilities of all parties involved
in the integration process. Acceptance of this new social contract
depends on the existence of democratic practices that build social
support. Highlighting the rights and responsibilities for the newly
arrived populations provides clarification from the start and builds trust
and respectful co-operation between local communities and the beneficiaries
of resettlement programmes. As regards the integration of refugees,
member States should base their actions on the goals stipulated
in the United Nations global compacts for migrants and refugees,
as underscored in Assembly Resolution 2379 (2021) “Role of parliaments
in implementing the United Nations global compacts for migrants
and refugees” and Resolution 2408 (2021) “70th anniversary of the
1951 Refugee Convention: the Council of Europe and the international
protection of refugees”.
5.2 Support mentoring programmes
and integration guides: mentoring programmes with the participation
of “integration guides” are effective solutions that have improved
the integration of migrants and refugees. Through these programmes,
local mentors accompany and assist migrants and refugees when they
first arrive in the host countries, support them in their cultural
and social orientation, practice the language of the host country
with them and help them with personal relationships and networking.
It is important to raise employers’ awareness of refugees’ and migrants’
potential, which can be done, for example, through the networks
of chambers of commerce. Public-private partnerships should be developed
to support integration.
5.3 Develop nationwide interpretation
services: another crucial factor for the successful integration
of migrants and refugees is the availability of interpretation services
during the entire process. The ability to understand and actively
participate is especially important in the areas of health, justice
and asylum, as well as in dealing with administrative issues determined
at municipal level.
5.4 Enhance education – From language
training to democratic citizenship and human rights education:
language training is crucial for being able to live in a new country,
including for access to employment. The better the training, the
higher the likelihood that the person will become less dependent on
support services and more autonomous in his or her daily life. Language
training should take into account and cater for different education
levels, fluency levels, time available (for example accelerated training),
modalities (in person or remote) and care responsibilities. In addition,
specific programmes designed to educate about societal developments
in the host country, including programmes promoting democratic citizenship
and human rights education, would benefit both the newly arrived
people and host communities.
5.5 Improve recognition of skills
obtained abroad: to ensure successful integration into
the labour market and to enable migrants and refugees to participate,
subsequently, in social security and pension systems, the recognition
of qualifications and prior learning is of fundamental importance.
Whether partial or full, recognition opens up further education
or employment opportunities and allows refugees and migrants to
make more efficient use of their knowledge, skills and competences.
In that regard, member States should promote the implementation
of the European Qualifications Passport for Refugees, an international
project grounded in the Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning
Higher Education in the European Region (ETS No. 165, the “Lisbon
Convention”). The passport can improve access to employment or provide
an opportunity to continue education, helping refugees integrate
into host societies.
5.6 Take into consideration the
special needs of vulnerable groups: vulnerable groups
such as women, (unaccompanied) children, elderly people, people
with disabilities, members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans,
queer, intersex (LGBTQI+) community, stateless people and others,
need specific support in order to successfully integrate into the
host country. Increasing the possibility for refugee and migrant
children to attend kindergartens and other day-care facilities would
allow women to continue their education and have access to employment.
The involvement of healthcare professionals with a migrant background
in elderly people’s homes and communal living facilities can help
improve the integration of elderly migrants and refugees into the
society and allow them to age with dignity. Empowering refugees
and asylum seekers with disabilities and/or long-term illnesses
would give them the confidence they need to assert their human rights.
5.7 Create spaces to bring migrants,
refugees and the local community together: States should
do their utmost to avoid building new retention camps. Such camps
are contrary to the goal of integration and full inclusion of refugees
and migrants in their host country. Even without camps, segregation
of refugees and migrants in certain urban areas is detrimental to
social progress. Encouraging members of refugees’ and migrants’
diaspora to meet, share their experiences and form mutual support
networks can be beneficial in the short term, in terms of searching
for local job opportunities, resilience and social networks, but
it can also become problematic as it prevents certain groups of
people from accessing the opportunities and services that would
allow them to fully participate in the economic and social development
of the host country. For integration to be successful, it is essential
to create spaces in the public sphere that bring the local community,
migrants and refugees together. This allows for the reduction of
tensions and strengthening of social cohesion, thus building bridges
between various groups in society.
5.8 Improve financial settings:
there is a need for a person-centred approach to integration support and
adaptation of national services to take into account specific needs
and circumstances. Refugees and migrants require housing as well
as support for other fundamental necessities, such as healthcare and
access to education for their children. Significant upfront investment
is needed to cover the costs of both immediate assistance for refugees
and education. Funding is therefore an important tool for managing
integration processes in a country and works as strong leverage
for co-ordination in this area. More efficient and effective funding
mechanisms should be designed and implemented based on dialogue
between policy makers and the local authorities and other actors
in charge of finding solutions (mayors, municipal authorities, local
civil society organisations and service providers). Refugees’ and migrants’
financial inclusion should also be strengthened, including access
to basic services such as bank accounts, through awareness raising
and the provision of information, as well as support to refugee and
migrant entrepreneurs through effective access to finance and business
development services.
5.9 Develop targeted housing policies:
affordable and decent accommodation is a prerequisite for the successful
integration of migrants, a smooth access to the job market and to
basic services, such as healthcare and education. In addition, there
is a need for targeted settlement policies that aim to distribute
the migrant population in a fair and balanced way on the national
territory, facilitate contact between the newly arrived and the
local population and prevent the development of ghettos or parallel societies,
thus reducing the likelihood of migrants being involved in illegal
activities.
5.10 Invest in social cohesion:
social impact bonds are a possible solution for efficient funding.
These bonds offer funding to solve societal issues, support preventive
measures and connect financial success with achieving quantified
social outcomes. Partnerships can be built between private investors,
public authorities and civil society organisations.
5.11 Match migrant skills with job
opportunities: access to the labour market is key to
integration and refugees’ and migrants’ economic contribution to
the host nation. Integration policies should ideally take into account
the unique profiles of immigrants and their chances of integrating
into local communities. Newly arrived migrants can be advised of
job opportunities in meetings with the State employment office after
receiving their residence permit, where their placements are governed
by agreements between municipalities and the central government.
5.12 Develop effective communication
strategies: the public’s impression of the situation
of immigrants may not match the facts. Integration policies must
have a communication component that encourages a fair and fact-based
approach while identifying and addressing the benefits and challenges
that migration can have for the host nation. New media channels
offer a variety of communication opportunities due to their ability
to connect with audiences that traditional media do not reach. However,
there are other difficulties, such as the spread of misleading information
and unfavourable stereotypes.
5.13 Ensure respect for refugees’
and migrants’ dignity in the media: member States should
take steps to encourage accurate and non-discriminatory portrayals
of migrants and refugees and help the media gather and share accurate
and non-discriminatory information about migration and the human
rights implications of migrants’ and refugees’ integration, while
avoiding messages that are stigmatising, xenophobic, racist, alarmist
or inaccurate.
5.14 Fight against xenophobia and
discrimination: specific programmes should be put in
place for improving public knowledge about migration in the host
society and addressing negative perceptions of migrants and refugees,
with the aim of protecting them from xenophobia, violence and discrimination. States
can undertake information campaigns in co-operation with civil society
organisations, the media and other relevant actors to, inter alia, shed light on the situation
of migrants and refugees and raise awareness of the risks and dangers
of trafficking and transnational organised crime.
5.15 Develop welcoming programmes:
various cities in Europe have welcoming programmes in place and
related communication campaigns that make use of photos, posters,
press releases and social media. The campaigns emphasise diversity
as an advantage.
5.16 Enhance public health support
for vulnerable refugees and migrants: availability of
public health support is an important issue. Refugees, especially
children, who have fled high intensity conflict areas, may need
psychological support. While the protection of the health of migrants
and refugees has so far been linked solely to the guarantee of basic
physical care, it is essential to recognise that mental health and
psychological support are equally essential. The document from the
World Health Organization (WHO) entitled “Strategy and action plan
for refugee and migrant health in the WHO European Region” (2016)
places improving the mental health of refugees and migrants on the
political agenda.
