20.9.2005   

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 231/46

1.1

welcomes the Commission's first annual report on migration and integration as an important basis for the development of a comprehensive strategy for the integration of immigrants in the new enlarged European Union;

1.2

recognises the significance and scope of global migration, and its importance for diversity and development, particularly in the local community. The Committee fully endorses the importance of coordinating immigration, asylum and integration policy within the European Union. This is even more important now in the enlarged Community;

1.3

stresses that the national level is responsible for implementing legislation, while the task of facilitating immigrant reception, settlement and integration falls to the regional and local level. The Committee of the Regions would therefore particularly stress the important role of the local and regional authorities, whose responsibilities include planning, housing, education and the labour market, which impact directly on integration and can promote social cohesion, social integration and sustainable societies;

1.4

notes that the report focuses on the development of immigration policy at national and EU level. The EU's failure on the integration front is partly due to the fact that the local and regional authorities have not been involved in policy framing. The local and regional authorities are the tier of government that is closest to citizens, but the consequences of implementation at local level have most often been disregarded and not always taken into consideration;

1.5

regrets the lack of consultation with local and regional authorities on both statistics collection and analysis prior to drawing up the report. Various measures have been adopted in the Member States to cope with the increasing diversity in today's societies. Those experiences — both positive and negative — are of particular importance now that migratory flows are increasingly diverse and global, and the Member States need to take in immigrants and refugees from more and more countries, rather than just those with which they have had commercial or historical/cultural ties;

1.6

recalls that integration issues must be included in all policy areas if social cohesion is to be achieved. The Community's immigration and integration policy must be in harmony with the EU's more overarching objectives in social policy, economic policy, and foreign and development policy, and comply with such fundamental European values as equal opportunities, human rights, human dignity, tolerance, respect for diversity, measures to combat discrimination, and promotion of increased participation in the community;

1.7

would highlight the fact that integration is a duty for society as a whole, requiring input from both immigrants and the local population in order to achieve sustainable social cohesion and growth;

1.8

regrets the absence in this report of any details on integration and implementation of immigration policy, and stresses that the Commission should further promote exchanges of information and experience; The Handbook on Integration for policymakers and practitioners released by the European Commission (Directorate-General for Justice, Freedom and Security) in November 2004 is a first encouraging step in this direction by providing concrete information on integration best practices and results.

1.9

acknowledges that, while labour market issues are of crucial importance for the integration of immigrants, they cannot be taken out of context since the degree of integration also depends on a number of other factors, such as social background, education and language skills, and participation in the life of the community. The successful integration of immigrants is a step towards achieving a society in which everyone has a stake, to the benefit of both the individual, the local community and society in the broader sense;

1.10

welcomes the increasing awareness within the EU of immigrants' creativity and entrepreneurship. The growth of entrepreneurship and new businesses are of crucial importance to successful integration processes and represents an important contribution towards achieving the Lisbon Strategy;

1.11

notes that the report is dominated by the case for immigrant labour. Nevertheless, it establishes that family reunification or some other form of humanitarian protection account for the bulk of immigration. There is an urgent need for strategies to deal with the large group of immigrants that are outside the labour market, for economic, social and political reasons. The importance of women for successful integration must not be underestimated since they often provide a direct link with children in the family;

1.12

deplores the fact that the report does not even mention the almost 500 000 asylum seekers in the European Union who are awaiting a decision on residence or similar permits, the vast majority of whom are outside the regular labour market;

1.13

would underline that the assertion that EU citizens have achieved high employment must be further clarified, since local and regional situations differ radically. It is, of course, legitimate to refer to the EU's high employment rate, but the irregular local and regional distribution should also be mentioned;

1.14

stresses that the disparity between the national level's focus on the need for immigrant labour, and the local level's efforts to combat exclusion, marginalisation and xenophobia, reinforces the need for dialogue and cooperation between all levels concerned.

1.15

highlights the fact that different levels of society debate immigration and integration policy in significantly different ways. This leads to different approaches and hampers the effectiveness of any measures. At the same time, it paves the way for mistrust in society, which can lead to contempt for the political system. This mistrust and contempt can be exploited by extreme political groups;

1.16

notes that the distance and lack of dialogue between the political levels has partly led to the emergence of parties with an isolationist xenophobic agenda. Several anti-EU and xenophobic parties have grown out of a local base;

1.17

welcomes the inclusion of equality perspectives in the report, despite the serious omission of any description of equality-focused integration measures. Measures that can release immigrant women's skills have a valuable social, economic and democratic impact;

1.18

considers that the formal right to vote, which will help to increase the involvement of immigrants in the democratic process, is a minimum standard which has not yet been achieved in all Member States. New citizens must, however, also be integrated more successfully. Voting rights tend to be ignored where there is a strong sense of exclusion. This right and the opportunity to influence changes in society are worth nothing to someone who is out of work or lacks social status;

1.19

stresses that the employment strategy and the social integration strategy only mention guidelines to cover labour needs. However, there is no mention of the bulk of immigrants who come to the European Union for family reunification or to seek humanitarian protection. The social integration strategy is incomplete without guidelines for this large group;

1.20

stresses that the report describes activities that are carried out locally. However, the information is inadequate, and there is no information about implementation practice and results. It is hard to say how the economic resources are deployed in integration efforts, since the report does not include the local and regional levels;

1.21

emphasises that in many parts of the European Union, tax revenues are collected at national level, while the economic burden of dealing with immigration-related exclusion falls on the local level. The lack of any consultation between the different levels is an obstacle to best use of economic resources.

2.1

calls upon the Commission to exploit the expertise local and regional authorities have acquired after decades of hands-on experience of integration efforts and implementing immigration policy. In order to facilitate and to improve integration-related exchanges of information, ideas and experience, the national contact points should be encouraged to consult with regional and local authorities and major towns and cities in order to benefit from their experience;

2.2

also calls on the Commission to maintain continuous contacts with the Committee of the Regions in connection with the adoption of the annual reports in order to discuss how local and regional experience of integration efforts can best be taken on board;

2.3

stresses that progress on integration will require that local authorities set clear objectives that can be followed up and evaluate their implementation. In addition, authorities at national and regional level should evaluate their own actions; and would remind the Commission of the need for evaluation of the various integration strategies that are currently applied;

2.4

emphasises that initiatives designed to ensure that economic support for a common immigration policy is effective must take account of regional differences. Support should encourage flexible solutions, and the local and regional levels must be given the freedom to choose their approach;

2.5

urges the Commission to consider, in the debate about future European cohesion policy, the initiatives carried out in certain regions where Structural Fund support might be reduced and where the immigrant population has increased significantly in recent years. This applies particularly in the major towns and cities;

2.6

stresses that the dialogue with immigrant organisations will be inadequate if it is only pursued at national and EU level. Integration policy and religious and cultural issues are essentially addressed in people's everyday lives, at local level. The importance of local cross-border dialogue cannot be overemphasised in the drive to bolster solidarity across ethnic, religious and cultural divides;

2.7

calls for the local and regional authorities to be able to contribute to the preparation of national action plans for integration and employment. This would make it easier to compare approaches and build on good practice, as well as analyse the actual impact and results of Member States' strategies;

2.8

emphasises that the report dwells on the horizontal and national level, while the measures discussed are implemented at local level. There is clearly a need for a vertical approach. If the objective of accurate, objective analysis is to be achieved, trends at all levels must be illustrated, including those levels where policy is implemented. The national integration contact points must be backed up by local and regional equivalents;

2.9

stresses that immigration is not sufficient to cover EU labour shortages in the long term, and would refer to its opinion on the contribution of older people to the labour market;

2.10

emphasises how important it is for immigrants, particularly women, to be seen as a resource and a generally valuable addition to the labour market, and for the workforce to be diverse. Equal treatment is a principle that must apply in the workplace;

2.11

emphasises that the sum of local and regional differences gives a better picture of employment rates than national averages. Analyses based on national averages provide an inadequate basis for regional diversity measures. Successful strategies must be devised from a bottom-up perspective;

2.12

calls for measures to address the large number of employees that have entered the EU illegally. Mechanisms must be introduced to enable immigrants in breach of current immigration legislation to legalise their position without delay, where appropriate. The ability to provide decent standards of reception should, however, be a factor here;

2.13

welcomes the report's recognition of the need to mainstream immigration issues throughout all policy areas and to step up cooperation between national, regional and local authorities and with civil society. In addition to the vertical dialogue, the debate regarding distribution of resources must also be addressed;

2.14

calls for the inclusion of references to immigrant health and emphasises the importance of cooperation between local healthcare services (primary healthcare) and other parties that are working to achieve successful integration;

2.15

stresses the importance of implementing financial instruments to enable decentralised cooperation on immigration, and of continued support for local and regional efforts to promote integration through the EU Structural Funds and initiatives such as Equal and Urban. In this connection, particular attention should be focused on ongoing efforts within the framework of the new INTI pilot project, which is designed to support integration-related dialogue, networks and cooperation at EU level;

2.16

stresses that the individual immigrant's need to work to support himself must be acknowledged and encouraged. In addition to the economic aspects, entrepreneurship and small businesses contribute to positive social development. The opportunity to own and run a company impacts on integration and it should therefore be given increased public support;

2.17

recalls that women are discriminated against both on grounds of gender and ethnic origin. If gender issues are taken into account, efforts for better integration of immigrants will be more target-oriented and effective;

2.18

emphasises that the achievement of a successful integration policy requires other values — in addition to economic ones — to be taken into account. Immigration opens up perspectives that can enrich individual citizen's lives, just as it can provide the EU with skills that are valuable in a global context;

2.19

stresses the importance of the work of non-governmental organisations in close cooperation with the local and regional authorities and supports their programmes to speed up immigrants' integration into the political and social life of the country (learning the language, getting to know the country's culture and democratic principles, social and political education, safeguarding immigrants' own national identity, etc.). It is always the absolute responsibility of the national level to work to achieve the smooth integration of immigrants into society, in close cooperation with local and regional authorities, and to maintain a dialogue with non-governmental organisations.