4.14.3.1 Developing and updating integration strategies

The drafting and launching of the new EU Action Plan on Integration and Inclusion prompted several changes in strategies at the national level.

The first draft of the National Plan for the Integration of Migrants was published in Cyprus and underwent a public consultation, before it was finalised in early 2021.¹⁰⁶⁰ A public consultation was organised as well in Latvia on the Guidelines for a Cohesive and Active Society for the period 2021-2027, which defines priorities for AMIF for the upcoming funding period.¹⁰⁶¹ 

The Croatian Action Plan for the Integration of Persons Granted International Protection was developed in 2020 and is foreseen to be implemented throughout 2021-2023. The previous plan expired in 2019, but the drafting of the new plan was rescheduled so that the content of the draft Action Plan would be adjusted to the guidelines and recommendations of the new EU Action Plan for Integration and Inclusion 2021-2027. Following the adoption of this EU plan, the Office for Human Rights and Rights of National Minorities, as a coordinating body, initiated the harmonisation of the draft national document with guidelines and recommendations from the European framework. The national plan contains chapters, accompanying objectives and measures that are in line with the priority areas of the European framework. The national document foresees intensifying cooperation with local self-governments through the appointment of integration coordinators; initiating cooperation with persons granted international protection and other migrants in the development of integration policies and practices within the advisory group of third-country nationals and other migrants; developing a database of indicators of social inclusion of persons granted international protection to more up-to-date monitoring of the outcome of integration measures; and researching the role of the media in the integration of persons granted international protection and other migrants. The draft Action Plan should be submitted to the public consultation process in 2021.

The Population and Cohesive Society Developments Plan 2021-2030 was being prepared in Estonia, as a follow-up to the previous “Integrating Estonia 2020” plan. The document is foreseen to be adopted in the spring of 2021. In Czechia, the integration of beneficiaries of international protection ran without interruptions in 2020 despite the pandemic, through the State Integration Programme of the Czech Ministry of the Interior.

The German National Action Plan for Integration has been in development since 2018 in collaboration with around 300 stakeholders from federal, state and local authorities and civil society organisations. The 12th and 13th Integration Summits in summer 2020 and spring 2021 marked the completion of the process, which led to the elaboration of around 100 concrete measures in five phases.¹⁰⁶² 

In Denmark, the Integration Action Plan 2020 was launched in December 2020, presenting the most important initiatives from 2020 and outlining future priorities.¹⁰⁶³ For example, the basic education programme for refugees (IGU) will be extended to include refugees and family members who have been in Denmark for up to 10 years and the length of the course will be increased from 20 to 23 weeks. In addition, the national action plan to prevent honour-related conflicts and negative social control, which was launched in 2016, was evaluated in 2020. The evaluation’s results were positive, and the necessary funding was granted for the upcoming years to continue efforts and initiatives to prevent honour-related killings and negative social control.¹⁰⁶⁴ 

The French Minister responsible for citizenship issued a circular to define priorities for the integration of newly-arrived migrants and beneficiaries of international protection for 2021.¹⁰⁶⁵ The document builds on the decisions of the Interministerial Committee on Integration from 2018¹⁰⁶⁶ and the Interministerial Committee on Immigration and Integration from 2019.¹⁰⁶⁷ The circular noted potential delays and the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the implementation of the Republican Integration Contracts and individual integrations paths. It confirmed that the focus remained on integration through employment, with special attention given to the employment of women and to an early assessment of skills and knowledge of newly-arrived foreigners. The circular defined as an objective for 2022 that all beneficiaries of international protection should be given a comprehensive, individual integration pathway and noted that access to housing is priority.

Ten Polish civil society organisations sent a letter to the Minister of the Interior and Administration, requesting to be consulted in the drafting of Poland’s new migration strategy.¹⁰⁶⁸ The draft Romanian National Strategy on Immigration was criticised for overlooking several integration aspects, such as support for children and adult employment¹⁰⁶⁹ and the draft of the Immigration National Strategy was reviewed. At the beginning of 2021, the legislative process for approving this programmatic document was reinitiated.
Integration assistance for beneficiaries of international protection was withdrawn in Hungary in 2016, and in 2018, AMIF-funded integration and housing services were stopped as well when the government’s call for projects was withdrawn.¹⁰⁷⁰ Furthermore, the AIDA report for Bulgaria reported that no integration programme had been adopted for beneficiaries of international protection since 2013.¹⁰⁷¹ 

 

[1060] European Web Site on Integration. (2020, October 22). Public consultation on Cyprus' migrant integration plan. https://ec.europa.eu/migrant-integration/news/public-consultation-on-cy…; Ministry of Interior | Υπουργείου Εσωτερικών. (October 2020). Εθνικού Σχεδίου για την Ένταξη Μεταναστών [National Plan for the Integration of Migrants]. http://tcnintegration.com.cy/wp-content/uploads/EthnikoShedioEN.pdf
[1061] European Web Site on Integration. (2020, February 21). Public consultations on social cohesion policy in Latvia completed. https://ec.europa.eu/migrant-integration/news/public-consultations-on-social-cohesion-policy-in-latvia-completed
[1062] Federal Government | Bundesregierung. (2020, July 29). Nationaler Aktionsplan stärkt die Integration [National Action Plan on Integration]. https://www.bundesregierung.de/breg-de/bundesregierung/bundeskanzleramt/aktionsplan-integration-1772030
[1063] European Web Site on Integration. (2020, December 21). Denmark: Government's integration action plan. https://ec.europa.eu/migrant-integration/news/denmark-governments-integration-action-plan
[1064] European Web Site on Integration. (2020, December 18). Evalueringsrapport: Den nationale handlingsplan til forebyggelse af æresrelaterede konflikter og negativ social kontrol [Evaluation: National action plan to prevent honour related conflicts and negative social control]. https://ec.europa.eu/migrant-integration/librarydoc/evaluation-national-action-plan-to-prevent-honour-related-conflicts-and-negative-social-control
[1065] Priorités 2021 de la politique d'intégration des étrangers primo-arrivants [Priorities 2021 of the integration policy for newcomers], February 17, 2021. https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/download/pdf/circ?id=45136
[1066] European Asylum Support Office. (2019). EASO Annual Report on the Situation of Asylum of the European Union 2018. https://easo.europa.eu/easo-annual-report-2018
[1067] European Asylum Support Office. (June 2020). EASO Asylum Report 2020: The Situation of Asylum in the European Union. https://easo.europa.eu/asylum-report-202
[1068] European Web Site on Integration. (2020, November 23). Poland: Migrant-supporting NGOs request involvement in new migration strategy. https://ec.europa.eu/migrant-integration/news/poland-migrant-supporting-ngos-request-involvement-in-new-migration-strategy
[1069] European Web Site on Integration. (2020, September 11). Romania: New National Strategy on Immigration overlooks integration issues. https://ec.europa.eu/migrant-integration/news/romania-new-national-strategy-on-immigration-overlooks-integration-issues
[1070] Hungarian Helsinki Committee | Magyar Helsinki Bizottság. (2021). Input to the EASO Asylum Report 2021.
[1071] AIDA Bulgaria. (2021). Country Report: Bulgaria - 2020 Update. Edited by ECRE. Written by Bulgarian Helsinki Committee. https://asylumineurope.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/AIDA-BG_2020update.pdf