DA    DA  KOMMISSIONEN FOR DE EUROPÆISKE FÆLLESSKABER 
Bruxelles, den 16.7.2004 
KOM(2004) 508 endelig 
. 
MEDDELELSE FRA KOMMISSIONEN TIL RÅDET, EUROPA-PARLAMENTET, 
DET EUROPÆISKE ØKONOMISKE OG SOCIALE UDVALG OG 
REGIONSUDVALGET 
Første årsrapport om indvandring og integration 
. 
 
DA 2   DA INDHOLDSFORTEGNELSE 
1. INDLEDNING............................................................................................................. 3 
2. INDVANDRINGSTENDENSER I EU-25.................................................................. 3 3. INDVANDRERNES SITUATION PÅ  ARBEJDSMARKEDET OG DE 
ØKONOMISKE FORDELE VE D INDVANDRING ................................................. 3 
4. UDVIKLINGEN I INDREJSEPOLITIKKEN ............................................................ 4 5. TENDENSER I DE NATIONALE  INTEGRATIONSPOLITIKKER........................ 5 
6. FREMSKRIDT I FORBINDELSE ME D UDVIKLINGEN AF EN FÆLLES 
INDVANDRINGSPOLITIK........................................................................................ 6 
7. KONKLUSIONER ...................................................................................................... 9 
Bilag:
 
Bilag til den første årsrapport om indvandring og integration 
 
DA 3   DA 1. INDLEDNING 
Europa-Kommissionen anførte i sin medde lelse om indvandring, integration og 
beskæftigelse1, at den "hvert år vill e aflægge rapport om fremsk ridt i udviklingen af den 
fælles indvandringspolitik". I juni 2003 opfordrede Det Europæiske Råd på sit møde i 
Thessaloniki Kommissionen til "at fremlægge en  årlig rapport om indvandring og integration i 
Europa med henblik på at kortlægge oplysning er om indvandring i EU som helhed samt 
politikker og praksis på indva ndrings- og integrationsområdet.  Denne rapport, der bør 
indeholde en præcis og objektiv analyse af ove nnævnte spørgsmål, vil kunne være til hjælp i 
forbindelse med udvikling og fremme af politiske in itiativer med henblik på en mere effektiv 
forvaltning af indvandringen i Europa ." Med denne meddelelse indledes rapporterings-
proceduren.  
I den første årsrapport gives et overblik over tendenserne for så vidt  angår indvandring i EU, 
og der foretages analyser af og overvejelse r vedrørende ændri nger i indvandringen. 
Derudover beskrives de foranstaltninger, der er tr uffet for så vidt angå r indvandreres indrejse 
og integration på nationalt plan og EU-plan. Rappor ten udgør et nyt instrument til revision af 
udviklingen i den fælles indvandringspolitik.  
2. INDVANDRINGSTENDENSER  I EU-25 
International indvandring spiller en væsentlig rolle i forbindelse med befolkningsvæksten. 
Den registrerede indvandring steg i perioden 1999-2001 hvert år i EU-15 og forblev uændret 
eller faldt i de fleste af de nye medlem sstater. Uden positiv nettoindvandring ville 
befolkningstallet være faldet i nogle lande. 
I perioden 1990-2002 oplevede nogle af de nye medlemsstater en væsentlig stigning i 
indvandringen, idet de gik fra at være udvandr ingslande til at bliv e indvandringslande og 
oplevede en omfattende ind- og udstrømning af  økonomiske indvandrere. Nettoindvandringen 
er stadig relativ lav, men bliver gradvis posi tiv i de fleste af de  nye medlemsstater.  
Del 1 i bilaget indeholder en mere detaljeret  oversigt over ind- og udvandringstendenserne.  
3. INDVANDRERNES  SITUATION  PÅ ARBEJDSMARKEDET  OG  DE 
ØKONOMISKE  FORDELE  VED  INDVANDRING 
Indvandrernes situation på arbejdsmarkedet 
Andelen af tredjelandsstatsbor gere udgjorde i 20 02 3,6 % af alle beskæftigede i EU-15, og i 
tidsrummet 1997-2002 bidrog de med 22 % til væks ten i beskæftigelsen. For så vidt angår 
EU-borgere oplevede mellem- og højtuddanned e indvandrere i samme tidsrum den største 
vækst i beskæftigelsesraten. I lyset af EU- borgernes allerede hø je beskæftigelsesrate 
forekommer arbejdskraft fra tredjelande i stadig  højere grad at udgøre et  stort potentiale, der 
kan udnyttes til at dække både den fortsatte efte rspørgsel efter lavtuddannet arbejdskraft og 
den voksende efterspørgsel efte r kvalificeret arbejdskraft.  
                                                 
1 KOM(2003) 336 endelig. 
 
DA 4   DA Der er stadig tegn på, at tredjelandsstats borgeres arbejdskraft ikke udnyttes fuldt ud2. 
Beskæftigelsesraten for tredjela ndsstatsborgere, inklusive de højtuddannede, er meget lavere 
end for EU-borgere, og forskelle n er større for kvinder end fo r mænd. De seneste ti år har 
tredjelandsstatsborgeres arbejdsl øshed i de fleste af medlemsst aterne været mere end dobbelt 
så høj som EU-borgeres.  
De oplysninger, der foreligger for de nye me dlemsstater, vedrører situationen før deres 
tiltrædelse. Dette bekræfter, at som i de gamle EU-lande spiller indvandr ere – i dette tilfælde 
hovedsagelig fra nabolandene, herunder det tid ligere Sovjetunionen og Balkanlandene – en 
rolle i forbindelse med dækningen af manglen på arbejdskraft og kvalifikationer. Del 2 i 
bilaget giver et mere omfattende billede af indvandrernes situation på arbejdsmarkedet. 
Indvandringens indflydelse på den økonom iske situation og de offentlige finanser3 
I økonomisk teori er man relativ optimistisk for så  vidt angår virkningerne af indvandringen, 
idet det forventes overordnet at medføre øget  velfærd. En stor del heraf falder af på 
indvandrerne selv, men de fleste undersøgelser  viser et lille "overs kud af indvandrere" i 
forhold til landenes egne indbyggere. Indvandringe ns virkning for de offentlige finanser er 
blevet drøftet meget. Indvandrer e opfattes ofte som en byrde for velfærdsstaten, der forårsager 
yderligere udgifter, der sædvanligvis ikke opvejes af de beløb, de betaler i skat. En del af 
væksten i antallet af personer, der afhænger af velfærdsstaten, skyldes det højere antal 
asylansøgere, som ikke eller kun på meget re striktive vilkår har lov til at arbejde. 
Det er desværre ret sv ært at give et pålideligt skøn ove r indvandrernes nettobidrag til de 
offentlige finanser. Deres alderssammensætning er  generelt gunstig for de offentlige finanser, 
idet den gennemsnitlige indvandrer er ung og i den arbejdsdygtige alder, og der gennemsnitligt er større mulighed for, at det, de  betaler i skat, overstiger værdien af offentlige 
overførsler og tjenester. Indvandrernes relativt lave  beskæftigelsesrate kan imidlertid helt eller 
delvis modvirke deres gunstige alderssammensætnings virkninger for de offentlige finanser. 
De medlemsstater, hvor indvandrernes besk æftigelsesrate overst iger landenes egen 
befolknings, kan indvandringen netto have en positiv indvirkning på de offentlige finanser. En bedre integration af indvandrerne  vil således forbedre de offent lige finanser. Ge nerelt kan det 
sandsynligvis med rimelighed siges, at nettovirkningen på de offentlige finanser forekommer temmelig lille. 
4. UDVIKLINGEN
 I INDREJSEPOLITIKKEN 
Kommissionens nylige "Undersøgelse af forbinde lsen mellem lovlig og ulovlig indvandring"4 
viser, at alle medlemsstater har kanaler til modtagelse af indvandred e arbejdstagere, bl.a. 
tredjelandsstatsborgere med særlige kvalifikatione r eller arbejdstagere i særlige sektorer. Der 
er imidlertid ikke kun behov for højtuddannet arbejdskraft, da viss e, især sydeuropæiske lande 
eller nyere indvandringslande, har behov for lavtkva lificeret arbejdskraft. Disse arbejdstageres 
indrejse reguleres ofte gennem bilaterale aftaler med nabolande  eller udvalgte tredjelande, 
idet begrundelsen herfor ikke kun er at imøde komme behovet på arbejdsmarkedet, men også 
forbindelserne med tredjelande, historiske fo rbindelser og kulturelle udvekslinger samt at 
                                                 
2 Se rapporten om beskæftigelsen i Europa 2003 og del 2 i bilaget for nærmere oplysninger. 
3 Dette afsnit er baseret på “Economic aspects of immigration”  ECFIN/361/03, Udvalget for 
Økonomisk Politik. 
4 KOM(2004) 412. 
 
DA 5   DA bekæmpe ulovlig indvandring. Størstedelen af indrejsen sker stadig i form af 
familiesammenføringer og ved at yde humanitær støtte til personer, som man erkender har 
behov herfor.  
Forslag om at omorientere indvandringspoliti kken og sikre en mere selektiv, beskæftigelses-
relateret fremgangsmåde har for ny lig igen vundet gehør. Et flek sibelt indrejsesystem for at 
tiltrække specifik udenlandsk arbejdskraft ka n i væsentlig grad bi drage til at løse 
flaskehalsproblemer på arbejdsmarkedet. Det vil blive lettere at gå over til en mere selektiv indvandringspolitik, hvis medlemsstaterne og Fælle sskabet bliver bedre til at vurdere, hvilke 
kvalifikationer og erhvervsprof iler der bliver behov for fremover, og hvor der kan opstå 
mangel på arbejdskraft
5. Det er dog nok illusorisk at tro, at der kan udarbejdes akkurate 
prognoser, hvorfor indvandringspolitikken kun i begrænset grad kan anvendes til at dække 
manglen på kvalifikationer. I lyset af den øgede  økonomiske omstrukturer ing og globalisering 
er de indvandrere, der mest sa ndsynligt vil kunne bidrage til at få udbud og efters pørgsel til at 
svare overens, personer med brede kvalifikatione r, erfaring og personlig e evner, hvilket gør 
dem tilpasningsdygtige til det stadig mere kompl ekse og skiftende arbejdsliv. Indvandrings-
politikken bør derfor tage sigt e på på mellemlang sigt at holde antallet af udenlandske 
arbejdstagere, der får indrejsetilladelse, på et jævnt niveau og undgå en stop-and-go-politik. 
5. TENDENSER  I DE NATIONALE  INTEGRATIONSPOLITIKKER 
Udviklingen af en overordnet integrations politik, således som Kommi ssionen har opfordret 
til6, kræver en effektiv inddragelse af i ndvandringsproblematikken på alle relevante 
politikområder samt en indsats for at bekæ mpe forskelsbehandling, samtidig med at der 
udvikles særlige foranstaltninger og instrumenter  for at tage fat på indvandrernes behov.  
Oplysningerne i dette kapitel er baseret på ra pporter udarbejdet af de  nationale kontaktpunkter 
vedrørende integration7 samt de nationale handlingsplaner for beskæftigelsen8 og de nationale 
handlingsplaner for social integration9. Del 3 i bilaget indeholde r en oversigt over de 
nationale integrationspolitikker.  
En af de største hindringer fo r integrationen er manglende adgang til arbejdsmarkedet , og 
dette er derfor det politikområde, der prio riteres højt i forbindelse med de nationale 
integrationspolitikker. Manglende sprogfær digheder og problemer med at få anerkendt 
erhvervskvalifikationer udgør ogs å store hindringer, hvorfor st adig flere medlemsstater 
træffer foranstaltninger for at løse disse problemer . Der gøres en særlig indsats for at forbedre 
erhvervsorienteringen og jobrådgivningen for indvandrere. Det anerkendes også i stigende 
grad, at indvandrerne har mulighed for at bl ive iværksættere. Arbe jdsmarkedets parters 
involvering og engagement er stigende, men stadig begrænset. Der er kun foretaget en 
beskeden evaluering af, hvor effe ktiv politikkerne er, og ikke-E U-borgere kan fortsat ikke få 
adgang til mange job på grund af deres nationalitet.  
                                                 
5 Se også rapport fra taskforcen for beskæftigelse ”Jobs, Jobs, Jobs – Creating more employment in 
Europe”, november 2003. 
6 KOM(2003) 336 endelig. 
7 Se MIGRAPOL-integration 21 
8 Den fælles rapport om beskæftigelsen: 
http://europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/employment_strategy/index_en.htm  
9 Den fælles rapport om social integration:  
 http://europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/news/2001/jun/napsincl2001_en.html  
 
DA 6   DA Blandt de øvrige nøgleområder er sprogfærdigheder og forbedring af 
uddannelseskvalifikationerne . Medlemsstaterne synes i højere grad at fokusere på 
indvandrernes sprogfærdigheder, og et stige nde antal lande tilbyder nyankomne indvandrere 
og flygtninge sprogundervisning.  
Der lægges i medlemsstaterne stadig større vægt på samfundsforståelse for nye indvandrere  
såsom oplysning om grundlæggende  rettigheder og forpligtelser, herunder ligestilling mellem 
mænd og kvinder og grundlæggende nor mer og værdier i værtslandet.  
Deltagelse i den politiske beslutningsproces  udgør et vigtigt formelt skridt hen imod at give 
udlændinge rettigheder og forpligtelser, der lign er EU-borgernes, og de fleste af de 25 EU-
lande har nu givet indvandrerne  en eller anden grad af st emmeret på lokalt plan.  
Selv om medlemsstaterne har fundet ud af , at indvandrere er særlig udsatte for risikoen for 
fattigdom og social udstødelse , har mange af dem endnu ikke foretaget indgående analyser 
af de faktorer, der fører til den situation. 
En række medlemsstaterne kæmper stadig for at kunne tilbyde boliger  til rimelige priser og 
imødegå de negative konsekvenser af ghetto dannelse og dårligt stil lede byområder, hvor 
indvandrere har tendens til at være overrepræsenteret.  
Bekæmpelsen af forskelsbehandling og racisme  er blevet gjort endn u mere kompliceret i 
det nuværende politiske klima, hvor indvandrerne ofte fremstilles som negative stereotyper i 
medierne, og hvor politiske partier på de n ekstreme højrefløj  vinder frem i nogle 
medlemsstater. Strategierne for bekæmpelse af forskelsbehandling og racisme hænger ikke 
altid sammen med medlemsstater nes strategier på integrationsområdet. Man har dog generelt 
erkendt, at der er behov for handling,  
Generelt er det svært at vur dere, hvorvidt der er sket fr emskridt i udviklingen af de 
overordnede integrationsstrategi er på nationalt plan. En række  medlemsstater er imidlertid 
ved at udvikle særlige integrationskurser  eller –programmer rettet mod indvandrere og 
flygtninge, og der er stigende forståelse for behovet for at medtage  
indvandringsproblematikken  i forbindelse med alle politikker og at mobilisere de berørte 
gennem et større samarbejde mellem nationale , regionale og lokale myndigheder samt med 
civilsamfundet. I de fleste medlemsstater  synes man ikke systematisk at medtage 
kønsrelaterede spørgsmål  hverken for så vidt angår politik eller data i forbindelse med 
indvandringsproblematikken. 
6. FREMSKRIDT  I FORBINDELSE  MED  UDVIKLINGEN  AF EN FÆLLES  
INDVANDRINGSPOLITIK 
6.1. Konsolidering af EU's retlige rammer 
Kommissionen har siden 1999 fremsat forslag til ad skillige direktiver med henblik på at 
fastsætte ensartede spilleregler for medlem sstaterne og arbejde frem mod en fælles 
indvandringspolitik. Direktivet om familiesammenføring10, direktivet om fastboende 
udlændinge11 og direktivet om opholdstilladelse til of re for organiseret ulovlig indvandring 
                                                 
10 Rådets direktiv 2003/86/EF af 22.9.2003. 
11 Rådets direktiv 2003/109/EF af 25.11.2003. 
 
DA 7   DA eller menneskehandel12 er allerede blevet vedtaget . Den 30. marts 2004 blev der opnået 
politisk enighed om direktivet om studerendes i ndrejse. Herudover er der bl.a. et forslag til 
direktiv om tredjelandsstatsb orgeres indrejse for at udfør e videnskabelig forskning og to 
forslag til Rådets henstilling med he nblik på at lette forskeres indrejse13 på vej. Der er sket 
fremskridt på området social sikkerhed, når ma n flytter inden for EU, idet en ny forordning14 
trådte i kraft i juni 2003.  
Rådet nåede ikke til enighed om et forslag til direktiv om tredjelandsstatsborgeres indrejse 
med henblik på at arbejde, der blev fr emsat i 2002. Kommissionen har gjort status over 
situationen og planlægger at iværksætte en omfattende høringspr ocedure om økonomisk 
integration i anden halvdel af 2004.  
I mange medlemsstater har man gennemfør t direktiverne om bekæmpelse af 
forskelsbehandling, der blev ve dtaget i 2000, med forsinkelse.  Kommissionen er ved at se 
nærmere på, hvor langt man er nået, og v il handle i overensstemmelse hermed.  
6.2. Koordinering af EU-politikke n og udveksling af erfaringer 
6.2.1. De nationale kontaktpunkter vedrørende integration I juni 2003 understregede Det Euro pæiske Råd på sit møde i Thes saloniki betydningen af at 
udvikle samarbejdet og udvekslinge n af oplysninger inden for rammerne af et netværk af 
nationale kontaktpunkter vedrørende integr ation med henblik på navnlig at styrke 
koordineringen af de relevante politikke r på nationalt plan og på EU-plan.  
For at strukturere udvekslinge n af oplysninger besluttede de nationale kontaktpunkter at 
udarbejde en håndbog om integration af fagfol k og politiske beslutni ngstagere. Håndbogen er 
ved at blive udarbejdet på grundlag af en række  tekniske seminarer, som medlemsstaterne har 
afholdt for at udveksle oplysninger om bedste  praksis med den akademiske verden og 
civilsamfundet. Håndbogen komme r til at indeholde en ræ kke generelle principper og 
politiske henstillinger vedrørende integrations politikken illustreret med eksempler på god 
praksis. Første udgave forvente s at udkomme i efteråret 2004.  
6.2.2. Den europæiske beskæftigelsesstrategi og strategien for social integration 
Der er også sket fremskridt for så vidt angå r den europæiske beskæf tigelsesstrategi. I juli 
2003 blev de ændrede retningsli njer for beskæftigelsen vedtag et, hvori det opfordres til i 
højere grad at sikre integrati onen af indvandrere på arbejdsmar kedet og sætte sig som mål at 
mindske forskellen i arbejdsløsheden mellem EU -borgere og ikke-EU-borgere. Det erkendes, 
hvilken rolle indvandring spiller for at dæ kke den nuværende og fremtidige mangel på 
arbejdskraft, og det kræves, at de r træffes foranstaltning til at om danne sort arbejde til lovligt 
arbejde. Der er blevet lanceret en europæisk portal for jobmobilitet
15 med henblik på at 
informere om ledige job og leve- og arbejdsvil kårene i EU. Kommissione n har til hensigt at 
styrke den gensidige læring mellem medlem sstaterne, herunder aspekter vedrørende 
indvandring, ved at bygge videre på det ek sisterende system med peer reviews. 
                                                 
12 Se KOM(2002) 71 af 30.4.2004. 
13 KOM(2004) 178 af 16.3.2004. 
14 Nr. 859/2003  
15 Se http://europa.eu.int/eures  
 
DA 8   DA I forbindelse med strategien for social integr ation blev det i den fælles rapport herom fra 2003 
som et af seks hovedpunkter understreget, at der er  behov for at gøre en indsats for at mindske 
fattigdommen og den sociale udstødelse bla ndt indvandrere og et niske minoriteter. 
Medlemsstaterne rapporterer herom i deres næ ste nationale handlings planer for social 
integration.  
Meddelelsen om indvandring, inte gration og beskæftigelse blev drøftet inden for rammerne af 
Beskæftigelsesudvalget og Udvalget for Social Beskyttelse, der begge vedtog udtalelser om 
emnet16. Den fælles rapport om beskæftigelsen og den fælles rapport om social integration 
skal anvendes til at overvåge de  fremskridt, der sker på EU-plan. 
6.2.3. Samarbejde om uddannelse på EU—plan 
Inden for rammerne af den åbne koordinationsmet ode på uddannelsesområdet viser de første 
resultater fra de arbejdsgrupper, der blev nedsat i 2002-2003 for at udveksle god praksis, 
udarbejde indikatorer og benchmarks og genne mføre studiebesøg, hvilke hindringer der står i 
vejen for, at indvandrere udnytter mulighederne for livslang uddannelse. Man fandt også frem 
til visse mere specifikke mål for en vellykket integration af  indvandrere i en økonomi og et 
samfund, der er baseret på viden. Der vil fremover blive lagt sær lig vægt på i højere grad at 
fokusere på hindringerne for indvandrere på uddannelsesområdet. Der vil blive taget hensyn 
hertil i opfølgningen af den fæ lles midtvejsrapport fra 2004 om gennemførelsen af Lissabon-
strategien.  
6.2.4. Forbedret oplysning om indvandring 
Efter handlingsplanen for indsamling og analys e af EF-statistikker på indvandringsområdet17 
forbereder Kommissionen nu et  forslag til direktiv med henblik på at harmonisere 
indsamlingen af data og statistiske oplysninger.  Den første årsrapport  om indvandring og asyl 
blev offentliggjort i april 200418.  
6.3. Finansiel støtte via EU-instrumenter 
Via en række af EU's finansielle instru menter bidrages der til medlemsstaternes 
integrationsbestræbelser. Der ydes støtte gennem strukturfonde ne, navnlig Den Europæiske 
Socialfond (ESF), Equal-initia tivet og Fællesskabets handli ngsprogrammer på områderne 
uddannelse, beskæftigelse og bekæmpelse af soci al udstødelse og forskelsbehandling. For så 
vidt angår de instrumenter, de r specielt er rettet mod indva ndrere, udgør Den Europæiske 
Flygtningefond Fællesskabets hovedi nstrument, og der bl ev i 2003 iværksat et nyt pilotprojekt 
på integrationsområdet (INTI) med henblik på sp ecifikt at støtte politikker til integration af 
indvandrere. Del 5 i bilaget indeholder en mere  detaljeret oversigt over EU's finansielle 
instrumenter og EU's bidrag til integrationen.  
Kommissionen foreslår i sit fors lag vedrørende de næste fina nsielle overslag for perioden 
2007-2013, at der som en del af målet om at give  EU-borgerskabet et reelt indhold og i lyset 
                                                 
16 Se udtalelser fra Beskæftigelsesudvalget  
(http://europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/employment_strategy/opinions2003_en.htm )  
og Udvalget for Social Beskyttelse  (http://europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/soc ial_protection_commitee/spc_opinions_en.htm
). 
17 KOM(2003) 179 endelig. 
18 Se årsrapporten om indvandring og asyl http://europa.eu.int/comm/justice_home/index.htm  
 
DA 9   DA af området for frihed, sikkerhed  og retfærdighed skal ydes fi nansiel støtte til en fælles 
indvandringspolitik for derved at sikre en  effektiv forvaltning af den vedvarende 
indvandrerstrøm, der er brug for for at dække  behovene på arbejdsmarkedet. EU skal 
gennemføre en række foranstaltninger på dette  politikområde for at  fremme og støtte 
medlemsstaternes indsats og derved fremme integr ationen af tredjelandss tatsborgere, der har 
bopæl i disse lande. I den tredje rapport om  økonomisk og social samhørighed, hvori der 
foreslås et nyt "partnerskab for samhørighe d", bekræftede Kommi ssionen behovet for gennem 
ESF at øge beskæftigelsesmulighederne for pers oner, der har store problemer med at komme 
ind på arbejdsmarkedet, f.eks. indvandrere. Yd erligere solidaritet er nødvendig for at støtte 
medlemsstaternes indsats for at hjælpe tred jelandsstatsborgere med en anden kulturel, 
religiøs, sproglig og etnisk baggr und til at kunne slå sig ned og ak tivt tage del i alle aspekter 
af det europæiske samfund. 
6.4. Dialog med tredjelande og på internationalt niveau 
For at skabe nærmere relationer med udvandringslande ne er der blevet gjor t en indsats for at 
medtage indvandringsrelaterede spørgsmål i EU's politik for forbindelser med tredjelande og 
udviklingspolitik19. Indvandringsspørgsmålet inddrages  systematisk i dialogen mellem 
Fællesskabet og mange af oprindelses- og trans itlandene, og der er blevet udarbejdet et 
program for finansielt samarbejde20. Dette skal ses i en bredere kontekst, der omfatter den 
øgede plads, indvandringsspørgsmål indtager på  den internationale dagsorden, herunder i ILO 
og FN's globale kommission for indvandring. 
7. KONKLUSIONER 
Denne rapport bekræfter, at indvandring fortsat spiller en væsentlig ro lle i forbindelse med 
EU's økonomiske og sociale udvikling. I lyset af den aldrende og faldende befolkningsandel i 
den arbejdsdygtige alder vil strømmen af indvandrere sands ynligvis og i stadig højere grad 
være nødvendig for at dække behovene i det ud videde EU. EU må forberede sig herpå. 
Der er i den forbindelse behov for ensa rtede spilleregler fo r så vidt angår politikkerne for 
økonomiske indvandreres indrejse  i EU, således at manglen på arbejdskraft med held og på 
en mere gennemsigtig og sammenhængende måde kan dækkes. Da man i Rådet ikke har kunnet opnå enighed om direktivet om økono misk indvandring, håber Kommissionen, at 
udsendelsen om kort tid af en grønbog vil bane vejen for et nyt EU-rets instrument vedrørende 
området. 
Indrejse- og integrationspolit ikken er uadskillige og bør ge nsidigt styrke hinanden. Med 
hensyn til integrationen på arbejdsmarkedet er det vigtigt på medlemsstatsplan yderligere at overveje de eksisterende strukturer og instrumenter, navnlig for så vidt angår mulighederne 
for at indkredse mangel på kvalifikatione r og arbejdskraft og at sikre en højere 
beskæftigelsesrate for indvandrere . Kommissionen vil støtte udvekslingen af erfaringer om 
disse spørgsmål inden for ramm erne af den europæiske besk æftigelsesstrategi. Kommissionen 
har med henblik herpå foreslået et nyt og ambitiøst program for udveksling af erfaringer inden for Beskæftigelsesudvalget, der kan tage fat på sådanne spørgsmål. Desuden vil fællesskabsprogrammet for tils kyndelsesforanstaltninger på beskæftigelsesområdet blive 
anvendt til at forbedre den grundlæggende viden om integration på arbejdsmarkedet.  Denne 
                                                
 
19 Se KOM(2002) 703. 
20 Se også SEK(2003) 815 af 9.7.2003. 
 
DA 10   DA rapport viser, at det fortsat er vigtigt at vurdere indvandrernes evner og 
erhvervskvalifikationer  for fuldt ud at kunne udnytte deres potentiale. At lette anerkendelsen 
af indvandrernes kvalifikationer ved at lade de samme kriterier gælde for godkendelsen af 
indvandrernes kvalifikationer som dem, der anve ndes på landenes egne borgere, vil udgøre et 
væsentligt skridt fremad.  
Parallelt hermed er medlemsstaterne også i stigende grad bekymrede for integrationen af de 
nyankomne , navnlig at indvandrerne forstår og re spekterer værtslandets grundlæggende 
normer og værdier og med hensyn til deres spro gfærdigheder, som udgør store hindringer for 
integrationen. Medlemsstaterne vil uundgåelig t tøve med at lukke op for yderligere 
økonomiske indvandrere, hvis de i kke er i stand til at inte grere nyankomne i alle af 
samfundets aspekter. Under drøfte lser af indvandringsspørgsmål peger tredjelande på behovet 
for særlige integrationsforans taltninger. Dette unde rstreger behovet for i forbindelse med 
udviklingen i indrejsepolitikken at  styrke og udvikle politiske instrumenter til at tage fat på 
problemet med integration af tr edjelandsstatsborgere. INTI's forberedende foranstaltninger 
udgør yderligere et skridt for at fremme særlige integrationsforanstaltninger for 
tredjelandsstatsborgere ved at bidrage med nye idéer, udveksle oplysninger om god praksis og 
indkredse de områder, der skal prioriteres.  
Der er behov for at øge indsatse n for at integrere de eksistere nde indvandrere. Dette kræver 
overordnede integrationspoliti kker, hvor disse spørgsmål medt ages på alle områder, og 
særlige programmer. At medtage integrationsspørgsmål  betyder aktivt og åbent at tage 
hensyn til disse spørgsmål i forbindelse med alle  relevante politikker og foranstaltninger på 
EU-plan og nationalt plan. Et af  målene i årsrapporten om i ndvandring og integration er at 
sikre, at der reelt tages hens yn til indvandrernes behov i forbinde lse med alle EU -politikker, 
der vedrører dem, og at informere Rådet om frem skridtene. Denne første rapport viser, at det 
på visse større politikområder fortsat går la ngsomt med at medtage indvandringsspørgsmål, 
og at der er behov for en yderligere indsats fo r at tilrettelægge effektive politikker.  
EU har dog siden vedtagelsen af meddelelsen om indvandring, integration og beskæftigelse 
givet en række tilsagn i forbindelse med navnlig den europæiske beskæftigelsesstrategi og strategien for social integrer ing, og der kan ses visse positiv e tendenser på nationalt plan. Der 
er dog stadig brug for at omsætte disse tilsagn til handling . Der bør anvendes 
målsætninger og udvikles en mere systematisk og sammenlignelig indsamling af oplysninger 
og data på fællesskabsplan for at sikre en bedre overvågning af de virk ninger, politikkerne har 
for indvandrerne. Kommissionen vil lægge særlig vægt på overvå gningen af fremskridtene i 
medlemsstaterne i de næste nationale handli ngsplaner for beskæftigelsen og for social 
integration. Det vil desuden være nyttigt, at de nationale kontaktpunkter indbyrdes udveksler erfaringer for at sikre, at i ndvandringspolitikken medtages i a lle politikker på nationalt plan 
og EU-plan, og at udvikle god praksis, hvor der tages hensyn til målgruppernes karakteristika. I lyset af den stigende betydni ng og prioritering af indvandrer nes integration i forbindelse 
med fællesskabsfinansiering er det vigtigt, at  informeringen om anvendelsen af midlerne 
hertil forbedres.  
For at komme videre er det væsentligt at føre en mere omfattende dialog med 
indvandrerorganisationer . Det er en vigtig forudsætni ng for at støtte indvandrernes 
integration og bevare den sociale samh ørighed, at dialogen mellem forskellige 
samfundsgrupper bygger på ge nsidig tillid. På EU-pla n opfordrer Kommissionen 
indvandrerne til aktivt at delta ge i debatten. Rapporten viser,  at integrationspolitikken og 
religiøse og kulturelle spørgsmål fortsat udgør store udfordringer i de fleste medlemsstater. 
For at forbedre dialogen med indvandrerorgani sationer og tilsidesætte fordomme, uvidenhed 
 
DA 11   DA og intolerance samt religiøs ekstremisme i EU  vil Kommissionen prioritere skabelsen af 
netværk og samarbejde under INTI's forber edende foranstaltninger for 2005 højt.  
Et andet vigtigt emne er den stigende mangfoldighed i befo lkningen i europæiske byer , 
som fortsat udgør en udfordri ng for mange medlemsstater. Det vil være vigtigt at øge 
indsatsen for at udveksle erfari nger og oplysninger om bedste praksis på EU-plan, navnlig i 
forbindelse med strategien for social inte gration. Kommissionen vil desuden foreslå de 
nationale kontaktpunkter vedrør ende integration at medtage emnet i deres arbejdsprogram. 
Etableringen af fælles retlige rammer  for tredjelandsstatsborgeres rettigheder og forpligtelser 
støtter EU's fremgangsmåde i forbindelse med integrationen af indvandrere. De første EU-
direktiver er nu blevet vedtaget, og Kommi ssionen vil nøje overvåge gennemførelsen heraf i 
national lovgivning. Kommissionen vil også se  nærmere på omfanget af de politiske 
rettigheder, tredjelandsstatsborgere får under denne proces.  
De ovenfor beskrevne retlige rammer og politis ke instrumenter udgør væsentlige dele i den 
praktiske gennemførelse af integrationsforansta ltninger. Der er imidlertid behov for større 
sammenhæng for så vidt angår de målsætninge r, der forsøges nået ved hjælp af sådanne 
foranstaltninger. På Det Europæiske Råds møde  i Thessaloniki blev behovet for at udvikle 
fælles retlige rammer på EU-plan yderligere understreget, inden for hvilke de nationale 
politikker skal tilrettelægges,  og det blev planlagt at fastlægge fælles grundlæggende 
principper  for at intensivere udvikli ngen af sådanne rammer. Komm issionen vil fremsætte de 
nødvendige forslag til at få fastlagt et sæt fælles principper, der kan udgøre grundlaget for 
vedtagelsen af specifikke målsætninger, der skal  forfølges på de relevante politikområder.  
De nationale kontaktpunkter kan spille en vigtig  rolle i denne proces. De vil i høj grad kunne 
bidrage til overvågningen af de fremskridt, der gøres på tværs af  politikområder, og sikre, at 
indsatsen på nationalt plan og EU-plan gensidigt styrker hinanden. På grundlag af 
erfaringerne med at udvikle håndbogen om in tegration bør der også fastlægges en række 
prioriterede områder og opstilles henstil linger for yderligere samarbejde mellem 
medlemsstaterne. I lyset heraf og med henblik på at styrke EU's fremtidige rammer for 
integration i den nye forfatningstraktat vil Ko mmissionen se nærmere på behovet for at skabe 
et mere formelt forum, inden for hvilket der fremover kan udveksles oplysninger om integration, uden at dette har indflydelse på den europæiske  beskæftigelsesstrategi og den 
europæiske strategi fo r social integration.  
 
DA 12   DA ANNEX  
1. M IGRATION TRENDS IN EU-25 
In 2002 only Latvia, Lithuania and Poland sh owed a negative crude net migration rate21. 
Especially in countries like Germany, Greece,  Italy, Slovenia and Slovak Republic, which are 
experiencing negative natural growth, migr ation makes an important contribution to 
population increase. Despite a positive migrat ion rate, the Czech Republic, Estonia and 
Hungary are experiencing a population declin e due to high negative natural increases. 
In 2002, the annual crude net migration rate wa s 2.8 per 1 000 population in EU-25. Estimates 
show that during the period 1990-2002, these rate s were generally positive in the EU-15 and 
often negative in some of the new Member Stat es. These estimates, which give an indication 
of the role of migra tion in population change, show that , on the whole, there were more 
immigrants coming into the EU-15 than emigrant s going out and that th e reverse was true for 
most of the acceding countries.  
To get a full understanding of migration trends  it would be interestin g to look at the total 
number of third-country nationals recorded as legally residing in EU-25. The total number of 
third-country nationals livin g in the 15 Member States22 in 2001 was estimated to be 14.3 
million, the equivalent of 3.8% of the total population . Unfortunately figure s for third-country 
nationals living in all 25 countries are not available. However the total number of non-
nationals23 living in the 25 countries is known alt hough there is no data for 2001 for France, 
Ireland, United Kingdom, Cyprus, Estonia, Malta , Poland and the Slovak Republic and this is 
why the number of non-nationals only amounts to  15 million, which is equivalent of 5.0% of 
the total population. Belgium, Germany and Au stria have sizeable non-national populations 
(around 9%). Next come Greece and Sweden  with respectively about 7.0% and 5.5%. 
Luxembourg is an unusual case with non-nationals accounting for just over one-third and a quarter of the population. It shou ld be noted that differences between countries in terms of 
non-national populations partly refl ect differences in national legislation on the acquisition of 
citizenship.  
Among the non-nationals, around one-third are citi zens of another EU-25 Member State and 
the remaining two-thirds (9 million people)  are third country nationals. Belgium and 
Luxembourg are the only countries where othe r EU-25 nationals outnumber third country 
nationals. In 2001 the largest group of third count ry nationals living in the Union was Turkish 
citizens (around 2.4 million of whom 2.0 million in Germany). 
                                                
 
21 Comparable immigration and emigration data are not  available for all countries, meaning that it is 
impossible to calculate net migration directly by  subtracting emigration from immigration. Net 
migration is instead estimated here as the change in population that cannot be attributed to natural 
change (births minus deaths). Net migration figures give an indication of the importance of migration as a component of population change, but do not provide clear information about the size of the separate 
immigration and emigration flows. For example, low positive net migration could indicate high 
emigration but even higher immigration, or equally, zero emigration and low immigration. 
22 Source:Eurostat (data from UK are estimates from previously published UK figure). 
23 Non-nationals includes both third country nationals and other EU-country nationals living in another 
EU Member State. 
 
DA 13   DA Sweden, The Netherlands and Denmark have th e highest ratio of non- nationals acquiring 
citizenship24. Luxembourg and Greece show the lowest relative numbers. In these countries 
there were fewer than 5 cases of newly acqui red citizenship per 1,000  non-nationals in the 
country. Compared with 1990, in almost every country the ratio of the number of people 
acquiring citizenship to the non-na tional population has increased. 
During 2001, excluding seasonal employment, the ma jority of residence permits in the EU-
countries who supplied data, were granted for the purposes of family formation, employment 
or study. Within these categor ies, the reasons for granting residence permits can vary 
dramatically between Member States, some granting the majority of permits for reasons of family formation, whilst others almost exclus ively for employment purposes. For instance in 
Sweden, over 70% of residence permits were granted for purposes of family 
formation/reunification. In Belgium and Denmar k this was the reason in over 50% of cases 
and in Austria, Finland, France and Italy it applied to between 20% and 30% of cases. In 
Germany and Spain, a residence permit was grante d for employment purposes in over 80% of 
cases and in Italy, in over 50% of cases. Lo oking at the EU overall, nearly 40% of all 
residence permits were granted for the purpose of employment whereas 30% were granted for 
the purpose of family reunion.  
A lack of complete and comparable data hamper s the analysis of migra tion and caution should 
be taken. Being foreign born is not  necessary an indica tor of being an immigrant from another 
country. The statistics on net immigrant flows most likely unde restimate the re al level of 
migration due to movements of illegal or clandestine immigrants. Illegal immigration flows are obviously not included in official statisti cs and can only be estimated with difficulty. 
Furthermore, emigration flows are not well reco rded and there are no data on outflows of 
immigrants from the labour market in most c ountries and on changes of “category”, such as 
the number of immigrants or of third coun try nationals who stop working, retire, are 
naturalised or return to their country of origin. 
In the context of the enlarged EU, it is importa nt not to confuse immigration by third-country 
nationals and internal mobility of EU citizen s, including those from the new Member States. 
While the income gap between the new Member St ates and the EU-15 is likely to diminish to 
some extent over the transition pe riod, the basic incentives to mi grate will – in all likelihood – 
not be fundamentally different from now. Ther efore, the economic rationale for maintaining 
restrictions on the free move ment of workers after accession may be weaker than often 
assumed
25. Applying temporary curbs on labour mobility  from the new Member States will 
only distribute inflows over a l onger period of time, delay th e overall movement of workers 
and may introduce “biased” destin ation patterns of flows into the EU-15, with the risk of 
distorting mobility on a more  permanent basis. A study26 for the Commission came to a 
similar conclusion concerning th e transition periods and confir med previous research that 
flows of workers following enlargement will be fairly moderate. The enlargement of the Union is therefore not expected to have a ma jor impact on the future need for immigration. 
                                                
 
24 Eurostat, Statistics in Focus, Population and Living Conditions, Theme 3 – 3-2004.  
25 Virtually all old Member States have maintained re strictions on access to their labour market, at least 
for the first two years following accession.  
26 German Institute for Economic Research, Potential Migration from Central and Eastern Europe in the 
EU 15 – An Update; DG EMPL, October 2003. 
 
DA 14   DA 2. MIGRANTS IN THE LABOUR MARKET AND ECONOMIC AND PUBLIC FINANCE ASPECTS 
OF IMMIGRATION  
Migration helps to sustain employment growth  
Between 1997 and 2002 the number of people employed27 in the EU-15 increased by about 
12 million, out of which 9.5 million were EU-n ationals and more than 2.5 million, third-
country nationals. While the share of third-coun try nationals in total employment was 3,6% in 
2002, they contributed to empl oyment growth by 22%. In 1997, the employment rates of 
EU-nationals already stood at 79% for the medi um skilled and at 87.5% for the high skilled in 
2002 they had further risen to 81.6% and 89 % respectively, and ther eby reaching levels 
difficult to increase any further. A similar development is seen among third-country nationals. The number of medium skilled increased by 50% and that of  high skilled doubled, amounting 
to more than 60% of the total increase in th eir employment. This refl ects not only the well 
know fact that migrant labour strongly reacts to  cyclical variations in economic activity but 
also migrants labours over proportional contribu tion is sustaining employment over a 5-year 
period, which is characterised predominan tly by solid economic and strong employment 
growth. The situation for the low skilled is some what different, with more modest increases in 
both groups but still stronger for third-c ountry nationals than for EU-nationals. 
Given the extremely high levels of employment  already reached by skilled EU-nationals, third 
countries' labour is increasingly appearing as  a major potential, wh ich can be tapped to 
respond to the growing demand for skilled labo ur while continuing to respond to the demand 
for low skilled labour. 
An unused employment potential among third-country nationals
28 
Over the last decade third-country nationals' unemployment has remained higher than 
EU-nationals', more than twic e as high in a majority of Member States. Third-country 
nationals have also much lower employment rate s than EU-nationals (by 14 percentage points 
lower in 2002), in particular in the prime-age group (by 20 pe rcentage points lower) and for 
the high skilled. The gap is on average wider fo r women than for men, within all working age 
groups.  
Migrants workers are not only concentrated in a few sectors, but within them, in the lower 
skilled segments. “Education”, “care” and “health ” progressively emerge  as new sectors of 
employment, notably for newly arrived migrants  while young people of fo reign origin tend to 
be increasingly working in jobs with a “national profile”29. Whether these changes mean a 
better starting point for migrants' longer term in tegration in the labour market is questionable 
as they still tend to remain concentrated in low quality service jobs offering little room in 
terms of adaptability and mobility. 
Educational attainments remain lower also for the younger generations. In 2002, at 35%, the 
share of the 18-24 year olds havi ng lower secondary edu cation or less and be ing not in further 
education and training was twice as high for th ird-country nationals th an for EU nationals. 
                                                 
27 Defined as the number of people employed in the working age population (15-64) in the Community 
Labour Force Survey. 
28 This section highlight the key findings form ”Employment in Europe 2003”, where the Commission 
analysed this important issue in detail. 
29 OECD, "Trends in international migrations" , 2003, part I 
 
DA 15   DA More than 60% of third-country nationals aged  15-24, were low skilled and 5% highly skilled 
compared with 46% and 8.5% for EU-nationals. Improving migrants' integration in the labour 
market requires breaking the vicious circle of a low skill level giving access to sectors and jobs, which in turn, offer poor chances of improving their skills.  
Although newly arrived third country migrants tend on average to have  a higher skill level 
than those established for several years in th e EU, their activity rates are lower and their 
unemployment rates higher than for longer esta blished immigrants. At 45%, the employment 
rate of immigrants who arrived in 2001 was n early 20 points below that of those who arrived 
10 years before. 
Differences in employment performances of th ird country nationals seem to be strongly 
related to the country of origin, for women in particular 
The employment rate of migrants from African  countries and Turkey is dramatically lower 
than for EU-nationals whatever the skill level and the gap is more marked for women. This is 
not the case for migrants from Balkan count ries, whose employment rates are at or over 
EU-nationals' levels both for men and women. Differences appear however less marked when 
considering country of birth in stead of nationality as shown by result of recent research 
conducted for the Commission. 
The situation of migrants in the labour  market in the new Member States  
Community Labour Force Survey data are no t robust enough to provide a comprehensive 
picture of migrants' employment in the ne w Member States. Available information for 
Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia
30 relates to the situation before accession 
and considers both EU and third country nationa ls workers as migrant workers and it only 
allows for rough estimates based on the numb er of work permits and trade licenses 
delivered31. In the new Member States, the great ma jority of migrant workers come from 
neighbouring countries, including the former USSR  and the Balkans. In Slovenia, 93% of the 
foreign workers come from former Yugoslavia. Foreign workers from Ukraine, Belarus and 
the Russian Federation represent the majority in Poland and between 27 and 36% in the Czech 
Republic. Both countries have also a sizeable share of migrant workers from Asian countries, 
notably Vietnam. 
Migration trends are cha nging in the new Member States and,  as in old EU countries, migrant 
labour plays a part in adjusting for labour and skill shortages provided the immigrants are integrated in the labour market. In Cyprus, labour market adjustments rely heavily on 
migrants employed on a temporary basis, in part icular in "hotels and restaurants" and in 
"private households" who represented 10.2% of the employed workforce in 2002
32. In Central 
and Eastern European new Member States, migr ants from EU-15 represent a marginal share 
                                                 
30 "Migration Trends  in selected EU Applicant Countries" , International Organisation for Migration, 
Vienna, 2004. 
31 In Poland the number of work permits fluctuated between 15,300 and 17,800 per year between 1997 
and workers can be estimated  at around 167,600 in 2001. In Slovakia around 9,000 non national citizens 
were officially working in 2002. 
32 Supporting document SEC (2003)1361 to Commission Communication "Progress in implementing the 
Joint 2002, in Slovenia between 34,000 and 40,000. In  the Czech Republic, the total number of work 
permits declined from 130,767 in 1997 to 103,652 in 2001, but adding trade licenses the number of 
migrant assessment Papers on employment policies in acceding countries"  COM(2003) 663 final. 
 
DA 16   DA of migrant workers (around 2.5% in the Cz ech Republic, for example) but helped by 
responding to the demand for new skills led by the economic transformation. They are generally high skilled, employed in managerial  and professional occu pations on a temporary 
basis and concentrated in big cities. Migran ts from Central and Eastern Europe and the 
Balkans, on the other hand, wo rk mainly in industry (texti le and food in particular), 
construction and agriculture in manual, unskilled  jobs or, in the case of women, as domestic 
helpers, carers for children and elderly people. Traditionally, mi grants from Asia have been 
mainly entrepreneurs, running small family bus inesses, notably in th e retail and textile 
industries. 
Economic and public finance aspects of immigration
33 
Economic theory is relatively optimistic with re spect to the economic impact of immigration, 
suggesting overall welfare gains. Immigrant work ers can improve the allocation of workers to 
firms and may ease labour shortages in areas in  which natives do not want to work. As they 
tend to be more responsive than local wo rkers to labour market conditions, immigrant 
workers may help to smooth the adjustment of  labour markets to regional differences or 
shocks. Moreover, the increase in human capital from immigration contributes to long-term 
growth, in addition to the pur ely quantitative impact of in creases in the labour force. 
A large part of the gains accrue to the immigr ants themselves (and to their families in the 
source countries receiving remittances), but most  studies find a small “immigration surplus” 
for the native population as well. However, the di stributional impact tends to be significant, as 
costs and benefits are not even ly distributed among the reside nt population. Studies typically 
show complementarities between skilled domes tic workers and unskilled migrants and some, 
although weak, substitution between unskilled migrants and domestic workers. In cases of a rapid increase in labour supply not matched by an increase in the capital stock, additional 
migration could thus lead to income redist ribution from native work ers to capital-owners, 
with unskilled labour probably having to shoulde r a major share of the burden. Thus, a shift 
towards a better balanced skill-mix of migr ants should be conducive to alleviating 
distributional concerns. More over, additional migration may well be accompanied by 
additional capital investment over the medium te rm, particularly if migration reduces supply 
barriers to economic activity such as labour or skill shortages.  
The Communication on immigration,  integration and em ployment concluded that while using 
immigration to fully compensate for the imp act of demographic ageing on the labour market 
is not a realistic option, in creased immigration flows are not  only likely but necessary. The 
existing literature confirms that migration can  contribute to mitigating the ageing process 
significantly if migration rates remain at their historical le vels or increase further, without 
being a solution to ageing populatio ns. In fact, the leve l of net migration required in order to 
maintain the old-age dependency ratio at its 2000 level would entail enormous increases of 
inflows relative to current levels. The EUROST AT demographic scenario used as a basis for 
the projections of public expend iture on pensions and health ca re already assumes significant 
net in-migration of some 30 million in tota l until 2050. Thus even somewhat higher net 
immigration would not dispense policy make rs from implementing the EU’s internal 
structural reform agenda to cope with the impa ct of ageing populations. In particular, in all 
Member States timely preparati ons to tackle the budgetary impli cations of ageing will have to 
                                                
 
33 This section is largely based on a note prepared by Commission services for the Economic Policy 
Committee, “Economic aspects of immigration” , ECFIN/361/03 en. 
 
DA 17   DA rely on the three-pronged strategy of raising employment rates, reducing public debt, and 
reforming pension systems34. 
An important element in the public debate ove r immigration has been the impact on public 
finances. Indeed, several recen t studies have shown that we lfare dependency ratios of 
migrants have increased in some countries in absolute terms and relative to the native 
population35. Basically, the higher probability of migrant households relative to native 
households to depend on social welfare progra mmes is a result of their human capital and 
other socio-economic characterist ics, with lower education, a lo wer age of the household head 
and a higher number of children being the prime factors. Typically, afte r controlling for these 
“observable” characteristics, there remains only a small part of “resi dual” welfare dependency 
of migrants over and above those of natives. Moreover, these studies find somewhat stronger 
tendencies for migrants to stop depending on welf are assistance than in the US. Welfare usage 
of non-humanitarian migrants seems to be at  least in some cases well below that of 
humanitarian migrants, and non-humanitarian migrants tend to stop depending on welfare 
more rapidly than other migrants. Thus, part  of the increase in welfare dependency of 
migrants can be traced back to  higher numbers of asylum seekers and refugees, who are not, 
or only under restrictive c onditions, permitted to work. 
3. OVERVIEW  AND  BROAD  TRENDS  IN NATIONAL  POLICIES  ON  
INTEGRATION   
The definition and content of integration policie s differ widely in terms of scope, target 
groups and actors. Some Member States are co mbining both actions targeted specifically on 
migrants and a mainstreaming approach; others have a less comprehensive, more fragmented 
strategy, which is often project-based. For long-term reside nt immigrants, ethnic or national 
minorities and asylum seekers, the policies carr ied out differ significantly from one Member 
State to another36. For newly arrived immigrants and re fugees, policies are more similar and 
are generally based on national introduc tion programmes consisting of three main 
components: language tuition, civic orientation an d education, and professional labour market 
training.  
The actors involved in developing integration policies vary a lo t across Member States. When 
a mainstream approach prevails, public actors  responsible for integration policies are less 
identifiable, with an overall res ponsibility often given to the Mini stry for Home Affairs and/or 
for Social Affairs. Authorities in  charge of policies for specific target groups are more visible. 
Integration strategies are defined at national level but often implemented by regional and local 
authorities. Some countries try to involve social  partners while others  rely mainly on NGOs.  
The diversity of approaches a nd actors reflects differe nt policy priorities, as well as the 
specific history and patterns of migration fl ows within each country. As several Member 
States have recently changed from being emig ration countries to immi gration countries, the 
need for comprehensive integration strategies has increasingly been recognised. This is, for 
instance, the case of many new Member Stat es, where emphasis has long been put on 
addressing minority issues, rather than on integrating newcomers.  
                                                 
34 Joint Report on pensions. 
35 A number of studies focus on Germany; some recent  evidence is available for Sweden, the Netherlands 
and Denmark. 
36 See European Commission, COM(2003) 336 Annex 1 Synthesis report on national integration policies. 
 
DA 18   DA Member States have committed themselves to significantly reduce the unemployment gaps 
between non-EU and EU nationals.  
Lacking a job is often perceived as the most important barrier to integration and promoting 
immigrant participation in the labour market is identified as a central policy priority. This is 
echoed by the vast majority of the National Contact  Points on Integration who identify lack of 
access to employment as being the greatest barrie r to integration and thus the most important 
political priority within national integratio n policies. Under the European Employment 
Strategy, Member States are called upon to promote the integration of and combat 
discrimination against immigrants and ethnic minor ities in the labour market. In particular, 
Member States are committed to significantly reduce the unemployment gaps between non-
EU and EU nationals by 2010, according to nationa l targets. Skills gaps and discrimination 
certainly play a role. Lack of language skil ls and difficulties regarding recognition of 
professional skills and qualifications are also important barriers. The analysis of the National Action Plans for Employment for 2003/2004 show s some promising policy developments. A 
growing number of Member Stat es (BE, DK, FR, PT, SE) are ta king measures to improve the 
recognition of qualifications and competences of migrants obta ined outside the EU. Special 
efforts are being carried out to improve job guidance and job counselling for migrants. For 
instance, the French public employment servi ce has nominated official s in charge of the 
coordination of the reception of  migrants in order to facilit ate their access to employment 
services. In Belgium, regional public employment  service also provides information about the 
rights of job seekers when c onfronted with discrimination. The potential of migrants to 
establish themselves as entrepreneurs is also increasingly recognised. In Germany, for 
example, several measures are developed to at tract more foreign workers to start their own 
business by better counselling, improved informati on and targeted public relation measures.  
However, little progress is seen in a number of other policy areas. Targets reflecting the one 
agreed at EU level have not been set at national level, except for the Netherlands, France, 
Denmark and Ireland. The Netherlands for example has committed itself to raising the employment rate of ethnic minorities to 54%  by 2005 whereas Denmark has set a target of 
having a minimum of 3.5% of people from a migrant origin in th e public sector. Although 
anti-discrimination measures in the workplace ar e considered crucial, not all Member States 
seem to give the necessary importance to this issue. The involvement and the commitment of 
the social partners are increasing but still lim ited. The evaluation of the effectiveness of 
policies is scarce. A counter-example is Swed en, which has recently appointed officials to 
review the effectiveness of reception and indu ction schemes for immigrants and refugees. 
Finally, many occupations remain inaccessible for non-EU nationals on the ground of nationality shifted recently its policy by aut horising non-EU nationals to access occupations 
in the civil service.  
Language tuition for newly arrived immigrants is gaining in importance 
Some immigrants are highly educated and alre ady speak the language of their host country. 
Immigrants bring with them a language resource  which the EU needs to capitalise on and their 
language  and intercultural  skills may well be better than th ose of their hosts. Language skills  
and the  improvement of the educational  attainment are, however, id entified as ke y challenges, 
not just to ensure integration in the labour market , but to integrate into society at large. Poor 
language skills are not only influenced by learning abilities and the lack of interaction with 
 
DA 19   DA the host society, but are perhaps also a re sult of shortage of financial resources37. Generally 
Member States seem to be focussing more on immigrant’ language abilities and an increasing number of countries are providi ng specific language tuition for newly arrived immigrants and 
refugees. Germany for instance is proposin g 600 hours of language training in their 
anticipated national integration programme. At the same time the focus has increased in some 
countries on the responsibility of the immigrant to integrate a nd learn the language of the host 
society. In the Netherlands an increased responsibility on the newcomers for his or her integration is envisaged by pl acing the cost of the introduction programme on the newcomer 
and requiring an integration exam. 
The provision of civic education to new immigrants is growing 
Confusion and ignorance surrounding immigration, social and cultural i ssues is widespread, 
as highlighted by the on-going di scussions in several Member States on the wearing of 
cultural and religious symbols. These difficult ies are also echoed by Member States which 
have highlighted the increasing need for provi ding civic education or  orientation to new 
immigrants, such as information about fundament al rights and obligations, including equality 
of men and women, basic norms and the core values  of the host society. Such efforts could be 
seen as an increased recognition of the n eed for developing and implementing a holistic 
approach to integration, whic h should include measures to facilitate civic, cultural and 
political participation. Member St ates still have difficulty in achieving the delicate balance 
between on the one hand the adaptation from migrants and on the other hand the changes 
required in society. 
Some progress in granting political ri ghts to immigrants at local level 
Participation in the political de cision-making process is certainl y an important formal step to 
granting foreigners similar rights and obligations  as EU-nationals. Participation in political 
life has been and is currently  under discussion in some Member States. Belgium and 
Luxembourg for example have recently adopted ne w legislation granting the right to vote to 
foreign residents under certain conditions. The ma jority of both new and old Member States 
have now granted some level of electoral rights  to immigrant at the local level and with the 
forthcoming transposition of th e Directive concerning the status  of third-country nationals 
who are long-term residents
38, there will be an opportunity for the remaining Member States 
to consider granting more political rights to immigrants. The European Parliament considers 
that Member States should ensure the right to  vote in local and European elections, but has 
emphasised that civic citizenship  implies more than that, including ensuring that citizenship 
requirements are non-discriminatory39. 
Making a drive to reduce the risks of poverty  and social exclusion is a critical challenge 
                                                 
37 Currently there are no specific Community measures to fund language courses for individual migrants 
as the responsibility for the organisation of educatio n and training systems rests with Member States. 
There are however projects under the Socrates and Leonardo da Vinci, which seek to encourage sharing 
of experiences and good practice in the teaching of immigrants. 
38 Council Directive 2003/109/EC of 25 November 2003. Deadline for transposition into national law is 
23 January 2006 cf. art. 26. 
39 Report on the Communication from the Commission on immigration, integration and employment from 
the European Parliament, 1 December 2003, A5-0445/2003. 
 
DA 20   DA Under the European common objectives to combat  poverty  and social exclusion adopted in 
December 2002 emphasis was placed on the need  to tackle the specific social risks 
experienced by immigrants. An analysis of the National Action Plans for Social Inclusion for 
2003-200540 shows that a more determined action is  needed. While Member States identify 
immigrants among those particularly at risk of  poverty and social excl usion, many countries 
still fail to provide in-depth analysis of the fact ors leading to this situat ion. Little attention is 
given to promoting access to resources, rights, g oods and services, in par ticular to appropriate 
healthcare.  
… and access to affordable housing is a particular problem  
The urban settlement and housing  of immigrants, in particular,  are still causing difficulties. A 
number of Member States are struggling to provide affordab le housing and to address the 
negative consequences of  segregation and deprived urban areas, where immigrants tend to be 
over-represented. Some Member States are in troducing new approaches to overcome this 
problem by linking admission and housing policie s. Italy, for example, has decided to 
introduce a new system where the employer ha s to guarantee housing under a “contract of 
stay for work”.  
Fighting discrimination must be stepped-up 
The fight against discrimination and racism has been rendered even more complex in the 
recent political climate, with the sometimes negative stereotypi ng of immigrants in the media 
and the rise in support for far-ri ght political parties in some Member States. Specific actions 
to promote the integration of immigrants mu st be complemented by measures to tackle 
discriminatory barriers. Policies to  combat  discrimination and racism are not always 
connected to the integration strategies pursue d by the Member States. There is, however, a 
clear recognition of the need to act. Most EU  citizens acknowledge that members of ethnic 
minorities would stand less chance of getting a j ob or training, even with the same level of 
qualifications as other candidates,  and more than 80% of EU ci tizens believe that it is wrong 
to treat people differently on the basis of their racial or ethnic origin41. The transposition of 
the 2000 EU legislation banning discrimination on grounds of racial or  ethnic origin in 
employment and beyond42 has acted as a catalyst for pr ogress by forbidding discriminatory 
attitudes, behaviour and practi ces and establishing in  each Member Stat e specialised bodies 
responsible for promoting equality and comb ating racial discrimination, which are now 
becoming operational.  
4. O VERVIEW OF FINANCIAL INSTRUMENT S AND THEIR CONTRIBUTION TO 
INTEGRATION OF IMMIGRANTS  
Several EU financial instruments and initiative s contribute to the integration efforts of the 
Member States. Financial suppo rt is available through the St ructural Funds, and from the 
European Social Fund (ESF) in particular. Some  of the activities supported under the five ESF 
priorities have relevance for the integration of immigrants although it is difficult to quantify 
their contribution as such at EU level since the ESF programmes do not have a target group 
                                                 
40 See 2003 Joint Inclusion Report, as well as national action plans for social inclusion on 
http://europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/news/2001/jun/napsincl2001_en.html  
41 See Eurobarometer survey on Discrimination in Europe  published by the Commission in June 2003. 
42 Council Directive 2000/43/EC. 
 
DA 21   DA approach and legally resident third-country nationals are elig ible for ESF funding on the same 
footing as EU nationals. Over 2000-2006, the ESF will spend some € 12.5 billion (20 % of the 
budget for the period) under the po licy field addressed at promo ting equal opportunities for all 
in accessing the labour market. As an example43 of support for immigrants, projects and 
measures have been identified in the programming documents of a number of Member States 
(BE, LU, FR, ES, EL, NL) amounting to € 26 0 million. The activities include counselling, 
training, guidance, employment support and measures  to facilitate labour  market integration. 
Another example is the Objective 3 Commun ity Support framework for UK, with an ESF 
allocation of more than € 4 billon, under whic h ethnic minorities and refugees represent 28% 
of the beneficiaries of active labour market measures. 
The European action programmes in the field of education also have relevance for the 
integration of immigrants. The Grundtvig ac tions, under the Socrates  programme, aiming at 
making lifelong learning opportunities more widely  available to citizens in Europe, have 
supported a number of projects addressing the learning needs of immigrant communities so as 
to secure their fuller participation in civil society and more effective access to, and progress 
within, the labour market. In 2003, 28% of the pr ojects supported by Gru ndtvig related to the 
education of migrants (as primary or indirect beneficiaries) and ref ugees. Migrants’ children 
is also an overall priority for Comenius. 17% of the projects in the period 2000-2003 
supported at Community level wher e targeted specifically at mi grants children. The Leonardo 
da Vinci programme, implementing the EU’s vocational training policy, also supported in 
2001 and 2002 a number of projects, which ha ve migrants and refugees among their 
beneficiaries.  
Across the EU, transnational exchanges have de veloped within the framework of the EQUAL 
initiative and of the European action programmes in the field of employment, to combat social 
exclusion and to combat discrimination, which all include activities of relevance to the 
integration of immigrants. Under the EQUAL44 initiative an amount of € 225 million supports 
partnership projects related to  the integration of disadvantaged groups in the labour market. 
The beneficiaries include certain categories of migrants and a nu mber of projects are 
dedicated to asylum-seekers. Under the various programmes,  several studies and "peer 
review" activities are planned or  on-going, for instance on the c ontribution of immigration to 
labour supply and the impact of  different immigration patterns on employment and growth, on 
the integration of immigrants into the labour ma rket, on policies to involve  social partners in 
the integration of migrants, on urban issues and access to h ousing by immigrants and ethnic 
minorities.   
Due to the significant impact of immigration on entrepreneurship and the importance of 
business creation by immigrants as a means to integration, the Entrep reneurship Action Plan45 
has targeted support for immigr ant entrepreneurs as one of  its key actions for 2004. The 
action aims to facilitate exch ange of good practices between Member States in accordance 
with the open method of co-ordination.  
                                                 
43 The following examples only illustrate the type of support provided by ESF to third country nationals. 
A more global and accurate overvi ew of the support could only be  provided after requesting and 
obtaining from Member States more detailed information of their respective Programmes. 
44 See http://europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/equal/index_en.html ; 
http://europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/incentive_measures/index_en.htm ; 
http://europa.eu.int/comm/ employment _social/soc-prot/soc-incl/ex_prog_en.htm ; 
http://europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/fundamental_rights/index_en.htm . 
45 COM(2004) 70 final.  
 
DA 22   DA With respect to specific instruments targeted towards immigrants the European Refugee Fund 
is the European Community’s main instrume nt supporting the implementation of a common 
asylum policy. In 2003, Member States alloca ted 25% of their appropriation under the 
European Refugee Fund to support the integratio n of refugees covering activities at national 
level in particular to provide social assistan ce in areas such as housing, means of subsistence 
and health care or to enable beneficiaries to ad just to the society of the Member State or to 
provide for themselves. A number of important  projects have been implemented aiming at 
empowering refugees through community-based so cial support, family support, and support 
for the maintenance of the native culture of re fugees. Projects are also being implemented to 
promote pathways to socio-economic integr ation through language teaching, vocational 
orientation and training, job searches and job creation. In  February 2004, the Commission 
presented a proposal for the establishment of th e second phase of the European Refugee Fund 
for the period 2005-2010. 
A new pilot project on integrati on (INTI) was launched in 2003 w ith a view to specifically 
support networks and the transferral of in formation and good practices between Member 
States, regional and local authorities and other stakeholders on policies for the integration of 
immigrants. Fourteen projects involving the esta blishment of networks, conferences, research 
and the development of innovative approaches have been selected for funding and are now 
being implemented. 
In addition, the Council adopted in December 2 003 a proposal from the Commission for the 
establishment of a cooperation programme (A RENEAS) with third countries aiming at 
providing specific and complementary assistance to  them in order to s upport their efforts in 
better managing migratory flows in  all their dimensions. It provi des for a global envelope of 
€ 250 million for the period 2004-2008.