Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on the 'Proposal for a Council Decision establishing a Community action programme to promote the integration of refugees'
Date: 1999-11-18
Institutions: European Committee of the Regions
Subjects: EU action, action programme, integration of migrants, refugee

29.2.2000

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 57/71

d) a working party, made up of members and experts
from COR Commissions 5 and 7, cooperating with the
Commission where appropriate, should be established in
the longer term to furnish a link between local/regional
authorities and Commission and Member State initiatives,
partly so as to prepare properly for the conference
mentioned under point a);

e)

the potential of the Euro-Mediterranean agreements should
be tapped and cross-border cooperation policies stepped
up, with the establishment of a reserve fund for emergency
action to defend the EU borders and provide initial
reception facilities;

f) within the framework of on-going efforts to harmonise
procedures for dealing with asylum and refugee issues, the
Council and the European Parliament should recognise the
importance of the UN Convention on the Rights of the
Child when addressing these matters.

Brussels, 18 November 1999.

The President

of the Committee of the Regions

Manfred DAMMEYER

Opinion of the Committee of the Regions on the ‘Proposal for a Council Decision establishing a
Community action programme to promote the integration of refugees’

(2000/C 57/11)

THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS,

having regard to the Commission proposal for a Council Decision establishing a Community action
programme to promote the integration of refugees (COM(1998) 731 final) (1);

having regard to the decision of the Council of 6 July 1999 to consult the Committee on the subject in
accordance with the first paragraph of Article 265 of the Treaty establishing the European Community;

having regard to the decision of its Bureau of 15 September 1999 to direct Commission 5 ‘Social Policy,
Public Health, Consumer Protection, Research and Tourism’ to draw up the relevant opinion;

having regard to the draft opinion (CdR 347/99) adopted by Commission 5 on 6 September 1999
(rapporteur: Mr von Plüskow, D/PSE),

adopted the following opinion by a unanimous vote at its 31st plenary session (meeting of 18 November).

1. Background

the initial results have been published and, according to the
Commission, are positive.

Since 1998 the general budget of the European Union
1.1.
has contained three interlinked budget headings for measures
to help asylum seekers, displaced persons and refugees. So far
these measures have been implemented by the Commission in
the form of pilot projects. For this purpose the European
Parliament provided EUR 10 million in both 1997 and 1998.
The pilot projects have been fully assessed by outside experts;

(1) OJ C 36, 10.2.1999, p. 20.

At the suggestion of the European Parliament, the
1.2.
Commission is now presenting a proposal for a comprehensive
plan, based on the measures that already exist. This plan,
which comes under the general heading of EU social policy,
includes the present proposal for an action programme to
promote the integration of refugees in the European Union,
based on Article 235 EC Treaty.

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The action programme is to run from 1 July 1999 to
31 December 2000. The funds to be provided total EUR
5 million for 1999 and EUR 9 million for 2000. The explana-
tion for the reduced funding is that the programme now
focuses on innovative actions with a clear European added-v-
alue and not on proposals with a purely local or national
impact. However, the programme is also meant to supplement
actions at local, regional, national and EU level.

The following measures are planned:

— the setting-up and running of large multi-dimensional,
innovative projects with a clear European added-value;

— the setting-up and running of Community-level projects;

— the creation and development of transnational networks;

— the exchange of experience, and the assessment, monito-
ring and evaluation of projects and practice leading to the
identification of innovative approaches to the integration
of refugees;

— the collection, compilation and dissemination of data and

reports;

— the provision of information on the programme and the

dissemination of its results.

A committee consisting of Member States’ representatives and
chaired by a Commission representative is also to be set up to
advise the Commission.

The EU Council of Ministers is to reach a decision on the
programme in January 2000.

At a later stage the Commission plans to draft a further
proposal for a Council Decision to cover 2001 and beyond.
The purpose of this decision is to establish a comprehensive
plan for tackling the whole issue of asylum seekers, displaced
persons and refugees, with due regard to all developments
subsequent to the Treaty of Amsterdam.

3. Specific comments

3.1.
The integration of refugees calls for specific measures
which take account of individual circumstances (e.g. refugees’
training and knowledge of languages). It is important for the
Committee of the Regions that the Commission is to ensure
full cooperation with local authorities because they play a
central role in the integration of refugees. Social, cultural,
economic and political
instruments can be developed at
grassroots level with the help of the local population. It is also
possible in this way to fight discrimination and the causes of
discrimination at work, at school and in local administrations.

3.2.
The Committee of the Regions would point out that
the most important task when integrating refugees is to find
them a job. Most local and regional authorities are employers,
and generate employment by promoting public services. They
can play an important role in helping refugees to integrate
socially and find jobs. They can also promote the activation of
instruments for facilitating entry into the labour market.
Measures should also be taken to retrain refugees so that they
can move into more highly skilled jobs.

The Committee of the Regions welcomes the fact that
3.3.
the action programme respects the responsibilities of the
Member States and cultural differences within the Community
by restricting itself to projects with a ‘clear European added-v-
alue’ and not supporting purely national or local projects.

4. Conclusions

4.1.
The Committee of the Regions trusts that further
progress will be made in integrating refugees as a result of the
action programme, which it therefore approves in principle.

2. General comments

2.1.
The integration of refugees is an important task for
Member States, resulting — for example — from their
obligations under the 1951 Geneva Convention. The EU’s
decision to back Member States’ efforts by promoting and
supporting new strategies for the integration of refugees is to
be welcomed.

4.2.
However, since this programme is merely a very
short-term, transitional measure, it is vital to exchange and
disseminate experience about successful projects. Accordingly,
it is suggested that the Commission draws up a vademecum of
best practice,
in conjunction with the Committee of the
Regions, with regard to local and regional actions for integra-
ting refugees.

Given the growing number of refugees in Member
2.2.
States, Community action to promote their integration is
particularly helpful.

This includes examining the effects which different social
security and health care systems have on the promotion of
integration.

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The experience and knowledge acquired in this way should be
incorporated in the provisions laid down by the Council of
Ministers for the period after 2001, which are to form a
comprehensive plan for the whole issue of asylum seekers,
displaced persons and refugees. All the measures implemented
hitherto should also be evaluated as part of this exercise.

The Committee of the Regions trusts that local and
4.3.
regional authorities will be directly involved in the implemen-
tation of the action programme, in close cooperation with
the Member States and with organisations and institutions
involved in the integration of refugees. Local and regional
authorities play a major role in the integration of refugees
through their actions in the social field. Also, the schemes
which they have introduced at a local level may constitute an
important breeding ground for projects elsewhere in the
European Union.

The Committee of

4.4.
following changes and additions to the action programme:

the Regions also calls for the

a) Article 2

together will make it easier to find a lasting solution to the
problems caused by refugees’ special circumstances.

b) Article 4

The planned actions seem to be focused primarily on compre-
hensive, across-the-board measures. This approach is to be
supported in principle, but it must not rule out measures on a
smaller scale, which are confined to specific regions and which
may offer a swifter and more effective remedy.

Vote on a) and b);

Make the appropriate additions to Articles 2 and 4.

c) Article 7

Setting up an advisory committee seems pointless at the
moment. Since the programme is a short-term transitional
measure, it should be kept as simple as possible. This does not
rule out the possibility of setting up a committee when the
definitive programme starts in 2001.

Eligible persons within the meaning of Article 2 should be not
only individuals but also whole families. Keeping families

Delete Articles 7 and 8.

Vote on c):

Brussels, 18 November 1999.

The President

of the Committee of the Regions

Manfred DAMMEYER