COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT Accompanying the document COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS Action Plan on Integration and Inclusion 2021-2027
Date: 2020-11-24
Institutions: Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs, European Commission
Subjects: EU migration policy, action programme, economic and social cohesion, equal treatment, foreign national, integration into employment, integration of migrants, marginalisation, migrant, social integration

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 24.11.2020  SWD(2020) 290 final  COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT Accompanying the document COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS Action Plan on Integration and Inclusion 2021-2027 {COM(2020) 758 final}  
 
 
ASSESSMENT  OF  THE  2016  COMMISSION  ACTION  PLAN  ON  THE 
INTEGRATION OF THIRD-COUNTRY NATIONALS  

1.  General introduction 

The European Commission (hereinafter the Commission) adopted in 2016 the action plan on 
the Integration of third-country nationals (hereinafter “the action plan”) to support actions by 
national governments, local authorities and civil society in line with the objectives of the 2015 
European Agenda on Migration. The large number of people seeking asylum in the European 
Union  (EU)  in  2015  and  2016  mobilised  all  stakeholders,  public  and  private,  to  welcome 
newcomers and put in place integration measures in most Member States. Even those Member 
States  with  limited  experience  in  integration  policies  had  to  quickly  design  and  implement 
integration  measures,  establishing  strategies  and  action  plans  at  national,  regional  or  local 
levels. In this context, the action plan provided a common policy framework designed to help 
Member  States  develop  and  strengthen  their  national  integration  policies  to  the  benefit  of 
third-country nationals and the hosting society. 

The  objective  of  this  Staff  Working  Document  is  to  provide  an  overall  assessment  of  the 
implementation of the actions included in the 2016 action plan and to draw lessons to inform 
the Commission action plan on integration and inclusion1. It also takes stock of the impact of 
the  2016  action  plan  across  EU  Member  States,  including  the  follow-up  to  the 
recommendations  addressed  to  them.  When  preparing  this  assessment,  the  Commission 
consulted Member States and other relevant stakeholders2 so that their views could be taken 
into account in assessing the implementation and the impact of the actions (see sections 3 and 
4 below). 

2.  Evaluation of the initiatives under the five priority areas 

The scope of the 2016 action plan targeted third-country nationals legally residing in the EU, 
with  specific  measures  responding  to  the  integration  needs  of  particular  groups  such  as 
refugees.  The  Commission  provided  policy,  operational  and  financial  support  to  Member 
States in their efforts, and implemented 50 actions at EU level3. In addition, the Commission 
proposed 16 actions under the form of encouragements to Member States in the action 
plan.  These  16  actions  were  structured  around  the  different  policy  areas  contributing  to 
integration:  pre-departure  measures,  education,  employment,  access  to  basic  services, 
participation and inclusion, with elements on funding and policy coordination.  

1 Action plan on integration and inclusion 2021-2027, COM(2020) 758. 
2 The Commission organised targeted consultations to hear the views of key stakeholders on the new action plan 
and  to  hear  their  assessment  of  the  2016  action  plan.  The  Commission  consulted  the  European  Integration 
Network, CSOs, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), local and regional authorities, 
social  and  economic  partners,  members  of  the  Business  Refugee  Action  Network  (BRAN)  managed  by  the 
International Rescue Committee, and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). More information on 
the  consultations  organized  by  the  Commission  is  available  at  the  following  link:  https://ec.europa.eu/home-
affairs/sites/homeaffairs/files/summary/summary_of_consultations_in_view_of_the_action_plan_on_integration
_and_inclusion.pdf. 
3 The full overview of the actions implemented can be found on the European website on integration. 

1 

 
 
                                                           
  First priority area: pre-departure/pre-arrival measures 

Providing support to third-country nationals at the earliest possible moment in the migration 
process  has  proven  to  be  an  essential  feature  of  successful  integration.  Pre-departure 
orientation and involvement  of civil  society are particularly important  in  the resettlement  of 
vulnerable  refugees.  Therefore,  the  Commission  has  also  undertaken  actions  at  the  stage  of 
pre-departure and pre-arrival, mainly through the funding of projects. 

In 2016, seven transnational projects for an amount of EUR 4.6 million were selected under 
the Asylum Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) call for proposals on “Pre-departure and 
post-arrival support for the integration of persons in need of international protection who are 
being relocated within the EU or resettled from a third country”. The boxes below contain two 
examples of successful projects financed under the 2016 AMIF call for proposals. 

Title 

Link 

Short 
description  

LINK-IT Project 

https://eea.iom.int/LINK-IT 

As part of the 2016 AMIF call for projects to increase integration outcomes 
through  pre-departure  measures,  the  Commission  supported  the  LINK-IT 
project,  coordinated  by  the  International  Organisation  for  Migration  (IOM) 
and implemented over 2018-19. The project was focused on Syrian refugees 
resettled from Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey to  four EU Member States (the 
United Kingdom, Denmark, Romania, and Portugal). Four main actions have 
been  delivered,  among  which  the  development  of  a  skills  profile  tool 
template/method, which has been used to generate more than 1 000 profiles 
among Syrian refugees awaiting resettlement. Through the LINK-IT project, 
around  340  resettled  Syrian  refugees  have  benefited  from  post-arrival 
support and around 600 representatives from local authorities, public sectors, 
host  community  organisations  or  employers  attended  information  sessions. 
In  addition,  mutual  learning  activities  were  facilitated  and  a  policy  brief 
about the “EU  Integration practices for Resettled Refugees” was published. 
The initial targets could not be delivered due to delays and a  lower number 
of  refugees  resettled  than  expected  in  the  Portuguese  and  Romanian 
resettlement programs.  

2 

 
 
 
 
Title 

Link 

Short 
description  

SHARE Integration Project 

http://www.resettlement.eu/page/welcome-share-network  

As part of the 2016 AMIF call for projects to increase integration outcomes 
through  pre-departure  measures,  the  International  Catholic  Migration 
Commission  (ICMC),  Caritas  and  their  partners  implemented  the  SHARE 
project  in  2018 and 2019. The general  objective of the SHARE  Integration 
project  was  to  promote  coordinated  reception,  early  settlement  and 
integration  of  third-country  nationals  resettled  or  relocated  to  European 
countries by means of strengthening the link between pre-departure and post-
arrival  support  and  preparing  local  communities.  Through  its  trainings, 
conferences,  and  other  activities,  the  project  directly  engaged  more  than 
1,000 participants  from  25 Member States, including national,  regional and 
local  authorities  (including  from  small  cities),  civil  society,  and  refugees 
themselves. 

In  2017,  four  additional  projects  were  selected  under  the  AMIF  call  for  proposals  on  “Pre-
departure  and  post-arrival  support  for  the  integration  of  persons  in  need  of  international 
protection  who  are  being  resettled  from  a  third  country  including  through  volunteering 
activities”  for  an  amount  of  EUR  3.1  million,  and  are  still  being  implemented  (as  of 
November  2020).  In  addition,  the  Commission  has  supported  legal  migration  pilot  projects 
from a number of African countries (through the Mobility Partnership Facility, AMIF Union 
Actions  and  the  EU  emergency  Trust  Fund).  Currently  there  are  six  pilot  projects  ongoing 
with 1,725 intended beneficiaries and an overall budget of EUR 35 million, including non-EU 
funding4. The projects cover mobility as well as capacity-building and pre-departure training 
in origin countries. 

For 2017, the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) had foreseen in its work programme 
actions  to  facilitate  exchanges  of  information  and  best  practices  to  mainstream  elements  of 
integration  at  various  stages  of  the  asylum  process  and  reception.  Although  not  specifically 
referred  to  in  the  work  programme  for  the  following  years,  these  mainstreaming  activities 
continued after 2017, and included practical  cooperation activities, exchange of information 
and  development  of  guidance  and  practical  tools.  In  addition,  EASO  organised  several 
workshops  with  mostly  experts  from  the  Commission,  Member  States,  international 
organisation  and  civil  society  on  different  topics  related  to  integration  and  inclusion,  for 
example on the role of reception agencies in the transition from reception towards integration, 
the role between reception and society and the impact of long stays in reception centres. 

4  Constraints  related  to  the  COVID-19  pandemic  are  negatively  impacting  the  pilot  projects  and  therefore  the 
number of beneficiaries might be lower than initially envisaged. 

3 

 
 
 
 
                                                           
  Second priority area: education  

The action plan recognised that education and training are among the most powerful tools for 
integration,  provided  migrants  can  access  them  as  early  as  possible.  In  this  field,  the 
integration  of  migrant  learners  is  primarily  discussed  in  the  context  of  inclusive  education, 
taking  into  account  the  heterogeneity  of  the  composition  of  the  student  population  across 
Member States, and the complex interplay between multiple factors of potential disadvantage 
(such as socio-economic background, gender, and migration background). Considering these 
factors,  the  Commission  has  supported  several  initiatives  that  aim  to  ensure  an  inclusive 
education for all pupils, regardless of their migrant background.  

The Commission established a policy network on migrant education to support the integration 
of  children  and  young  people  with  a  migration  background  in  education  (SIRIUS  2.0)  with 
participation  of  17  Member  States,  Norway  and  the  United  Kingdom.  In  addition,  the 
Commission  organised  seven  peer-learning  activities  to  support  Member  States  through 
exchanges,  mutual  learning,  evidence  and  data  collection  on  topics  such  as  language 
assessment, recognition of qualifications or intercultural dialogue5. These activities generated 
high interest among Member States, with 21 of them attending at least one event. 

As learning the language of the country is crucial for integration, the Commission decided to 
extend  the  use  of  services  offered  by  the  Erasmus+  Online  Linguistic  Support  to  support 
third-country  nationals  who  settled  in  the  EU  in  2015-16.  Out  of  the  100  000  licences 
earmarked,  approximately  70  000  language  assessments  were  allocated  to  the  beneficiary 
institutions and organisations by participating Erasmus+ National Agencies in 21 countries. A 
total of 12 902 language assessments and 9 543 courses were used among refugees. Regarding 
supporting staff, 753 assessments were completed and 493 languages courses were activated. 

Inclusive  education.  The  Commission  supported  the  development  of  high  quality  inclusive 
early  childhood  education  and  care  services,  as  this  can  be  an  effective  tool  to  achieve 
educational equity for migrant and refugee children in particular. Policy attention to learners 
with a migrant background increased in the work under the Education and Training Strategy 
2020 (ET 2020). Within the ET 2020 framework, the Working Group on Promoting Common 
Values and Inclusive Education published a thematic fiche on the inclusion of young refugees 
and migrants through education. This included policy recommendations in several areas, such 
as  combatting  stereotypes,  racism,  and  discrimination  in  learning  content  and  professional 
development for teaching in multicultural and multilingual classrooms.  In addition, concrete 
actions  to  support  teachers  in  diverse  classrooms  involved  the  creation  of  platforms 
supporting  teachers  and  schools  in  the  exchange  of  good  practices.  An  example  is 
the eTwinning  platform,  which facilitated  mutual  support,  professional  development 
opportunities, and the exchange of practices in relation to integration and inclusion amongst a 
growing community of teachers.  

5  A  thematic  fiche  on  the  inclusion  of  young  refugees  and  migrants  in  education,  prepared  by  the  ET2020 
Working Group on Promoting Common Values and Inclusive Education, summarises key messages from recent 
Peer Learning Activities and proposes further recommendations for policy-makers.  

4 

 
 
                                                           
The EU has also co-funded transnational projects and partnerships. In the field of youth, since 
2014 more than 2 000 projects promoting social inclusion of youth workers have specifically 
tackled integration of refugees and/or migrants’ issues. In addition, between 2016 and 2020, a 
dedicated  call  for  proposals  on  social  inclusion  under  Erasmus+  in  the  field  of  education 
supported  projects  related  to  the  inclusion  of  migrants  and  refugees.  In  2020,  a  call  for 
proposals  under  Erasmus  +  contained  a  specific  objective  to  support  the inclusion  of  newly 
arrived migrants in good quality education, including by assessing knowledge and validating 
prior learning. 

Between 2016 and 2020, the Commission launched initiatives to improve processes, facilitate 
procedures, and ameliorate the exchange of information among different stakeholders in the 
area  of  recognition  of  academic  qualifications.  This  included  peer  learning  activities  and 
exchanges  between  the  European  Network  of  Information  Centres  -  National  Academic 
Recognition Information Centres (ENIC-NARIC), the Council of Europe and UNESCO and 
civil society organisations (CSOs), and the co-funding of two toolkits for credential evaluators 
to support the recognition of academic qualifications of refugees (see box below). 

Title 

Link 

Short 
description 

Toolkit for Recognition of Refugees’ Qualifications  

Toolkit 1 “Refugees and Recognition” and toolkit 2 “REACT” 

Co-financed  by  Erasmus+  and  led  by  the  Norwegian  Agency  for  Quality 
Assurance  in  Education,  the  projects  developed  tools  to  promote  effective 
recognition  procedures  for  refugees,  displaced  persons  and  persons  in  a 
refugee-like situation (hereafter “refugees”). The target group included those 
who  do  not  have  complete  official  documentation,  from  ten  countries 
(Afghanistan, Eritrea,  Iraq, Libya, Syria, Iran, Ethiopia, Somalia, Venezuela 
and  the  Democratic  Republic  of  Congo).  Overall,  the  projects  contribute  to 
enhance mobility, employability and access to further studies for refugees by 
promoting transnational cooperation and mutual learning. 

While efforts  on education led to  some improvements, specific shortcomings remain. These 
are mainly related to  the fact  that  in  the  area of  education, inclusion often covers  a broader 
target  group  than  third-country  nationals.  This  represents  an  obstacle  in  assessing  and 
measuring  the  impact  of  several  measures,  since  it  is  necessary  to  take  into  account  the 
complex interplay between multiple factors of potential disadvantage such as socio-economic 
background  and  gender.  Given  the  remaining  gaps  in  education  outcomes,  which  do  not 
favour pupils with a migrant background,  education will remain a priority area in  the future 
action  plan  on  integration  and  inclusion.  Additional  efforts  will  focus  on  data  collection  to 
assess the impact of existing policies aiming to close the “achievement gap” between pupils 
with a migrant background (including native-born pupils with immigrant parents) and the rest 
of the student population.  

5 

 
 
 
 
  Third priority area: labour market and vocational training  

The  action  plan  clearly  acknowledged  that  employment  and  timely  and  full  labour  market 
participation  are  core  elements  of  the  integration  process.  To  support  early  integration,  the 
Commission  has  funded  five  projects6  promoting  "fast  track"  insertion  into  the  labour 
market and vocational training (see an example in the box below). 

Title 

FIER – Fast track integration in European Regions 

https://fierprojecteu.com/about/ 

Link 
Description   Funded  under  the  EU  Programme  for  Employment  and  Social  Innovation 
(EaSI),  the  FIER  project  aimed  to  develop  instruments  and  strategies  for 
fast-track  labour  market  integration  of  disadvantaged  groups  among 
refugees  and  asylum  seekers.  The  main  objective  of  the  project  was  to 
develop  strategies  on  quality  competence  assessment,  training  curricula, 
self-empowerment  initiatives,  and  a  workplace  language-learning  concept 
to  achieve  a  fast  and  successful  integration  process  in  different  European 
areas.  Initially  targeting  1 000  refugees,  the  project  eventually  reached 
3 000  refugees  bringing  them  closer  to  self-sufficiency  and  a  job.  The 
project  took  into  account  and  made  visible  how  newcomers’  challenges 
vary  depending  on  their  gender,  ethnic  origin,  age,  educational  level, 
disabilities, religion or sexual orientation. 
Over  500  companies  and  stakeholders  have  been  involved  in  the  process 
and  the  12  partners  in  the  project  have  identified  nearly  40  new  methods 
and ways of working. About 25 partner projects have been set up and most 
of  them  will  continue  with  new  funding  or  will  be  incorporated  in  the 
partners’  day-to-day  activities,  ensuring  the  sustainability  of  the  new 
measures.  

Improved  outreach  activities  were  also  organised  for  vulnerable  young  people  not  in 
Employment, Education or Training (NEETs). In this field, the Commission proposed the 
Youth  Guarantee,  which  aims  to  support  disadvantaged  groups  and  is  a  useful  catalyst  for 
supporting the integration of young migrants including refugees. Moreover, in the context of 
the European Skills Agenda launched in June 2016, the European Commission also proposed 
the  revision  of  the  Europass  framework;  the  final  revised  recommendation  adopted  by  the 
Council in 2018 pays specific attention to migrants’ needs.  

The  EU  Skills  Profile  Tool  for  third-country  nationals,  launched  in  2017,  has  been 
supporting  early  profiling  of  the  skills  and  qualifications  of  asylum  seekers,  refugees  and 
other migrants. As such, it aims to facilitate the integration  of third-country nationals in the 
labour  market  and  to  promote  their  skills  and  potential  (see  box  below  for  further 
information). 

Title 

Skills Profile Tool for third-country nationals 

6 https://ec.europa.eu/social/BlobServlet?docId=18831&langId=en.   

6 

 
 
                                                           
Link 

https://ec.europa.eu/migrantskills/  

Short 
description 

The  'Skills  Profile  Tool  for  third-country  nationals'  is  a  practical  tool  for 
early identification and profiling of skills and qualifications of refugees and 
other third-country nationals (available in all EU languages as well as in the 
main  languages  of  the  sending  countries).  The  tool  is  free  to  use  and 
available  for  national  authorities  responsible  for  reception  and  integration 
of refugees, as well as public and private employment services.  

Despite  initial  hesitance  from  some  organisations,  a  diverse  set  of 
stakeholders  in  many  different  EU  Member  States  (including  CSOs, 
national  authorities,  public  employment  services)  are  now  increasingly 
using  the  Tool.  It  has  enabled  identification  and  mapping  of  skills  and 
qualifications of third-country nationals, facilitating their pathway towards 
employment  or  further  training  and  education.  In  addition,  it  played  a 
useful  role  in  addressing  some  skills  shortages  and  is  an  opportunity  to 
understand  the  value  of  refugees’  skills,  as  well  as  the  barriers  that  they 
face in having their skills and competences recognised.  

The Commission has also promoted the sharing of promising and best practices on labour 
market  integration  through  the  organisation  of  different  initiatives,  including  exchanges 
within  mutual  learning  programmes  for  Member  States,  conferences  and  workshops.  The 
Commission  also  developed  an  online  repository  of  promising  practices  on  labour  market 
integration and the social inclusion of asylum seekers and refugees.  

The action plan has contributed to a greater acknowledgement of the importance and potential 
of  migrant  entrepreneurship.  Actions  were  carried  out  especially  under  the  COSME 
programme, under which a second call on capacity building for young migrant entrepreneurs 
was  launched  in  2018.  Funding  in  this  area  has  also  financed  actions  to  improve  the 
integration of third-country nationals in the labour market. For example, the Commission has 
provided  funding  to  strengthen  the  capacity  of  municipalities  and  local  authorities  on 
reception  and  integration  practices  for  refugees,  with  a  focus  on  labour  market  integration, 
through  the  preparatory  Action  “Supporting  Active  Inclusion  of  Disadvantaged  Migrants  in 
Europe” (ADMin4ALL).  

Overall,  in  the  policy  area  of  employment,  the  Commission  went  beyond  the  actions 
included in the action plan. For example, the Commission launched the initiative Employers 
together  for  integration  to  mobilise  private  and  public  employers  to  promote  the  labour 
market inclusion of migrants and refugees, through trainings, mentoring, and apprenticeships. 
The Commission has also strengthened cooperation with social and economic partners, with 
whom it signed the European Partnership for Integration to foster the integration of refugees 
in the labour market at the end of 2017 (see box below). 

7 

 
 
 
 
Title 

Link 

Short 
description 

European Partnership for Integration 

https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_17_5352  

Launched  in  2017,  the  Partnership  brought  the  European  Commission  and 
European  social  and  economic  partners  together  to  establish  key  principles 
and  create  new  opportunities  for  the  labour  market  integration  of  refugees. 
Social and economic partners have put in place a wide range of actions and 
initiatives  in  20  EU  countries.  The  EU  has  co-funded  several  innovative 
projects  bringing  together  employers,  chambers  of  commerce  and  industry, 
chambers of skilled crafts and trade unions to help refugees integrate into the 
labour market.  

Renewed in September 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Partnership 
recalls the need for a comprehensive approach to integration that empowers 
all  relevant  stakeholders  at  local,  national  and  European  levels,  and  the 
essential  role  played  by  public  authorities.  In  addition,  it  highlights  that 
migrants  including  refugees  make  up  a  significant  part  of  the  EU’s 
workforce.  It  also  acknowledges  their  contribution  to  European  economies, 
particularly  during  the  recent  health  crisis  when  many  made  critical 
contributions.  

Since  2016,  EU  Member  States  and  institutions  have  promoted  a  number  of  new  actions  to 
support labour market  integration of migrants.  While these  efforts translated into increasing 
employment rates, especially among recently arrived, large gaps remain, in particular in terms 
of  access  to  (stable)  employment  for  third-country  nationals.  In  light  of  this  situation, 
employment will remain a key priority area in the future action plan.  

  Fourth priority area: access to basic services 

The action plan recognised that access to basic services, such as healthcare and housing, is a 
pre-condition to successful integration. Third-country nationals still face major challenges in 
accessing basic services. The Commission proactively supported Member States in addressing 
such challenges by providing funding and guidance.  

The European Investment Bank (EIB) substantially increased financial support for private 
and public investments in the reception and integration of asylum seekers and other migrants. 
In  particular,  the  EIB  granted  EUR  1  billion  in  loans  and  guarantees  to  ensure  reception 
capacities and build or refurbish social or affordable housing for migrants. 

Access to healthcare. The competence of the EU action on healthcare limits its possibilities 
to act in this area, with support mainly focused on funding7 and exchange of best practices in 
care  provision  to  vulnerable  migrants  and  provision  of  training  to  health  professionals,  law 

7 More information on the projects funded on migrants’ health is available on the Health Programme page.  

8 

 
 
                                                           
enforcement  officials  and  other  professionals  in  contact  with  migrants  and  refugees8.  These 
activities  have  led  to  a  stronger  understanding  of  the  needs  of  vulnerable  groups  and  had  a 
strong  impact.  The  trainings  offered  to  law  enforcement  officials  also  proved  to  be  more 
successful  than  expected.  The  box  below  contains  an  example  of  a  successful  EU-funded 
project in the area of healthcare.  

Title 

Mig-HealthCare  -  strengthening  community  based  care  to  minimise 
health  inequalities  and  improve  the  integration  of  vulnerable  migrants 
and refugees into local communities 

Link  

https://mighealthcare.eu/  

Short 
description  

their 

inclusion  and  participation 

Launched  in  May  2017,  this  three-year  project  was  implemented  by  a 
consortium of partners from ten countries across Europe. The overall objective 
of Mig-HealthCare was to improve healthcare access for vulnerable migrants 
and  refugees,  support 
in  European 
communities  and  reduce  health  inequalities.  Mig-HealthCare  produced 
effective community-based care models, pilot tested in different contexts and 
countries,  which  focused  on  health  promotion  and  prevention.  It  developed 
guidelines and tools to reorient healthcare services to a community level and 
provided  a  comprehensive  mapping  of  the  existing  practices.  The  Mig-
HealthCare project emphasises that universal access to health and social care 
services must be ensured for all migrants and refugees (including irregular or 
undocumented migrants and rejected asylum-seekers). 

Access  to  housing  is  another  key  basic  service  for  integration.  Migrants  need  decent  and 
adequate  accommodation  in  order  to  pursue  employment,  education  and  stay  healthy  both 
physically and mentally. Statistics prove that there is a significant gap between third-country 
nationals  and  EU  citizens  in  terms  of  quality  of  accommodation  and  homelessness.  This  is 
why  housing  was  a  priority  in  the  action  plan.  As  housing  is  a  national  competence  for 
Member  States,  the  Commission  supported  housing  initiatives  mainly  through  funding.  The 
European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) funded the development of social housing and 
renovation projects, while integration strategies and actions that include housing were funded 
through  the  AMIF  (e.g.  the  Helios  project  in  Greece,  see  below).  The  Commission  also 
encouraged  national  authorities  to  include  housing  in  their  integration  programmes  and 
financed innovative projects through the Urban Agenda. 

8 All the training materials for health (and other) professional can be found at the health policy platform  and the 
European Virtual Academy of the ECDC. 

9 

 
 
 
 
                                                           
Title 

HELIOS PROJECT 

Link  

https://greece.iom.int/en/hellenic-integration-support-beneficiaries-
international-protection-helios  

Short 
descripti
on 

Launched in July 2019, HELIOS is an integration project implemented by IOM 
and its partners, with the support of the Greek Government and funding of the 
European Commission. The HELIOS project aims to integrate beneficiaries of 
international  protection 
the  promotion  of 
independent  living,  and  specifically  through:  a)  support  for  autonomous 
housing;  b)  integration  courses;  c)  employability-related  activities  to  support 
access to the labour market. 

into  Greek  society 

through 

The  project  serves  as  a  rotation  mechanism  for  the  overstretched  temporary 
accommodation system in Greece. By reducing the likelihood of overpopulation 
and  constant  expansion  of  the  reception  system,  in  the  long  run  the  project 
should contribute to the decongestion of the Emergency Support to Integration 
and  Accommodation  programme  (ESTIA)  accommodation  scheme  and  of  the 
Open Accommodation Centres. 

By  2  October  2020,  18  141  beneficiaries  had  enrolled  in  the  programme  and 
have  been  receiving  support  for  independent  living,  while  5  743  beneficiaries 
have  received  subsidies  upon  finding  independent  housing.  So  far,  the 
programme covers 17 municipalities, while 19 Integration Learning Centres are 
operating across the country. 

  Fifth priority area: active participation and social inclusion  

Several actions prompted by the action plan have proved that developing and sustaining real 
people-to-people  contacts  through  social,  cultural  and  sports  activities  and  political 
engagement are key elements for integration.  

The  Commission  supported  the  establishment  of  several  working  groups  composed  of 
Member  States  that  have  contributed  to  the  development  of  handbooks  and  toolboxes  for 
practitioners.  This  material  covered  topics  such  as  cultural  awareness  and  expression, 
intercultural dialogue, and active participation of third-country nationals.  

Several  projects  were  also  launched  to  support  the  social  inclusion  of  third-country 
nationals  under  programmes  such  as  Creative  Europe,  Europe  for  Citizens,  AMIF  and  the 
Rights,  Equality  and  Citizenship  Programme.  The  projects  have  promoted  intercultural 
dialogue  and  European  values  through  culture,  films  and  arts,  and  helped  combat 
stigmatisation  of  immigrants  by  building  narratives  to  foster  intercultural  and  interreligious 
dialogue  and  a  better  understanding  between  communities.  Additional  actions,  such  as  the 
“Voices of Culture” Structured Dialogue (see box below), were taken to  support integration 
through culture. 

10 

 
 
 
Title  

Link 

Short 
description  

Voices  of  Culture  Structured  Dialogue  –  The  Role  of  Culture  in 
Promoting Inclusion in the Context of Migration 
https://www.voicesofculture.eu/wp-
content/uploads/2018/07/5.Brainstorming_Report_Migration.pdf  
A “Voices of Culture” Structured Dialogue was held on 14-15 June 2016 in 
Brussels.  It  provided  a  space  for  exchange  and  discussion  between  33 
participants  representing  the  cultural  sectors  from  the  EU  Member  States. 
During the discussion, civil society presented strong arguments on why and 
how  to  make  the  best  use  of  culture  for  the  integration  of  migrants  and 
refugees based on experience from the field.  

The  Erasmus+  programme  has  also  contributed  to  the  social  inclusion  of  third-country 
nationals.  Local  sport  projects  have  provided  many  opportunities  for  the  integration  of 
refugees in their new societies (see example in the box below). In total 66 grassroots projects 
were  supported  since  2016  through  the  Erasmus+  sport  actions  and  the  preparatory  actions 
and pilot projects fostering social inclusion and the integration of refugees through sport. The 
Commission  launched  the  #Beinclusive  EU  sport  awards  to  reward  the  best  projects 
supporting social inclusion through sport. 

Title 

We  Welcome  Young  Refugees  -  Royal  Europe  90’  Kraainem  Football 
Club - Kraainem FC - (BE) 
https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/video/I-119016 

Link 
Description   Funded  under  the  2016-2019  Preparatory  Action  on  the  Sport  as  a  tool  for 
integration and social inclusion of refugees, the Kraainem Football club is an 
example  of  proactive  social  integration  adapting  its  everyday  activities  to 
involve young refugees in the life of the club. Each week since 2016, the club 
has  welcomed  around  30  unaccompanied  refugees  aged  between  10  and  18 
under  a  partnership  agreement  between  Kraainem  FC  and  FEDASIL  (the 
Belgian  governmental organisation in  charge of  welcoming  asylum seekers). 
Three times a week, young refugees share in the normal life of the club, train 
with a qualified coach and attend teaching sessions such as French and Dutch 
language  classes.  They  also  receive  free  equipment  and  lunch  in  the  club 
cafeteria. 
Kraainem  FC has  been running this project  for four  years. At the end of the 
2018/19 season, the club had welcomed more than 2 000 refugees and asylum 
seekers.  

Volunteering  can  also  facilitate  the  integration  of  third-country  nationals.  Since  October 
2018,  the  European  Solidarity  Corps  has  supported  126  volunteering,  traineeships,  jobs  and 
solidarity projects addressing the reception and integration of third-county nationals, offering 
opportunities for 700 participants to get involved. Under the AMIF, 20 projects were financed 
to  promote  active  participation  of  migrants  in  political,  social  and  cultural  life,  as  well  as 
projects  for  the  integration  of  victims  of  trafficking.  Additional  actions  included  the 
development of expert group on  youth  work for integration of  young migrants and refugees 
(see below). 

11 

 
 
Title 

Link 

Short 
description 

Expert  group  on  youth  work  for  integration  of  young  migrants  and 
refugees 

https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/1bcaf566-6a29-11e9-
9f05-01aa75ed71a1 

The  Commission  set-up  a  dedicated  expert  group  on  youth  work  for  the 
integration of young migrants and refugees under the EU Youth Strategy and 
the  EU  Work  Plan  for  Youth  2016-2018.  The  group  developed  policy 
recommendations  and  a  practical  toolbox  for  youth  workers  containing  47 
good  practice  projects  from  all  over  Europe,  and  providing  tips,  advice  and 
guidance to  youth  workers and  youth organisations to  support them  in their 
work in different national contexts. 

As  part  of  the  actions  on  social  inclusion,  the  Commission  has  addressed  issues  such  as 
xenophobia  in  the  new  EU  High  Level  Group  on  combating  racism,  xenophobia  and  other 
forms of intolerance (HLG). The High Level Group has provided guidance, tools and support 
on  combating  racism,  both  in  the  enforcement  of  legislation  and  on  the  ground  (e.g.  the 
guidance note on the practical application of Council Framework Decision 2008/913/JHA on 
combating racism and xenophobia, published in 2018). The High Level Group gathers twice a 
year,  and  since  2019,  several  subgroups  have  focused  on  specific  areas  of  work  such  as 
support to victims, hate speech online, training of police and data collection on hate crime. In 
addition,  in  2016 the Commission  agreed on  a voluntary  code of  conduct with  major social 
media platforms to counter illegal hate speech online. Finally, the Commission has created a 
one-stop-shop dedicated website to provide information on relevant EU funding for projects 
that promote tolerance and combat racism, xenophobia and discrimination9. 

On the integration of  migrant women, the Mutual  Learning Programme on gender equality 
focused on issues relating directly or indirectly to the integration of third-country nationals. In 
addition, in the EU Fundamental Rights Colloquium of 2017 on ‘women’s rights in turbulent 
times’,  a  workshop  was  organised  on  ‘Trafficking  of  women  for  labour  and  sexual 
exploitation’ in the context of the migration crisis. 

  Sixth priority area: tools for coordination, funding and monitoring  

Policy coordination and cooperation with national authorities was reinforced following the 
adoption  of  the  action  plan  with  the  transformation  of  the  existing  Network  of  the  National 
Contact  Points  on  Integration  (NCPI)  into  a  European  Integration  Network  (EIN),  with  a 
stronger coordination role and mutual learning mandate. The EIN has proven to be a highly 
relevant  platform  of  mutual  information  between  Member  States  and  with  the  Commission 
(see below). 

9 
xenophobia/eu-funding-tackle-racism-and-xenophobia_en.   

https://ec.europa.eu/info/policies/justice-and-fundamental-rights/combatting-discrimination/racism-and-

12 

 
 
 
 
                                                           
The European Integration Network  
In 2016, the Commission reinforced the role of the National Contact Points on Integration 
and  transformed  it  into  the  European  Integration  Network  (EIN)  with  an  extension  of  its 
mandate to mutual learning activities. Since 2016, five study visits have been organised by 
the  Commission  in  Sweden,  Germany,  Portugal,  Norway  and  Denmark,  gathering  more 
than 100 participants in order to learn integration practices and exchange on measures and 
tools  developed  in  each  country.  Likewise,  the  Commission  financed  several  mutual 
assistance projects to allow bilateral exchanges between Member States on a given topic. In 
the  context  of  the  EIN,  several  topics  of  interest  for  Member  States  have  been  discussed 
during  meetings  of  the  network,  such  as  the  integration  of  migrant  women,  cooperation 
between  different  levels  of  government,  indicators  and  evaluation,  and  integration  in  the 
labour  market.  Activities  of  the  EIN  have  been  evaluated  on  a  yearly  basis  and  the  new 
activities and topics discussed have been assessed very positively by Member States. 

At the local and regional level, the Commission has initiated many actions. For example, two 
calls of the Urban Innovative Actions have included “integration of migrants and refugees” 
as  a  topic  that  resulted  in  seven  projects  running  across  the  Member  States.  In  addition, 
another tool of coordination was launched in 2016 under the name of the Urban Agenda. This 
tool  represents  a  new  multi-level  working  method  promoting  cooperation  between  Member 
States, cities, the Commission and other stakeholders. Under this framework, coordinated by 
the Commission, the Partnership on the inclusion of migrants and refugees has proven an 
innovative  tool  to  strengthen  multilevel  governance  in  the  field  of  integration.  In  the 
Partnership, national  authorities, cities and the European Commission  have worked together 
to  put  in  place  actions  to  improve  funding,  coordination  and  knowledge  in  the  field  of 
integration.  Among  the  main  outcomes  of  the  Partnership  are  the  creation  of  the  Urban 
Academy  on  Integration  (see  box  below)  and  the  launch  of  a  Migrant  Advisory  Board, 
composed by migrants and refugees to advise the Partnership, the Commission and European 
cities on integration matters. 

The Urban Academy  

Launched  in  2018  by  the  Urban  Agenda  Partnership  on  the  inclusion  of  Migrants  and 
Refugees, the Urban Academy on integration is a training programme for practitioners and 
policymakers from the national, regional and local level on different aspects of integration. 
It combines experts’ input and peer-to-peer exchanges on specific challenges faced by the 
participants in their city, region or country in the field of integration. It  gives participants 
the opportunity to build a network of peers across the EU to exchange and provide mutual 
support beyond the Academy itself. Since its creation, the European Commission organised 
two  academies  in  Brussels  (2018)  on  education  and  working  with  civil  society  and 
Antwerpen (2019) on labour market integration and housing.  

The EU has also enhanced the coordination and strategic alignment of all relevant EU funding 
instruments. A key step was the development of the toolkit on the use of EU funds for the 
integration of people with a migrant background (see box below), which facilitates better 
coordination of EU Funds supporting the integration of migrants.  In addition, in June 2019, 
the conference for managing authorities on ensuring an effective coordination and use of 

13 

 
 
EU  Funds  gathered  more  than  200  participants  including  the  managing  authorities  in  the 
Member  States  of  the  European  Social  Fund  (ESF),  ERDF,  AMIF,  European  Agricultural 
Fund  for  Rural  Development  (EAFRD)  and  Erasmus+.  The  aim  was  to  bring  the  relevant 
managing authorities of each Member State closer and increase the impact of EU support on 
the overall integration of third-country nationals, especially in view of the next programming 
period.  

Title 

Link  

Short 
descripti
on 

Toolkit on the use of EU funds for the integration of people with a migrant 
background 

https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/en/information/publications/guides/2018/to
olkit-on-the-use-of-eu-funds-for-the-integration-of-people-with-a-migrant-
background  

Launched in January 2018, the Toolkit helps enhance coordination and strategic 
alignment of all relevant EU funding instruments to increase the impact of EU 
support on the overall integration of third-country nationals. It aims to support 
national and  regional  funding  authorities  in  reinforcing  synergies  between  EU 
funds  under  shared  management,  namely  to  raise  awareness  about  the 
possibilities  under  each  of  the  funds  and  possible  complementarities  when 
implementing integration policies via interventions that centre on the needs of 
the recipients.  

Widely used by managing and local authorities, as well as several stakeholders 
such as non-governmental organisations, the toolkit helped identify areas where 
people with a migrant background are considered to face the most pressing and 
acute  challenges, including housing, reception and access  to  basic mainstream 
services. 

In  addition,  under  the  AMIF,  Member  States  allocated  more  than  EUR  1  billion  to 
integration-related  projects  supporting  language  courses,  exchanges  with  the  host  society, 
civic  orientation  and  capacity  building.  Under  the  2014-2020  European  Social  Fund,  EUR 
21.4 billion was available to all Member States for promoting social inclusion and combating 
poverty and discrimination. This funding benefited migrants among other groups. Under the 
current  period,  at  the  end  of  2018  around  3.8  million  people  belonging  to  the  group  of 
‘migrants, participants with a foreign background, minorities’ had received ESF support. At 
the  end  of  2017,  the  share  of  migrants,  people  with  a  foreign  background  and  minorities 
(including marginalised communities such as the Roma) in ESF measures was 16%. Funding 
opportunities have also contributed to integration in rural areas. For example, the managing 
authorities of some Member States decided to dedicate specific actions on integration under 
the  EAFRD.  The  European  Network  for  Rural  Development  (ENRD)  has  undertaken 

14 

 
 
additional  initiatives  to  improve  the  image  of  third-country  nationals  in  rural  areas10,  and  a 
dedicated  task  force  composed  of  several  national  rural  networks  was  created  to  exchange 
good and bad practices on the topic of integration. 

Research from different Commission services contributed to further developing evidence on 
integration  at  EU  level.  The  Directorate-General  for  Migration  and  Home  Affairs  (DG 
HOME) developed a number of specific reports through the European Migration Network on 
integration,  in  particular  on  the  labour  market.  It  also  co-funded  the  joint  Organisation  for 
Economic  Cooperation  and  Development  (OECD)-European  Commission  publication 
“Settling  in  2018:  Indicators  of  immigrant  integration”  that  remains  the  main  tool  for 
comparing  integration  outcomes  across  EU  (and  non-EU  OECD  countries).  Eurostat  further 
populated the database on integration indicators, including with new topics such as health and 
data at intra-national level, and is publishing quarterly statistics from the labour force survey. 
In addition, different Commission services developed specific analysis on refugee integration. 
Examples are the Employment and Social Developments in Europe (ESDE) reports and other 
reports  analysing  the  education  outcomes  of  migrant  pupils  and  the  specificities  of  refugee 
pupils.  Moreover,  EU  agencies  such  as  Eurofound  and  CEDEFOP  invested  in  specific 
analyses  related  to  labour  market  integration  and  best  practices,  for  instance  in  the  role  of 
social partners and local authorities as well as the potential of using vocational education and 
training (VET) for refugee integration.  

The new European Commission Knowledge Centre on Migration and Demography (KCMD) 
was established on 20 June 2016 to provide scientific evidence for EU policymaking tailored 
to  the  needs  of  Commission  services  and  the  European  External  Action  Service  (EEAS). 
Among others, the KCMD analyses have been shared with local authorities in the context of 
the  Urban  Agenda  and  have  contributed  to  the  creation  of  bilateral  projects  with 
municipalities. 

The Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) also  contributed to the production of evidence on 
integration, and monitored social inclusion and the participation of third-country nationals in 
society  from  a  fundamental  rights  perspective.  FRA  produced  a  series  of  major  reports 
drawing on data collected through the second EU minorities and discrimination survey (EU-
MIDIS  II)11.  In  addition,  FRA  publishes  papers  on  integration-related  topics  on  a  regular 
basis, from the 2018 first database on anti-Muslim hatred, to the bulletins on the fundamental 
rights  situation of asylum  seekers and immigrants, published regularly since 2015.  The data 

10  For  example,  the  following  brochure  was  created  to  explore  how  people  in  rural  areas  have  used  EAFRD 
support to respond to the challenges and opportunities presented by the arrival of  migrants and refugees into the 
EU: https://enrd.ec.europa.eu/sites/enrd/files/publi-eafrd-brochure-03-en_2016.pdf.  
11 Conducted in 2016, the EU-MIDIS II collected information from over 16 149 immigrants and descendants of 
immigrants  in  19  EU  Member.  The  survey  includes  questions  on  experiences  of  perceived  discrimination  in 
different settings, such as (access to) employment, education, housing, health, and when using public or private 
services;  on  experiences  of  police  stops,  criminal  victimisation  (including  hate  crime);  on  awareness  of  rights 
and redress mechanisms; and on societal participation and integration, including trust in public institutions and 
level  of  attachment  to  the  country  of  residence.    Respondents  also  provided  information  about  basic  socio-
demographic characteristics for all household members, including themselves. The collected data are accessible 
through a data explorer tool. 

15 

 
 
                                                           
and reports produced by the FRA, and the resulting evidence, are regularly quoted and used at 
EU and Member State level.  

3.  Stakeholders’ views on the action plan 

During  the  second  half  of  2020,  the  Commission  organised  meetings  with  different 
stakeholders12. The Commission consulted the European Integration Network, representatives 
of local  and regional  authorities, representatives  of civil  society organisations,  the UNHCR, 
social  and  economic  partners,  the  Business  Refugee  Action  Network  (BRAN),  the 
International  Organization  for  Migration  (IOM),  the  Council  of  Europe  and  the  recently 
created  Commission  Expert  group  on  the  views  of  migrants.  The  views  of  all  those 
stakeholders on the impact of the 2016 action plan are summarised below. 

Overall, the 2016  action plan was positively evaluated by CSOs, international organisations 
and  social  and  economic  partners.  CSOs  in  particular  highlighted  the  fact  that  many  of  the 
individual  actions  taken  by  the  Commission  may  be  regarded  as  a  success.  The  action  plan 
was  considered  in  general  a  useful  tool  for  both  vertical  and  horizontal  coordination.  The 
focus  of  integration  at  different  levels,  the  involvement  of  several  actors  (including  non-
governmental), as well as the ‘mainstreaming’ of integration and inclusion across all relevant 
policy  areas,  particularly  education  and  employment,  was  considered  positive.  It  was  also 
appreciated  that  the  action  plan  improved  horizontal  coordination  within  the  various 
Commission departments.  

CSOs nevertheless underlined some important challenges, as in the overall EU context gaps in 
integration  outcomes  persist  and  have  even  worsened  in  the  last  decade.  The  social  and 
economic partners underlined that the action plan helped put integration in the spotlight and 
that the identified priority areas were and remain relevant. They noted that the current context 
was  very  different  from  the  one  in  which  2016  action  plan  was  conceived,  in  particular  in 
terms of labour market needs. 

According  to  the  CSOs,  the  main  weaknesses  of  the  action  plan  and  of  its  implementation 
were in its format and methodology. The action plan was perceived as insufficiently strategic 
and too much of a patchwork of actions. Overall migrants were insufficiently involved in its 
design and implementation. The mechanisms to review priorities and monitor implementation 
were too weak. The social and economic partners also regretted the rather loose follow-up of 
the  action  plan  by  national  authorities,  and  underlined  the  difficulty  of  clearly  attributing 
measures taken on the ground to either the action plan or to other (national, regional or local) 
policy frameworks. 

Regarding  its  approach,  CSOs  considered  the  action  plan  unbalanced  in  some  areas.  In 
particular,  the  gender  dimension  was  not  sufficiently  developed  and  attention  for  some 
migrant profiles (such as domestic workers) was seen as insufficient. The action plan was also 

12  A  full  overview  of  the  organisations  that  took  part  in  the  consultation  is  available  at  the  following  link: 
https://ec.europa.eu/home-
affairs/sites/homeaffairs/files/summary/summary_of_consultations_in_view_of_the_action_plan_on_integration
_and_inclusion.pdf. 

16 

 
 
                                                           
perceived  as  focusing  too  much  on  the  status  of  migrants  as  well  as  on  integration  through 
employment, which was detrimental to those not able to access the labour market. Similarly, 
efforts  in  terms  of pre-departure were considered limited. More importantly, the action plan 
was considered to  focus more on the integration efforts to  be made by  migrants  rather than 
those by the host society, even if it underlines that integration is a two-way process.  

All stakeholders shared the view that funding was a key tool for the action plan, but funding 
programmes remained difficult to access or too complex to manage. According to CSOs, this 
was true especially for smaller and migrant-led organisations, and that there was an issue with 
the sustainability of the projects financed under AMIF due to the short duration of the projects 
financed.  Stakeholders  also  called  for  further  improving  coordination  between  the  different 
parts  of  the  Commission  working  on  migrant  integration  or  on  issues  that  would  affect 
migrants, especially in terms of the management of funding programmes.  

Finally,  most  Member  States  believed  that  the  action  plan  contributed  positively  to  the 
development, design and implementation of national integration strategies. In those Member 
States  with  longstanding  integration  policies,  the  action  plan  provided  the  framework  for 
comprehensive  policies,  cooperation  between  Member  States,  exchange  of  practices  and 
learning opportunities. The action plan has given visibility to integration issues in the policy 
agenda, has provided a common framework for national policies, and has identified relevant 
areas  for  actions.  The  focus  on  integration  as  a  two-way  process  and  the  multi-stakeholder 
approach  strengthened  migrants’  integration.  The  strategic  use  of  the  AMIF  provided  the 
possibility to implement national strategies on the ground. As such, the 2016 action plan acts 
as a shared base and common standards fostering an effective and positive migrant integration 
approach  in  all  Member  States.  The  establishment  of  the  European  Integration  Network 
(EIN)  and  its  peer  learning  activities  is  considered  as  one  of  the  main  achievements  of  the 
action  plan. Additional  work  should  focus  on  the  monitoring  of  migrants’  integration  in 
Members States, which could have increased the commitment of Member States in this area.  

4.  Assessment of the recommendations to Member States 

The action plan also included 16 recommendations to the Member States. As the consultations 
with the EIN members confirmed, the recommendations were all considered to be relevant for 
the 
the  development  of  national 
recommendations  have  informed  the  design  and  implementation  of  funding  in  the  area  of 
integration. In some others, the actions included in the recommendations were already part of 
the national policy. In addition, many Member States have undertaken concrete initiatives in 
line  with  the  recommendations  across  the  various  policy  areas.  Some  examples  are  given 
below. 

integration  strategies.  In  some  Member  States, 

Under the first  priority  area (pre-departure and pre-arrival  measures), the Commission 
had  put  forward  three  recommendations  to  Member  States  on  the  resettlement  of  refugees, 
and  on  the  provision  of  pre-departure  information.  The  Commission  welcomes  a  series  of 
initiatives  undertaken  by  Member  States  under  this  priority  area.  An  example  is  the  new 
successful private sponsorship programme developed by Spain in cooperation with UNHCR 
and the Basque Country public administration. In addition, Lithuania is currently at the early 

17 

 
 
stage  of  developing  an  alternative  integration  system  that  could  complement  the  national 
system and be implemented by CSOs or local communities. In line with recommendation no. 
3 and partly supported by AMIF, Latvia prepared paper and video informative materials for 
asylum  seekers  about  Latvia  in  English,  Arabic,  and  French.  Additional  efforts  were  also 
made  to  harmonise  and  ensure  a  smooth  relocation,  and  Latvia  appointed  two  State  Border 
Guard  liaison  officers  in  Italy  and  Greece  tasked  with  conducting  interviews  with  asylum 
seekers, as well as preparing them prior to their entry into Latvia. 

Under  the  second  priority  area  (education),  the  Commission  made  recommendations 
regarding the skills of teachers and promotion of a more diverse background of teaching staff, 
as well as stronger support for migrant children in early childhood education and care. In line 
with these recommendations, the Commission appreciates that Croatia provides school staff 
with tools to foster knowledge and skills needed to manage diversity (also supported by the 
use of EU assessment tools), and that the  Latvian Language Agency organises courses for 
teachers  from  institutions  attended  by  underage  asylum  seekers  and  for  the  parents  of  pre-
school children. In addition, the Commission has identified additional practices in line with 
the  recommendations  on  education.  Ireland  launched  the  ‘Turn  to  teaching’  programme 
which  aims  to  support  over  100  students  from  marginalised  backgrounds  in  becoming 
teachers,  including  those  from  the  Traveller  community,  migrants,  mature  students,  lone 
parents  and  other  disadvantaged  backgrounds.  In  Slovenia,  the  ‘Only  (with)  others  are  we’ 
project  aims  to  train  10 000  expert  workers  and  leaders  at  all  levels  in  social  and  civic 
intercultural competencies in order to boost the integration of migrants and the acceptance of 
diversity,  to  support  faster  identification  of  potential  conflict  situations  and  to  develop 
intercultural  relations  and  conflict  resolution.  In  Poland,  and  specifically  in  Warsaw  where 
there are over 4 500 foreign students, some teachers were appointed to prepare a diverse range 
of  training  opportunities  for  other  teachers  who  work  with  migrant  children.  For  2020, 
workshops are planned on intercultural competences, preparation of texts for foreign children, 
and multicultural education lessons. At the beginning of the 2019/2020 school year, Warsaw 
prepared special welcome packages for foreign students. The guidebook contains information 
for  example  on  the  education  system,  school  year  schedule,  assessment  system,  additional 
classes,  as  well  as  leisure  time  suggestions.  Finally,  Sweden  launched  the  “Fast  Track  for 
Teachers  Initiative”  in  2016  to  help  newcomers  with  previous  professional  qualifications 
integrate into the labour market in sectors where there is a shortage of workers, including the 
teaching  profession.  In  addition,  a  new  curriculum  was  adopted  in  2018  to  strengthen  the 
focus on Swedish language learning, digital skills, and integration and equality.  

Under  the  third  priority  area  (labour  market  and  vocational  training),  the  Commission 
appreciates that Member States have taken further steps in line with the recommendations. In 
Lithuania, the national employment agency and the Ministry of education, sports and science 
started  a  dialogue  to  address  the  issues  of  skills  identification  and  insertion  into  the  labour 
market. Italy is promoting national programmes to support fast-track insertion into the labour 
market of vulnerable groups of migrants. Finally, France considered that recommendations in 
this area have allowed specific work to be started on this topic. In addition, it recognised that 
the mutual  exchange programmes with  Austria  and the Netherlands supported the access  of 
third-country  nationals  to  skills  recognition  systems.  On  entrepreneurship,  Lithuania  is 

18 

 
 
developing a call for proposals to address the challenges for third-country nationals who want 
to  start  their  own  business,  and  in  2019  Italy  launched  a  project  to  encourage 
entrepreneurship  in  urban  areas  in  partnership  with  Unioncamere,  the  national  chambers  of 
commerce association. 

In addition, the Commission identified additional practices in line with the recommendations 
on  labour  market  integration.  For  example,  fast-track  integration  projects  supported  by  the 
European  Social  Fund  can  be  found  in  Sweden, Italy,  Spain,  Austria,  Germany,  France  and 
Finland,  and  other  Member  States  are  investing  possibilities  for  more  effective  access  to 
vocational training and to the labour market for refugees. On the latter, targeted measures to 
facilitate  the  independence  and  access  to  the  labour  market  of  vulnerable  migrants  such  as 
victims of trafficking and unaccompanied minors reaching the age of majority have also been 
implemented  in  Italy.  In  addition,  the  Commission  is  providing  technical  support  to  the 
Greek Manpower Agency (project started in 2019) with the design of a pilot project aimed at 
the inclusion of  refugees in  the labour market.  This  includes different  elements in  line with 
one  or  more  recommendations.  One  example  is  the  development  of  a  methodology  for 
providing  counselling  services,  identifying  training  courses  in  consultation  with  employers 
and a review of existing tools for assessing skills assessment and job readiness. Similarly, the 
Commission is providing the Italian Ministry of Interior with technical support to create a 
national  database  to  collect  the  skills  of  international  protection  holders  and  improve  their 
matching  with  current  vacancies,  and  the  development  of  mentorship  programme  between 
selected companies and international protection holders.  

As  regards  assessing,  validating  and  recognising  skills  and  qualifications  as  soon  as 
possible,  municipalities  in  the  Netherlands  are  involved  in  improving  the  recognition  of 
migrants’  skills.  In  cooperation  with  NUFFIC,  a  non-profit  Dutch  organisation,  the  level  of 
education  previously  obtained  in  the  country  of  origin  is  matched  with  the  Dutch 
requirements,  and  the  amount  of  additional  courses  needed  to  obtain  an  equivalent 
professional  degree  is  also  identified.  Other  initiatives  include  the  Amsterdam  Approach, 
where refugees who hold a master’s degree have the opportunity of completing or validating 
their  higher  education.  Under  this  scheme,  students  are  provided  with  a  scholarship  and 
coaching,  with  the  target  that  75%  of  them  complete  their  diploma.  For  refugees  with 
secondary education, the main objective of the Amsterdam Approach is to help them acquire a 
basic  qualification.  Refugees  between  the  ages  18  and  28  are  guided  towards  an  education 
path,  including  bridging  classes  that  allow  refugees  to  start  their  bachelor’s  degree.  For 
refugees  with  a  lower  education  level,  the  focus  is  on  basic  language  training  and  civic 
participation. 

As part of the recommendations on the fourth priority area (access to basic services), the 
Commission  encouraged  Member  States  to  ensure  an  integrated  approach.  This  involves 
coordinating policies on housing with equitable access to employment, healthcare and social 
services  and inter-sectoral  collaboration including by strengthening communication between 
local,  regional  and  national 
its 
recommendations, the Commission welcomes Greece’s initiative to carry out two projects in 
this direction. The first involved the establishment of Migrant Integration Centres; the second 
is the HELIOS programme which is described above (for further details, please see table at p. 

the  action  plan  and 

levels.  Taking 

into  account 

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9).  At  the  start  of  2020,  Lithuania  started  a  pilot  project  which  evaluates  the  needs  and 
strengths  of  third-country  nationals  at  a  local  level,  as  well  as  the  preparedness  of  local 
authorities  to  implement  integration  programmes,  work  with  their  competences  and  through 
inter-sectoral  collaboration,  and  develop  a  local  integration  strategy.  Since  2015,  in  Latvia 
social  work  and  mentoring  services  include  practical  assistance  to  clients  in  searching  for 
housing and in communication with various state and municipality institutions, such as health 
care  providers  and  banks.  This  new  approach  was  prompted  by  the  Latvian  action  plan  on 
Relocation,  Resettlement  and  Reception  in  Latvia  of  Persons  in  Need  of  International 
Protection (2015), in line with the recommendations issued by the Commission in 2016. The 
Society Integration Fund, responsible for the social work and mentoring services for asylum 
seekers,  refugees  and  persons  with  alternative  status,  also  implemented  a  housing  support 
pilot  project,  which  covers  housing  expenses  and  promotes  employment,  language  training, 
access  to  child  education,  health  and  social  services,  and  integration  into  the  society.  In 
addition,  within  the  project  “Information  Centre  for  Newcomers”  a  new  dialogue  platform 
was established to foster practical cooperation and exchange of information between various 
representatives from national, local, private, and non-governmental institutions. 

Under  the  fifth  priority  area  (active  participation  and  social  inclusion),  the  Commission 
issued  six  recommendations,  and  stressed  the  importance  of  the  engagement  of  the  host 
society  for  a  successful  integration  process.  In  line  with  its  recommendations,  the 
Commission  welcomes  several  initiatives  under  this  priority  area.  For  example,  Czechia 
invested  in  projects  and  measures  aimed  at  combating  prejudices  and  stereotypes,  and 
provided  increased  support  to  the  topic  through  calls  for  proposals  and  closer  cooperation 
with  civil  society.  In  Croatia,  the  Croatian  coordinating  body  for  integration  of  persons 
granted international protection initiated two AMIF-funded projects, which included activities 
such as awareness-raising campaigns, educative activities, knowledge and information sharing 
on  integration  policies  and  the  human  rights  protection  system,  data  collection  and 
documentation  of  human  rights  violations,  human  rights  advocacy  and  social  participation. 
Similar  actions  have  been  proposed  by  Lithuania,  where  a  call  for  proposals  is  being 
developed  for  innovative  communication  actions  to  combat  prejudice  and  stereotypes,  and 
Latvia,  where  the  project  “Diversity  promotion”  aimed  to  increase  the  level  of  information 
and  understanding  in  society  as  a  whole  on  the  issues  of  prevention  of  discrimination  and 
fostering an inclusive society. There is already full-fledged legislation to combat racism and 
xenophobia,  which  the  Commission  recommended  to  implement.  In  line  with  this 
recommendation, Ireland is working to update Ireland’s criminal law on both hate speech and 
hate crime as a priority. 

Finally,  the  Commission  recommended  Member  States  to  organise  civic  orientation 
programmes for all third-country nationals as a way to foster integration into the host society 
and  promote  understanding  and  respect  of  EU  values.  On  this  point,  the  Commission  was 
pleased to see that Member States have been very active. Civic orientation programmes have 
been organised in Wallonia (Belgium), and in Portugal migrants’ civic participation is being 
fostered through the improvement of support to migrants associations, the enlargement of the 
migrant  mentorship  programme  network,  and  the  development  of  leadership  training  for 
migrant  associations.  In  addition,  Czechia  made  it  mandatory  for  selected  groups  of  third-

20 

 
 
country  nationals  to  participate  in  these  programmes.  Finally,  Latvia  adopted  a  conceptual 
report that proposed to amend the Law on Immigration to define various groups of migrants 
for  whom  integration  activities  (including  language  and  integration  courses)  would  be 
mandatory. 

In addition, the Commission identified additional practices in line with the recommendations 
on  active  participation  and  social  inclusion.  These  regard  particularly  the  projects  under  a 
specific  call  of  the  Rights,  Equality  and  Citizenship  Programme  on  combating  racism  and 
xenophobia.  The  call,  reserved  for  national  local  public  authorities,  supports  projects  in  the 
fields  of  fighting  intolerance,  racism  and  hate  crime/hate  speech,  and  saw  interest  from 
several  Member  States’  authorities,  which  applied  to  promote  projects  on  narratives  on 
inclusion and tolerance.  

Finally, other practices have been highlighted, which go beyond the recommendations issued 
by  the  Commission.  For  example,  with  the  2017  Integration  Act  Austria  launched  the 
monitoring  of  integration  outcomes.  Romania  implemented  a  regional  integration  process 
through  the Regional  Integration Centres,  created within a  grant  project  financed by AMIF, 
with the aim of fostering greater involvement of local authorities in this process. 

5.  Conclusion and lessons learned 

As confirmed by all stakeholders throughout the broad consultation process undertaken during 
the  last  months,  the  2016  action  plan  positively  contributed  to  improving  the  integration  of 
third-country nationals across the EU Member States. It increased awareness of the situation 
of  third-country  nationals,  and  contributed  to  a  better  overall  understanding  of  specific 
challenges  that  they  may  face.  It  also  helped  mainstream  integration  throughout  different 
policy  areas  and  was  generally  considered  as  a  useful  tool  for  both  vertical  and  horizontal 
coordination.  

The action plan also contributed positively to the development, design and implementation of 
national integration strategies in those Member States with limited experience in the field. In 
those  Member  States  with  longstanding  integration  policies,  it  provided  a  framework  for 
developing more comprehensive policies, as well as for cooperation, exchanges of practices 
and learning opportunities with other Member States. 

Moreover, in certain areas, such as access to employment, the Commission developed actions 
that  went  even  beyond  the  measures  included  in  the  action  plan,  by  launching  the  initiative 
“Employers  together  for  integration”  and  by  strengthening  cooperation  with  social  and 
economic partners through the European Partnership for Integration. 

At  the  same  time,  some  shortcomings  and  areas  for  improvement  have  emerged  in  the 
course  of  the  implementation  of  the  action  plan.  First,  the  lack  of  data  and  structured 
monitoring  systems  and  the  difficulty  in  accessing  specific  segments  of  the  population 
have been identified as  obstacles to  developing targeted policy actions. These shortcomings 
represent  a  primary  obstacle  to  conducting  research  and  developing  initiatives  benefiting 
third-country nationals: on the one hand, this lack of data limited the possibility  to  measure 
improvements of integration outcomes; on the other hand, it made it more difficult to address 

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specific policy challenges encountered by the target group. Reinforcing the monitoring of the 
integration  outcomes  in  Members  States  should  also  be  improved,  as  it  allows  measuring 
progress and making the necessary adjustments to policies and measures in order to increase 
their  effectiveness.  It  can  also  allow  transferring  and  replicating  quickly  in  other  Member 
States those measures that have already proven successful at national or regional level. 

On a similar note, the use of EU funds, which benefit third-country nationals, migrant youth 
and  children  as  well  as  the  most  disadvantaged  migrants,  has  proved  to  be  one  of  the  main 
levers to support Member States’ integration efforts. Nevertheless, EU funds should be more 
easily  accessible,  in  particular  by  local  and  regional  authorities  and  non-governmental 
organisations  (NGOs),  who  have  reported  difficulties  in  getting  access  to  EU  funding  to 
finance their activities in an overall context of fiscal tightening at national level. In addition, 
EU funding for integration should be subject to a better tracking and reporting system. For the 
time being, the share of large thematic EU funds used for integration is difficult to assess (in 
particular  ESF+  and  ERDF),  and  this  makes  it  difficult  to  grasp  the  overall  EU  financial 
contribution to integration. 

Another  shortcoming  concerned  the  scope  of  the  action  plan,  which  was  limited  to  the 
integration  of  third-country  nationals.  While  this  target  group  is  likely  to  experience 
considerable  obstacles  in  the  integration  process,  the  Commission  recognises  that  other 
groups,  such  as  second-generation  migrants  or  people  with  migrant  background  more 
generally, often face similar challenges. It should therefore be possible to design integration 
and  inclusion  measures  covering  all  these  groups.  Additionally,  the  action  plan  only 
recognised  to  a  limited  extent  the  specific  needs  of  certain  categories  and  the  possible 
intersections  between  the  migrant  status  and  other  segments  of  discrimination  (e.g.  gender, 
sexual orientation, age, and disabilities).  

Finally,  on  the  operational  side,  the  Commission  identified  two  main  shortcomings.  Firstly, 
while integration is defined as a two-way process of mutual accommodation, the 2016 action 
plan  has  not  sufficiently  stressed  the  need  to  involve  the  host  society  and,  more 
specifically, the local communities. In addition, the implementation of the action plan showed 
that more synergies between integration and other policies directly or indirectly relevant to 
the integration of migrants should be ensured.   

As  regards  the  priority  areas  covered  in  the  action  plan,  stakeholders  confirmed  their 
relevance  for  the  integration  process.  It  is  however  clear  that  drawing  lessons  from  the 
implementation of the various measures, and in the light of recent developments, aspects such 
as access to housing as well as to health services will become even more topical in the future. 
The impact on the integration process of digitalisation and new technologies will also have to 
be further explored and taken into account in defining future priorities.  

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