Enhancing integration of migrants

Introduction

In 2024, almost all EMN Member and Observer Countries (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Germany, Estonia, Greece, Spain, Finland, France, Croatia, Ireland, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Latvia, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, Slovenia, the Slovak Republic, Norway, Georgia, Moldova, Serbia) reported measures to foster the participation and inclusion of third-country nationals in their host society.

These measures focused on:

• Addressing labour market needs (Finland, France, Norway)
• Improving language acquisition (Austria, Estonia, Finland, France, Italy, Portugal, the Slovak Republic)
• Enhancing active participation of third-country nationals in host societies (Austria, Belgium, France, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, Norway)

Access to migrant’s rights and services

In response to ongoing challenges, such as skills shortages and social cohesion, several countries revised or adopted their national or regional strategies to boost migrant’s access to:

Nine EMN Member Countries enhanced service delivery and coordination through multilevel governance approaches (Cyprus, Germany, Croatia, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, the Slovak Republic).

Education and training

Education and training were central pillars, with a strong focus on early language acquisition, civic orientation, and expanding vocational and tertiary education access. The inclusion of migrant children and their  well-being featured as key areas, with countries introducing:

• Bilingual education (Belgium)
• Tailored learning support (Estonia, Greece, Finland, Italy, Luxembourg, Sweden, the Slovak Republic, Norway)
• New funding schemes to reduce educational barriers (Croatia, Sweden)

Labour market integration

Labour market integration was further promoted through measures supporting:

Anti-discrimination and anti-racism

To strengthen inclusion, nine EMN Member Countries (Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Germany, Spain, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal, Sweden, Slovenia, Norway, Moldova) started or continued promoting inclusion through mainstreaming anti-discrimination and anti-racism strategies and supported migrants’ participation in civic life through community engagement, mentoring, and cultural mediation.

EU developments

In 2024, the EU continued to implement its 2021–2027 Action Plan on Integration and Inclusion, launching a mid-term review and a progress tracker. 

Events such as meetings of the European Integration Network on migrant children education, EU funding on integration and migrant participation, the closing of the European Year of Skills, and the 9th Meeting of the European Migration Forum highlighted persistent challenges in language barriers and discrimination, while stressing the need for skills recognition, labour market inclusion, and stronger coordination.

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