European Commission-Committee of the Regions partnership on integration

As recently announced in the new Commission action plan on integration and inclusion 2021-2027, the European Commission and the European Committee of the Regions will join forces to develop a new partnership to increase support to the work on integration that is performed by EU cities and regions.

Commissioner Ylva Johansson and the President of the Committee of the Regions Apostolos Tzitzikostas, announced the upcoming partnership today at the plenary session of the Committee of the Regions.

Commissioner Ylva Johansson said:

Integration happens in every village, city and region where migrants live, work, study and take part in activities such as sports. Local and regional authorities deliver essential services in healthcare, housing and education. They organise sport and cultural activities where newcomers meet people and make friends. I look forward to work more closely with the Committee of the Regions to support cities and regions in their integration efforts.

President Apostolos Tzitzikostas said:

Local and regional authorities are in the frontline to provide integration and other services to newly arrived migrants as well as to support their inclusion. While local authorities have put in place many successful and innovative practices for integration and for promoting a positive narrative, they still face challenges in accessing funding, data and knowledge for their integration measures and programmes, in particular in towns and rural areas.

The new partnership on integration between the European Commission and the European Committee of the Regions will support cities and regions in the EU through three main strands of work:

• Building an open and regular dialogue between EU institutions and local and regional authorities on integration;
• Building capacity and promoting exchange of experiences for local and regional authorities;
• Improving evidence and data on integration at the local level.

The partnership will build on the well-established cooperation between the European Commission and the European Committee of the Regions under the Cities and Regions for Integration initiative, which was launched by the European Committee of the Regions in 2019 to offer a political platform for European mayors and regional leaders to share information and showcase positive examples of integration of migrants and refugees.