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Migration and Home Affairs

Cooperation with integration actors

  • 25 June 2025

The implementation of the Action Plan relies on good cooperation between all actors involved: national authorities, local and regional authorities, migrants, host communities, social and economic partners, civil society – including migrant-led organisations – and the private sector. The European Commission supports multi-stakeholder partnerships and networks for sharing experience and good practices.

European Integration Network (EIN)

The European Integration Network brings together representatives of national public authorities from the ministries responsible for migrant integration, from all the 27 EU Member States as well as two EEA countries, Iceland and Norway. Many of these authorities have a role in the planning and implementation of dedicated EU funding opportunities such as the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) in their respective countries. The EIN members also participate in targeted study visits, peer reviews, workshops and mutual assistance actions on specific integration aspects to exchange knowledge.

For more information about the EIN, including meeting agendas and minutes, consult the Register of Commission Expert Groups and Other Similar Entities.

Local and regional actors

Primarily, integration takes place at the local level. Local communities offer numerous opportunities for migrants and locals to interact, whether through working, studying or raising their families. But local communities also face challenges regarding integration and inclusion. The EU works closely with local and regional authorities in the design and implementation of integration policies and supports them through funding.

The Urban Agenda Partnership on Inclusion of Migrants and Refugees

  • The partnership brings to the same table cities, national governments, the European Commission (EC) and civil society organisations to discuss and put in place concrete actions to improve migrants’ integration in the EU. The partnership on the integration of migrants and refugees was created in 2016 as part of the Urban Agenda for the EU. It included eight concrete actions to promote better funding, regulation and knowledge in the field of integration. The partnership was relaunched in 2024. 
  • It has currently 36 members including 15 new members since January 2024, with 11 cities from the Belgium, Finland, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Spain; 3 regions from Belgium, Italy and Spain; 3 Member States (Italy, Malta, Portugal); EU institutions and international organisations and 10 other organisations based in France, Slovakia, Italy, Portugal and NGOs.

Committee of the Regions

The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) is the voice of regions and cities in the EU. It represents local and regional authorities across the EU and advises on new laws that have an impact on regions and cities. In 2019, the CoR launched the Cities and Regions for Integration Initiative (CRII) to promote exchanges between local and regional authorities working on integration. The CoR has also contributed a collection of good practices on integration.

Social and economic partners: the European Partnership for Integration

The European Partnership for Integration is a framework for cooperation between the European Commission and social and economic partners for fostering the integration of refugees and other migrants in the EU labour market. The Commission and European social and economic partners (European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), Business Europe, the European Association of Craft, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEUnited), SGI Europe, and Eurochambres) renewed their commitment to the European Partnership for Integration in 2022 through a joint statement.

The main asset of the European Partnership for Integration is its multi-stakeholder approach, which links up partners from the European to the national, regional and local levels.

Social and economic partners implement a wide range of actions in the field of integration in more than 20 EU countries. The EU has co-funded several innovative labour market integration projects bringing together employers, chambers of industry and commerce, trade unions and migrant associations. To learn more, see examples of actions undertaken in the field of integration in the labour market by international, national and local economic and social partner organisations since 2017.