We are thrilled to announce that the Interreg project, TREE - Training for integrating Refugees in the Euregion (Germany-Netherlands-Belgium), was crowned a winner at this year’s REGIOSTARS Awards, beating out numerous remarkable projects in the category of “FAIR Europe: Fostering inclusion and ant-discrimination".

Started in 2019, this project facilitated the integration of refugees through the development of a training programme for social workers, teachers, medical staff and interpreters working with refugees and migrants. The training programme enabled refugee helpers to promote the integration and development of immigrants in the sub-regions of the Meuse-Rhine Euregio.

Holding the belief that ‘the prerequisite for successful interaction and coexistence is a feeling of belonging’, this Interreg Euregio Meuse-Rhine funded project aimed to create a common standard across the cross-border region in refugee integration and ‘unified measures in the cultural integration of immigrants to strengthen collective identity and the co-determination of life’ in the region.

Over its three-year course the project saw 59 people participate in the training programme and received overwhelmingly positive feedback. One participant emphasised the comprehensive nature of the content saying of the programme: “I have been working in the field of refugees since 2015, there is nothing missing”. Covering regions in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, the project involved the cooperation of regional authorities, academic institutions, and social actors across these countries to analyse the different immigrant integration contexts in the region and support the integration process. The project therefore is also an admirable example of cross-border cooperation.

Established in 2008, the REGIOSTARS Awards are an annual competition organised by the European Commission’s Directorate General for Regional and Urban Policy. The Awards highlight good practices in regional development that may inspire other regions and projects by celebrating innovative and inclusive EU-funded projects. With 214 project applications to this year’s awards, it is a testament to the wonderful work that this project is doing to have won this award.

Watch the video below to learn more about the project: