In its Action Plan, the Partnership on the Inclusion of Migrants and Refugees suggests to expand the knowledge base on migrant integration at urban level and to strengthen EU-supported know-how transfer among cities in the area of evidence-based local integration policies (Action no. 7).

Following the first meeting in November 2017, a second get-together of the Partnership’s working group dedicated to this Action was held in February 2018. The series of meetings brings together actors that commit to explore the needs, challenges, and ways forward in order to achieve better urban integration data, led by the Migration Policy Group (MPG).

The participating stakeholders discussed 1) the use of EU indicators on the local and regional level, 2) European instruments and cooperation as tools for analysing integration of migrants in cities, and 3) instruments for mutual learning. 

No less than eight presentations provided further insight into different aspects of the topic such as testing to what extend the EU integration indicators can be depicted at infra-national level (Eurostat), integration monitoring in a multi-level context in Portugal (Portuguese Migration Observatory), urban indicators on migration (DG REGIO), using census data to analyse integration (Joint Research Centre), and a mapping of initiatives, networks, and potential instruments (MPG). 

If you wish to learn more, please consult the presentations of the meeting: 

The afternoon identified some persisting challenges: 

• Data gaps due to small sample sizes or the lack of annual data
• The need to improve multi-level governance in the development of data gathering instruments
• Diverging concepts, national systems and definitions

"Exchange" emerged as the buzzword for the way forward. The meeting’s conclusions were used to prepare and inform the third working group meeting held on 23 April 2018. A summary will be available on this website soon.

Read all details of the second working group meeting in the report:

Do you want to know more? A description of the Action on evidence-based integration policies in cities is available here.

For questions on the Partnership or on any of the actions? Please contact one of the Coordinators, Sabina Kekic (city of Amsterdam, s.kekic@amsterdam.nl), directly or get in touch with the Urban Agenda for the EU Communications Team (UA.communication@ecorys.com). 

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