The Commission and the Committee of the Regions are launching today a new partnership to increase cooperation and support to EU cities, regions and rural areas for their work to help integrate new arrivals. The partnership is a follow-up to the action plan on integration and inclusion 2021-2027 that the Commission adopted last November.
The partnership aims to:
- Build an open and regular dialogue between the Commission, the Committee of the Regions, and local and regional authorities on integration through political roundtables, public consultations and a new forum to map the territorial impact of migration and identify specific needs of the most affected local and regional authorities;
- Build capacity and promote exchange of experiences for local and regional authorities on different aspects of integration and on community sponsorship through workshops, online training materials, study visits, mentoring and exchange programmes;
- Improve evidence and data on integration at the local level, for example by providing information on the European Website on Integration, drawing on data collected in the EU Annual Local and Regional Barometer and other sources.
Background
The Action Plan on Integration and Inclusion 2021-2027 referred to launching a partnership with the Committee of the Regions to start a political dialogue and promote learning and exchanges on integration for local and regional authorities. The partnership builds on well-established cooperation between the Commission and the Committee of the Regions in the field of integration. In particular, the Cities and Regions for Integration initiative, launched in 2019, provides a political platform for European mayors and regional leaders to share information and showcase positive examples of integration of migrants and refugees.
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