Parliamentary Euro-Asian/Euro-Mediterranean Forum on migration

(Antalya, Turley, 22-23 October 2007)

Speech by Yavuz Mildon, President of the Chamber of Regions Congress of Local and Regional Authorities Council of Europe

Mr Chairman,

Excellencies,

Distinguished colleagues,

Dear friends,

It is a great honour for me to address today this important Forum, organised by the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly at a time when the question of migration is increasingly becoming a burning issue for our societies, both in countries of origin and destination.

For me, this Forum has a three-dimensional importance. It is important because of the theme chosen for it – migration. Despite its relatively recent appearance as a significant social question in some countries, it is clear that migration is not a short-term, ephemeral or reversible phenomenon. The twin factors of growing globalisation and demographic trends mean that we have reached a stage where no country in Europe will remain unaffected by this issue and the social transformation it entails.  Many former emigration countries (such as Ireland) have now become immigration countries – and will probably remain so for the foreseeable future. That is why migration will remain a burning political question for the years to come – and not just on the international and national stage, but also for local and regional authorities which face the immediate consequences of this phenomenon.

Another dimension of this Forum’s importance and symbolism is its venue, Antalya in Turkey – a country which has been throughout its history at the crossroads between Europe and Asia, a symbolic bridge between the northern and southern rims of the Mediterranean, a link between civilisations and a hub of religions, cultures and ethnicities. For centuries, many migratory paths passed through Turkey, connecting people of various ethnic, economic and social backgrounds. It comes as no surprise that this Forum brings together representatives from Europe, Asia and the Mediterranean to reflect upon the interdependence of our societies in today’s globalising world.

Last but not least, the Forum is important because of the broad participation of various actors and partners dealing with migration issues, at the international, national, regional and local levels.

As you know, together with the Parliamentary Assembly and the Committee of Ministers, my forum, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, is one of the pillars of the Council of Europe, as the political voice of the cities and regions of the 47 member States of our Organisation. Since its creation in 1994, the Congress has been actively involved in migration issues, continuing the work in this area of its predecessor, the Conference of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe.

Of course, we are working in tandem with the other elected body of the Council of Europe, the Parliamentary Assembly, which is only natural because the question of the implementation of national policies, including on migration, rests on the shoulders of local and regional authorities within their territorial communities, where people actually live and work and where most immediate problems arise. I am sure that our cooperation with the Parliamentary Assembly will only be increasing in the future as we need close contact on migration and integration matters.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

In view of the complexity of the issues at stake, the Congress has developed its activities in several priority fields: the first, which is of particular interest to us here today, is the integration and participation of people of immigrant origin in Europe’s towns, cities and regions. 

In this respect, the Congress has promoted the implementation of the Council of Europe’s Convention on the Participation of Foreigners in Public Life at Local Level. This Convention opens the possibility of creating consultative bodies at local level elected by the foreign residents in the local authority area or appointed by individual associations of foreign residents. The Convention also provides for granting every foreign resident the right to vote in local elections after five years of lawful and habitual residence in the host country, as well as to stand for election.

However, an imaginative, proactive social integration policy is urgently needed at municipal level. Municipal policies must find ways and means to find work and accommodation for migrants – whilst side-stepping the hostility and potential racism their presence may provoke amongst the local population.  Allow me at this juncture to mention the Council of Europe campaign aimed precisely at highlighting, while celebrating, Europe’s diversity. It is called “All different, all equal”, and it is aimed at raising awareness, promoting integration and enhancing participation in public and political life of all those living in Europe, regardless of their origin or status.

It is clear that migration policies have not always been as effective as one would wish.  We should ask ourselves, then: What can and should be done differently in order to better tailor policies to needs at local level?

We in the Congress strongly believe that it is imperative to properly identify and understand the context in which these policies must work. This will be determined by each individual situation, the types of immigrants concerned, their needs and basic rights as well as the various institutional contexts, including the resources and measures used to guarantee certain basic rights. 

Hence the need to share our experiences within a structured and interactive framework. In this regard, you may have heard about the Network of Cities for Local Integration Policy (CLIP), launched by the Congress in September 2006 in partnership with the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions in Dublin and the City of Stuttgart.

Our objective is simple: to further the cause of social cohesion, and to improve the situation of migrants in Europe’s cities, and their effective and sustainable participation and integration at local level by facilitating the exchange of scientifically evaluated good experiences.

This project seeks to fill a gap in analysing and evaluating recent efforts by local authorities to co-ordinate and learn from each other in an innovative way.  The innovation comes from its approach which pools the work of experts on local integration policies from around 30 European cities and experienced researchers from academic research institutions. As its final objective, the project will provide a portfolio/casebook of evaluated initiatives and guidelines for good practice and a database of integration policy at local level in Europe.

At policy level, this project will support the ongoing European policy debate on integration of migrants, with concrete examples of “what works” in different urban contexts. It will examine the scope for transferability of successful practice to other local authorities in Europe and, by communicating the outputs of the network to all relevant actors in the field, it will also support the further development of a European integration policy.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Just a few years ago, there was much talk about “Fortress Europe” and the need to defend Europeans from waves of migration – only until we realised that our declining birth rates and growing life expectancy lead to the shrinking of population in active working age and create a burden on our social welfare system, necessitating the constant influx of migrants. We have also realised that our fellow Europeans will benefit best if, instead of closing in, Europe will stretch a helping hand and share its values and democratic experience with our neighbours in Asia and the southern Mediterranean. This is why we are here, and these are the issues at the heart of this Forum, which I wish every success.

Thank you.