CG/ACT(20)6

24 June 2011

Colloquy

“Migration: challenges for local and regional authorities”

organised by the

Current Affairs Committee
of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities
of the Council of Europe

30 June 2011, Congress Hotel, Yerevan, Armenia

Background

The question of migration presents a multitude of challenges related to the accommodation of migrants, their integration into the host society, protection of their rights, their access to public services and their participation in democratic processes.

The events in North Africa and the Arab world have brought to the forefront migration issues at large. In the Council of Europe, migration is becoming a transversal activity, with a proposed Framework for transversal work on migration. In April 2011, a report on “Living together in the 21^st century”, by the Group of Eminent Persons set up at the initiative of the Council of Europe Secretary General, pointed out the question of managing cultural diversity in European societies as a priority for future action. The report stressed specifically the crucial role of local and regional authorities in this process.

Local and regional authorities are the first to deal with the arrival of migrants and are directly concerned with their integration and participation, their access to social rights and their relations with the rest of the host community. However, the legal framework for migration is a matter of national authorities, which raises the question of responsibility-sharing among the different tiers of governance – national, regional and local.

Aim

To examine the problems related to migration and the current situation in Europe.

Objective

The objective of the colloquy is to examine possible answers to the following questions:

-      What are the main problems faced by local and regional authorities in receiving, accommodating and integrating migrants?

-      Legal or irregular migrants, refugees, economic migrants or asylum-seekers – is there a difference for local and regional authorities with regard to problems they have to face?

-      What measures are needed to guarantee the access of migrants to social rights/public services at regional and local level?

-      What local and regional measures are needed to guarantee the protection of migrants’ rights in general?

-      What does it take to foster the integration of migrants into the rest of community?

-      How can responsibility-sharing be ensured between national, regional and local levels?

The subjects proposed for discussion are:

Accommodation capacity and responsibility-sharing

Protecting the migrants’ rights

Integration of migrants:

-          housing, healthcare and education

-          professional and linguistic training

-          employment and self-employment (entrepreneurship)

-          political representation (consultative councils)

-          intergroup relations (relations with the rest of the community)

Participants

Participants include members of the Congress Current Affairs Committee and of the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Population of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly, as well as representatives of municipal networks, associations of local and regional authorities, international organisations and civil society organisations dealing with migration issues.

The working languages of the colloquy will be English, French, German, Italian, Russian.

Draft programme

10.00          Introduction by Mr Emin YERITSYAN, Chair of the Current Affairs Committee

10.10          Council of Europe standards in the treatment and integration of migrants, and the transversal framework on migration

Mr Petr Novak, Vice-Chair of the European Committee on Migration (CDMG)

10.30          Events in North Africa: migratory impact on Europe and response of local authorities

Moderator: Ms Barbara TOCE, Vice-Chair of the Current Affairs Committee

Keynote speaker: Mr Damtew DESSALEGNE, UNHCR representative in Armenia

Example of good practice: Ms Carolina Scoppola, Representative of the Protection System for Asylum Seekers and Refugees (SPRAR), National Association of Italian Municipalities (ANCI)

Discussion

11.30          Coffee break

11.45          Integration of migrants: Demonstrating solidarity and sharing responsibilities between different government levels

Moderator: Mr Emin YERITSYAN, Chair of the Current Affairs Committee

Keynote Speaker: Mr Christopher CHOPE, Chair of the Committee on Migration, Refuges and Population of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly, Rapporteur on responsibility-sharing

Example of good practice: Ms Anne-Guite BEAU-CASTAGNAC, Adviser to the President of the Toulouse Urban Community for the "Prospective Toulouse Métropole" project, representative of the European Forum for Urban Security (EFUS)

Discussion

12.45          Lunch (Congress Hotel Restaurant)

14.30          Towards an effective model for accommodation and integration of migrants and their human rights protection

Moderator: Mr Emin YERITSYAN, Chair of the Current Affairs Committee

Keynote speaker: Mr Vache Terteryan, First Deputy Minister, Ministry of Territorial Administration of the Republic of Armenia

Discussion

15.45          Coffee break

16.00          Fighting xenophobia and building intercultural relations: Role of local and regional authorities

Moderator: Ms Barbara TOCE, Vice-Chair of the Current Affairs Committee

Keynote speaker: Mr Radomir SOVLJANSKI, Center for Regionalism

Discussion

17.30           End of the colloquy

REFERENCE TEXTS

YOU CAN FIND THESE REFERENCE TEXTS ON THE WEB PAGE OF THE CONGRESS’ Conference on integrating foreign residents into local public life

(Strasbourg, France, 15 October 2010)

http://www.coe.int/t/congress/files/events/2010/20101015-foreign-residents/default_en.asp?

(see Documents – List of reference texts)

• The European Convention on the Participation of Foreigners in Public Life at Local Level (1992)

• Resolution 183 (1987) on foreigners in regional and local communities

• Resolution 92 (2000) and Recommendation 76 (2000) on the participation of foreign residents in local public life

• Resolution 141 (2002) and Recommendation 115 (2002) on the participation of foreign residents in local public life: consultative bodies

• Resolution 181 (2004) and Recommendation 153 (2004) on a pact for the integration and participation of people of immigrant origin in Europe’s towns, cities and regions

• Resolution 270 (2008) and Recommendation 252 (2008) on improving the integration of migrants through local housing policies

• Resolution 280 (2009) and Recommendation 261 (2009) - Intercultural cities

• Resolution 281 (2009) and Recommendation 262 (2009) on equality and diversity in local authority employment and service provision

• Resolution 323 (2011) and Recommendation 304 (2011) on meeting the challenge of inter-faith and intercultural tensions at local level

• Final Declaration of the Conference on the participation by foreign residents in public life at local level (Strasbourg, France, 5-6 November 1999)

• Final Declaration of the Stuttgart Conference on foreigners' integration and participation in European cities (Stuttgart, Germany, 15-16 September 2003)

• Final Declaration of the International Conference on integrating foreign residents into local public life: challenges and prospects (Strasbourg, France, 15 October 2010)