News

Children's Day: Childhood is beyond borders
All over the world children stand the important part of forcibly displaced population. As UNICEF, a United Nations Agency, states “in 2019, around 33 million children were living outside of their country of birth. more>>>

Indian hot meals for Warsaw’s poor and homeless
As the lockdown was announced in Poland the Indian Community in Poland declared on social media that Indian restaurants joined the social action “Food for the Doctor” cooking and delivering meals to hospitals. more>>

Refugee health workers fight against COVID-19
Straggling coronavirus pandemic European countries face the urgent need in health professionals and medical workers. The help came from migrants, refugees and asylum seekers. As most health-related professions are tightly regulated in EU member states, majority of refugees and asylum seekers with the competences are not able to practice and fight the pandemic. more>>

Germany: Migrants and refugees may help in dealing the coronavirus lockdown
In dealing with consequence of the coronavirus pandemic German authorities turn to migrants and refugees communities for help. According to the interior ministry, there are over 150,000 refugees looking for work. more>>>

Vietnam Community supports Poland in combating coronavirus
We are here and we want to be part of Poland! – said the vice president of Vietnamese Association in Poland. more>>>

NGOs alarm: Poland suspends asylum applications
Combating the spread of Covid-19 EU countries implemented restrictions in cross-border movements and closed borders to non-EU nationals on March 17. Although States have a right to control the entry of non-nationals into their territory, human rights activists worry that such preventive measure in aim to ensure the public’s health can used by European governments to suspend the access to asylum procedures. more>>>

Evacuation of asylum seekers as a measure to prevent “many deaths”
EU parliament urges the European Commission to evacuate asylum seekers from the Greek island camps “as both the poor hygienic and living conditions could turn the humanitarian crisis into a public health issue”. more>>>

Coronavirus epidemic - immigrants and refugees solidarity initiatives to help and support
Surgery masks, meals free of charge, community support - what are the examples of social and voluntary involvement of immigrants and refugees during the outbreak of coronavirus disease more>>>

Poland's Tri-City gives example of inclusive integrating solutions
‘Minimum Standards for the Integration of Immigrants’ - a catalog of necessary activities that will facilitate the inclusion of new residents in the local environment was announced 26 march 2020 at the European Solidarity Center. more>>>

The social integration of refugees (October 2019). The refugee issue should motivate an open discussion on social integration of new populations. This discussion should be regulated by some basic shafts, which support acceptance and values. Firstly, social integration is a powerful, two-way, mutual, process of adjustment for all immigrants and citizens of each country. more>>

Granting international protection in Poland: the newest data for 2019. Summarizing the 2019, the Office for Foreigners shared the newest data showing that there were 4009 decisions issued in Poland in cases of international protection. more>>>

We recommend you to read the interview with Khedi Alieva, refugee, activist, member of the Council of Immigrants of the city of Gdansk and the head of the Foundation Kobiety Wędrowne. more>>

Department of Social Development of the Municipal Office in Gdańsk with the Association "Na Stotyk" elaborated the educational games for schools “All of us are migrants”. more>>

A step towards the new role of Lithuania in receiving migrants The public discussion "Understanding the (dis) connection: solidarity beyond borders" was organized to bring together activists and specialists from different regions of Europe in aim to discuss the factors underpinning cross-border solidarity. more>>>

Złote Wachlarze Award 2019 On 17th December 2019, IOM Międzynarodowa Organizacja do Spraw Migracji - Agenda ONZ ds. Migracji organized the ceremony of the Złote Wachlarze Award. more>>>

Violation of the right to apply for international protection for Russian citizens of Chechen origin takes place at the Terespol border crossing station between Poland and Belarus. more>>>

17.12.19 The Global Compact on Refugees was officially affirmed by the UN General Assembly on 17 December 2018. Led by UNHCR, it calls for an adequate international response to new and old challenges related to the forced migration. It is the first such meeting in this century. more>>>

29.11.19 World Migration Report 2020 International Organization for Migration, the UN Agency, has published the newest report on migration data worldwide. The agency estimated the number of international migrants in 2019 at 270 million or 3,5 per cent of the world’s population. more>>

25.11.2019 Berlin Action Plan on a New European Asylum Policy was launched during the international conference “For a new start in European asylum and migration policy. Civil society and municipalities are committed to a sustainable and unified policy” organized by Diakonie Germany, France terre d'asile and the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Berlin. more>>>

Why Moria became a 'hellish' migrant camp
In Greece more than 12,000 people - mainly from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq - live in Moria camp, which has grown to become the island’s second largest town in just three years. A woman’s death on Sunday was the third there in two months. An Afghan teenager was killed in a fight in August and a five-year-old Afghan boy was accidentally run over by a truck while playing in a cardboard box outside the camp in September. more>>>

Access to education for refugee and migrant children in Europe
Despite the fact that all children have a right to education, reports highlights a huge problem of the access and integration of migrant and refugee children into the formal education system. The lack of trained teachers, language barriers and poverty are among the main reason of early school leaving. Moreover, children of pre-primary and upper secondary ages (3-5 years and 15+ years) are vulnerable to be eliminated from the compulsory education because are often beyond the scope of national legislation.
UNHCR, UNICEF and IOM have published a briefing paper presenting the obstacles children and adolescents born outside Europe face when trying to access education in Europe: more>>>

The Dublin III Regulation provides a mechanism for determining which country is responsible to consider an application for international protection. The Dublin III Regulation applies to the 28 EU member states, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland. more>>>

Refugee education: Integration models and practises in OECD countries - the new OECD Working Paper examines key needs of refugee students and factors that promote their integration. The recent refugee crisis has put many OECD countries under considerable pressure to accommodate and integrate large numbers of refugees. Refugee students are a particularly vulnerable group due to their forced displacement, but their needs are not always met by education systems, which can hinder the integration potential of these students. This poses considerable challenges as the integration of refugee students in education systems is important for their academic outcomes as well as their social and emotional well-being. more>>

UNHCR has published the new Annual Public Health Global Review 2018. The document gathered data from 51 refugee-host countries and describes such key issues as the state of health, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene activities for refugees, asylum seekers and affected host communities.
Some key notes:
•   10.5 million refugees received health care;
•   mortality rates among refugee children under the age of five declines;
•   in 80 per cent of countries 90 per cent of refugee women delivered their babies in health facilities;
•   the integration of mental health into primary care remains a priority. more>>>

The largest centers for asylum seekers in Europe is officially closed
Opened in 2011, the camp near Mineo (Sicily) was one of the largest centers for asylum seekers in Europe. The structure, that extends over 60 thousand square meters of surface, hosted migrants waiting for the assessments of asylum applications, often for months and years. At the time of maximum flow (it was July 7, 2014), the camp homed more than 4,173 people, but this number declined to 2,526 in 2018 and 1244 in 2019, because of the Italian government’s tough policy on immigrants. more >>>

Hungary - National General Directorate for Immigration. New unit, under the management of the Police - a National General Directorate for Immigration took over responsibilities from the Immigration and Asylum Office on 1 July 2019. more>>>

What do we know about the situation of asylum seekers and refugees on the labour market in Bulgaria? A study Bulgarian Labour Market Needs as Key to Refugee Employment present deep analyses of the socioeconomic, demographic and labour market situation and trends related to asylum seekers and beneficiaries of international protection, as well gives a view on employers attitude and requirements in regard to the beneficiaries of international protection. Link to the report >>>

The Road to Integration – Education and Migration 2019
The new OECD report - The Road to Integration – Education and Migration 2019 – widely presents the importance and impact of education, that is better addresses to newcomers, and receptive to the unique needs of most vulnerable groups such as refugee minors or asylum seekers. more>>>

Fatal Journeys Volume 4: Missing Migrant Children – new report presents data on minor migrant fatalities worldwide, highlights risk and vulnerability factors children face during journeys or at the destination place, lists issues of state responsibility in the scope of protection of children's rights and brings up ethical considerations surrounding research
on missing migrant children. more>>>

European Asylum Support Office (EASO) has released a new document: The EASO Annual Report on the Situation of Asylum in the European Union 2018.
The Report presents the latest available data, statistical trends and analyses changes in EU+ countries regarding their legislation, policies, practices, as well as national case law. more>>>

The new FRA Fundamental Right Report 2019 covers various right-related instruments and arias, where prospects of rights and dignity protection of refugees and asylum-seekers through the EU remain worrisome.
The report highlights concerns about fundamental rights violations and an increase in alleged mistreatment of migrants and refugees . Allegations concern, in particular, Belgium, Croatia, France, Greece, and Italy. Moreover, surveys present alarming information about the intimidation of humanitarian workers, volunteers and NGOs activists who support migrants in an irregular situation.
Refugee integration is another essential issue mentioned in the report. Difficulties to find adequate accommodation and restrictions for family reunification are among the list of challenges to successful integration.
The situation of children in migration remain to be one of the most alarming problem in certain Member States. The issue concerns reception condition, limited access to education and immigration detention for children. more>>>

The Council of Europe has adopted a recommendation for its member countries to offer temporary support to young refugees after they reach adulthood. When refugees who arrived as children turn 18, they often face sudden changes in their rights and in their access to essential services, as they are no longer eligible for support or rights that are granted to children. When support across diverse sectors such as education, employment, housing and healthcare abruptly ends, young refugees may end up in situations of exploitation, abuse and other harm. more>>

According to latest Eurostat data the 28 Member States of the EU granted protection status to nearly 333 400 asylum seekers in 2018, down by almost 40% from 2017.The largest group of beneficiaries of protection status in the EU remained citizens of Syria followed by citizens of Afghanistan and those of Iraq. Germany, Italy and France were the EU countries that recognized the most refugees. more>>

The Council of Europe Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) on Tuesday published a report on racism in Latvia in which it underscored that the country had made progress on the integration of refugees and those benefiting from subsidiary protection. more>>>

Along with the traditional analysis of the state and evolution of immigration in Spain, the 2018 issue of the Anuario CIDOB de la Inmigración seeks to highlight the establishment of immigration and asylum at the centre of the political arena in Europe and the United States. Among other issues, this has led to a negative hyperpoliticisation of the phenomenon in both regions, which are among those that receive the highest levels of immigration in the world, and where far-right and populist forces more>>>

The crisis of the EU’s refugee and asylum policy has polarised societies and turned political discourse upside down across Europe. Despite the presence of migration in the discourse of politicians, media and the general public in recent years, there is a persistent lack of facts and detailed information connected with the life situations and motivations of newcomers to Europe. more >>>

17. 12.18, Tessaloniki, Greece “ANTIGONE - Information and Documentation Centre on Racism, Ecology, Peace and Non Violence” organised the 17th National Round Table against discriminations, an institution that is successfully held for the last seventeen years. The round table was also the 7th National Coalition Meeting of the ‘National Integration and Evaluation Mechanism (ΝΙΕΜ)’ Project. more>>>

26.11.2018, Bucharest, Romania, The Center for Public Innovation, and its partners from the Coalition for Integration of Migrants and Refugees, presented the draft results of the NIEM national report on Romania. more>>

The Migrational Analytical Centre (MCA) will be established as a part of migration crisis response mechanism within join project of the Visegrad Group countries. more >>>

20.10.2018, Thessaloniki, NIEM 6th Coalition Meeting in Greece
In accordance to the NIEM coalition lines, ANTIGONE invited local, as well as regional stakeholders from the refugee intervention field. What is more, beneficiaries of international protection, activists and volunteers active on both Greece and other European countries (Spain, Italy, Kroatia and Germany) were invited and, thus, participated in the discussion, contributing their valuable point of view. more >>>

29.05.18 Ljubljana, National Coalition Meeting in Slovenia The Peace Institute (Ljubljana, Slovenia) in cooperation with the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Ljubljana held a national coalition meeting titled »Intercultural Contacts in the Field of Health« more >>>

10.05.2018 Warsaw, National Coalition Meeting in Poland. IPA organized a coalition meeting with representatives of various Polish ministries and other public institutions more >>>

11.04.2018 France, new report in France proposes revisiting France’s integration policies. According to a new report, France’s integration policies need revamping to provide more effective integration pathways for migrants and refugees. more >>>

13.03.2018 Warsaw, the debate: "Bridges and footbridges: the role of local government and local communities in the adaptation of foreigners" more >>>

On the 27th of February, Malmö University hosted the second coalition meeting inviting representatives from different civil society organizations to discuss the role of civil society in integration in Sweden. more >>>

On 14-15 February 2018 the Institute of Public Affairs organized in Warsaw the first international partners’ meeting within the framework of the NIEM project. more >>>

On December 13, 2017, the Peace Institute, NIEM’s partner from Slovenia, held a national coalition meeting. It was attended by thirteen representatives of the Government Office for Care and Integration of Migrants, Employment Office, civil society organizations, social services and adult education centres. more >>>

15.12.2017 MAASTRICHT NETHERLANDS// The NIEM Netherlands team held an integration discussion evening in Maastricht. The event was organized in cooperation with the Refugee Project Maastricht NGO and was designed to bring together refugees and asylum-seekers in Maastricht to talk about what integration means in practice to them. more >>>

13.11.2017 WARSAW, POLAND // Towards the new impetus. Meeting of the Polish Coalition working in the area of migration and asylum
“The NIEM project has enormous potential to bring positive change to the process of integration of asylum seekers in European countries, but to achieve their full potential, the project’s activities have to be accurately tailored to different national contexts” states one of the main conclusions of the NIEM Polish coalition meeting that took place on 13 November in Warsaw. more >>>

15.11.2017 BUKAREST, ROMANIA // Improving access of foreign doctors on the Romanian labour market

In Romania, physicians coming from third countries can exercise their profession only if they are married to Romanian/EU citizen or if they hold a long-term residence permit in Romania/other EU country. This topic was discussed at round table organized on 26th October in Bucharest by the Coalition for Migrants and Refugees Rights (CDMiR) established as part of the NIEM project.. more >>>

19.10.2017 BUKAREST, ROMANIA // Advocating for better access to citizeship for migrants

The Coalition for the Rights of Migrants and Refugees, a platform that convenes Romanian NGOs working in the sector of migrants’ integration, was established in the first months of 2017. The Coalition has an ambitious advocacy agenda, from simplifying administrative procedures to amending key legislation. more >>>

30-31.08.2017 MALMO, SWEDEN

What are the city’s instruments to integrate a sudden population growth of migrants & refugees on an urban, economical, cultural and social surface? We are pleased to invite you to attend the International Seminar on Migrants and Refugees that will take place next month in Malmö, Sweden. Sayaka Osanami Törngren from our partner organization Malmö högskola will be addressing the major patterns of integration policy in Sweden and other EU countries. more >>>

11.07.2017 Madrid, SPAIN // COALITION MEETING

CIDOB held the first NIEM Advocacy Meeting in Madrid with the collaboration of UNHCR Spain. The event took place at the UNHCR headquarters and was attended by the main social organisations working in the asylum field (the Red Cross, CEAR, ACCEM, La Merced Migraciones, IOM, Red Acoge, Proyecto Esperanza, Provivienda, Amnesty International, Fundación Cepaim, FELGTB and Programa LGTBI). more >>>

27.06.2017 Thessaloniki, GREECE // SECOND COALITION MEETING

Information and Documentation Center on Racism, Ecology, Peace and Non-Violence organized the 2^nd meeting of the National Integration Evaluation Mechanism (ΝΙΕΜ) project on Tuesday, July 27, 2017, at the social center 'Oikopolis', Ptolemeon 29A, Thessaloniki.
more >>>

20.06.2017 LJUBLJANA, SLOVENIA // WORLD REFUGEE DAY

World Refugee Day in Ljubljana more>>>

20.06.2017 RIGA, LATVIA // WORLD REFUGEE DAY
The association “Gribu palīdzēt bēgļiem” (I Want to Help Refugees) and the think-tank “Providus” in cooperation with the UNHCR Northern Europe and the Media Centre of Stockholm School of Economics in Riga organises an event dedicated to the World Refugee Day. more>>>

20.06.2017 BUKAREST, ROMANIA // WORLD REFUGEE DAY

Advocating for the migrant’s right to citizenship - During the period of May-June 2017, the Coalition for the Rights of Migrants and Refugees (CDMiR – Coalitia pentru Drepturile Migrantilor si Refugiatilor) continued the advocacy efforts to find solutions to the reported problems encountered by migrants in the process of obtaining Romanian citizenship more >>>

20.06.2017 MILAN, ITALY // WORLD REFUGEE DAY

The Ismu Foundation organized a special event to celebrate World Refugee Day. On 20th June at Sala Europa, ISMU Foundation. more>>>

3.06.2017 MAASTRICHT, THE NETHERLANDS // FIRST COALITION MEETING

On July 3, 2017, the first national coalition meeting of NIEM Netherlands was held in Maastricht. Stakeholders in attendance included housing corporations, VluchtelingenWerk, and the municipality of Maastricht. The format of the meeting was a discussion on the research report written by four honours students of Maastricht University, based on the NIEM indicators. more>>>

19.05.2017 TALLIN, LATVIA // “Vulnerable Persons among Asylum Seekers: How to Improve Latvia’s Reception Capabilities?”

Centre for Public Policy Providus in cooperation with Friedrich Ebert Stifting in Latvia would like to invite interested participants to a discussion titled: “Vulnerable Persons among Asylum Seekers: How to Improve Latvia’s Reception Capabilities?” The discussion will take place on 19th of May 2017 more >>>

5.05.2017 MILAN, ITALY // The first National Coalition Meeting in Italy.

The first National Coalition Meeting in Italy was organized in Milan by the Ismu Foundation. The participants were experts in different fields (legal science, ethno-psychiatry, social science, demography, etc.). The main objective of the meeting was to present NIEM. It was also an occasion for incentivizing networking through discussions on the key challenges faced by operators and beneficiaries during the integration processes. more>>>

6.04.2017 BUKAREST, ROMANIA // Cooalition meeting in Romania

On April 6^th, the topic of citizenship was on the agenda. The Center for Public Innovation (CPI) and the Romanian National Council for Refugees, both members of the Coalition, proposed an analyses of the reported problems encountered by migrants in the process of obtaining Romanian citizenship more>>>

13.04.2017, ITALY // ISMU supports the Italian National Contact Point within the European Migration Network

Ismu Foundation is the service provider supporting the Italian Ministry of Interior being the National Contact Point (NCP) within the European Migration Network (EMN). more>>>

29.03.2017 ITALY // New Law Addressing Unaccompanied Minors in Italy

After a long negotiation period, a new law addressing unaccompanied minors (UAMs) went into effect in Italy on March 29^th. The main goal of the new law is to increase UAMs’ protections and defend their rights. The first reform regards the reception system. more>>>

16.03.2017 BUKAREST, ROMANIA // Shaping the advocacy agenda of the Romanian Coalition for the Rights of Migrants and Refugees

On March 16th, the working meeting of the Coalition was dedicated to the topic of work permits for third country citizens that arrived in Romania for family reunion visits. more >>>

22.02.2017 VILNIUS, LITHUANIA // Second National Coalition Meeting in Lithuania

The second National Coalition Meeting was organised with the purpose of presenting NIEM and to discuss recent legislative and institutional developments in the area of asylum and refugee integration policies within Lithuania and to initiate a long-term advocacy strategy for better refugee integration policies in Lithuania under NIEM’s umbrella. more>>>

17.02.2017 BUKAREST, ROMANIA // Second National Coalition Meeting in Romania

A second meeting was called for February 17. This type, the participants have actively working on drafting the protocol of the new coalition and on defining it’s short and medium term advocacy goals. The participants identified several topics that can be addressed by the Coalition on the short term more>>>

25.01.2017 BUKAREST, ROMANIA // Joint efforts of Romanian civil society organizations defending the right of migrants

In the first two months of 2017, Romanian civil society organizations active in the sector of migrant integration have initiated the dialogue for a collective effort towards the common advocacy goals. The establishment of the Coalition for the Rights of Migrants and Refugees is the first important step. more >>>

9.03.2017 MALMÖ, SWEDEN // First National Coalition Meeting in Malmo

On March 9^th 2017, Malmo Institute for Studies of Migration, Diversity and Welfare, Malmö University organized the NIEM First National Coalition Meeting as part of the Migration Seminar. The objective of the meeting was to present and promote the NIEM project to both researchers and practitioners. more>>>

14.02.2017 MALMÖ, SWEDEN // Kickoff of Malmö University’s post doc program in refugee research

Welcoming and presenting the post docs to fellow colleagues and migration researchers, the kickoff was also a celebration of the university’s commitment to refugee research. Post docs are part of the Refugee research initiative Malmö University initiates. more>>>

2.02.2017 SOFIA, BULGARIA // NIEM Second National Coalition Meeting in Bulgaria

On February 2nd 2017, Multi Kulti Collective and the Bulgarian Council on Refugees and Migrants organized the NIEM Second National Coalition Meeting in the format of an intercultural evening: “The integration of migrants and refugees – innovative practices”. more>>>

31.01.2017 POLAND // Changes in the Law on Granting Protection to Foreigners in Poland
The new Amendments to the Law on Protection proposed on the 31st of January will change dramatically the process of applying for asylum in Poland. more>>>

26.01.2017, SLOVENIA // Worrying Changes in the Act on Foreigners in Slovenia

On 26th of January 2017 the Slovenian National Assemly adopted the new Act on Foreigners. Especially problematic are the two articles - Article 10a (changed circumstances in the field of migration) and Article 10b (measures in case of changed circumstances in the field of migration) - which will give the National Assembly in the case of "changed circumstances" a power to close borders for refugees and prohibit them to apply for asylum. more>>>

25.01.2017 BUKAREST, ROMANIA // Understanding the NIEM indicators in the Romanian context

On January 25^th, the Center for Public Innovation in Romania held the first national coalition preparatory meeting for the NIEM project. The event was organized with support from the UNHCR Romania and was hosted at the UN House in Bucharest. more>>>

15.12.2015 BUDAPEST, HUNGARY // Coalition meeting in Budapest

On 15 December 2016, Menedék Association participated in the fifth information-sharing and coordination meeting organized by UNHCR's Regional Representation. The aim of the coordination meeting was to exchange information on refugee and migration developments in Hungary and Central Europe. more>>>

13.12.2016 SOFIA, BULGARIA // NIEM First National Coalition Meeting in Bulgaria

On 13 December 2016, Multi Kulti Collective and the Bulgarian Council on Refugees and Migrants organized the first NIEM meeting with participants from different stakeholders relevant to refugee integration in Bulgaria. more>>>

7.10.2016 WARSAW, POLAND // Local Responses to Refugee Crisis - Initial Reception and Integration. Dutch and Polish Experiences.

Investing in integration today, will contribute to making Europe a more prosperous, cohesive and inclusive society in the long term - that was the main concept of the conference Local Responses to the Refugee Crisis: Initial Reception and Integration – Dutch and Polish Experiences. more>>>

21.11.2016 WARSAW, POLAND // Launch of the biggest research project in the EU dedicated to answering the question on how to better integrate refugees.

The NIEM project initiated in 2016 aims to improve the quality and effectiveness of the integration process of refugees in fifteen European states. For the next six years, analysts will create a complex evaluation of the current refugee and asylum seeker integration policy. more>>>