EMVI project team study tour
20. 11. 2023 | Politics
Between 14 and 17 November the international team of the EMVI project consisting of non-governmental, migrant and local community organizations, attended a study trip in Brussels visiting several governmental and non-governmental organizations and institutions dealing with the integration of migrants, including the meeting with representatives of the General Directorate for Migration and Home Affairs. On November 15, they also presented the most important results of the project in the European Parliament and met with MEPs from the countries that make up the project’s international consortium. We were welcomed by Matjaž Nemec, S&D/SD; Thomas Waitz, The Greens; Jan-Christoph Oetjen, Renew and Stelios Kouloglou, GUE/NGL. The head of the research process, dr. Lana Zdravković from the Peace Institute presented 5 policy recommendations for improving the political participation of migrants. These are:
- All people who are legally long-term residents in the country should be granted voting rights at the local/regional level equivalent to voting rights at the local/regional level for EU citizens.
- All countries and levels of government should accept the motto that no decisions on migrants should be made without migrants. Therefore, migrant advisory bodies should be installed or enhanced (if they already exist) on local, regional and national levels.
- To keep the EU on a democratic path and to develop the EU countries in the direction of political communities, integration/inclusion/activation programmes should be improved and developed with a special focus on education and training for political participation as well as a stable life without existential threats should be enabled for migrants.
- Structural involvement of migrants and their organisations on all levels of government should be improved, starting with the inclusion of migrants in the administration staff and innovative tools like e-participation, issue-raising meetings and roundtables for migrants to raise their voices in an organised manner to decision makers.
- Integration and inclusion policies need to be structurally improved including funding for migrant organisations and activities tailored to participation possibilities for women.
From Slovenian team, the meeting was also attended by Aigul Hakimova and Katja Utroša, Cultural Association Gmajna; Alja Lipnik, Community of Municipalities of Slovenia; Furkan Güner, Society for Intercultural Dialogue; Daniel Nzotam, African Village Association and Dr. Biljana Žikić, Danilo Kiš Association, who especially elaborated on the fifth recommendation and emphasized the importance of media self-representation of migrants and infrastructure for migrant organizations.
