On 31 May and 1st of June, Mattia Brazzale and Matteo Mirigliano, Assistants to ALDA Secretary General, attended to the Civil Society Days 2016 which took place in Brussels at the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC).
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The event was articulated in 2 days of activities, discussions and workshops, and this year it focused on migration and on how Europe can be made more open and adapt to this phenomenon, to reach more integration and inclusion, finding the responses to the refugee crisis.
On 31 May, the meeting was divided in two sessions: in the morning the plenary session was opened by the words of the President of the EESC, Georges Dassis, and amongst the speakers there were Mrs Gesine Schwan, President of the Humboldt-Viadrina governance platform, Mrs Cécile Kyenge, Italian MEP and EP Rapporteur for the Report on the situation in the Mediterranean, Mrs Emmanuelle Grance, Head of Unit “Disability and Inclusion” for the European Commission, and Mr Conny Reuter, Co-President of the EESC Liason Group.
Mrs. Schwan stressed the need to grant more projects focusing on migration and integration issues at regional and local level, in order to better face to the refugee crisis.
Mrs. Kyenge agreed with this local perspective and underlined the importance of seeing persons as resources, giving to refugees the access to labour market and public services, as well as she stresses on the importance to make them aware about their rights and duties, and to avoid any form of excessive unconditioned aid.
In the afternoon, participants were divided in three workshops according to their interests, on themes like: education and youth, role of the CSOs in social integration and responses to the root causes of migration.
On 31 May and 1st of June, Mattia Brazzale and Matteo Mirigliano, Assistants to ALDA Secretary General, attended to the Civil Society Days 2016 which took place in Brussels at the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC).
***
The event was articulated in 2 days of activities, discussions and workshops, and this year it focused on migration and on how Europe can be made more open and adapt to this phenomenon, to reach more integration and inclusion, finding the responses to the refugee crisis.
On 31 May, the meeting was divided in two sessions: in the morning the plenary session was opened by the words of the President of the EESC, Georges Dassis, and amongst the speakers there were Mrs Gesine Schwan, President of the Humboldt-Viadrina governance platform, Mrs Cécile Kyenge, Italian MEP and EP Rapporteur for the Report on the situation in the Mediterranean, Mrs Emmanuelle Grance, Head of Unit “Disability and Inclusion” for the European Commission, and Mr Conny Reuter, Co-President of the EESC Liason Group.
Mrs. Schwan stressed the need to grant more projects focusing on migration and integration issues at regional and local level, in order to better face to the refugee crisis.
Mrs. Kyenge agreed with this local perspective and underlined the importance of seeing persons as resources, giving to refugees the access to labour market and public services, as well as she stresses on the importance to make them aware about their rights and duties, and to avoid any form of excessive unconditioned aid.
In the afternoon, participants were divided in three workshops according to their interests, on themes like: education and youth, role of the CSOs in social integration and responses to the root causes of migration.