Migrants in Europe, integration as a process of inclusion. Final workshop of the project Goal

An international workshop will conclude the project GOAL, Granting Opportunities for Active Learning, implemented by ALDA, as lead partner. The event will take place on 12 and 13 November (see the Agenda) in Bucharest (Hotel Herastrau).
The EU’s population, due to decreased fertility rates and longer life expectancy, is ageing, leading to a likely fall in the working population in the 25 states from 303 million to 297 million by 2020. A smaller labour force means less economic growth: economic migration is therefore necessary for sustained the European economic growth.
But migration flows, affecting all Europe, often disregard the need for labour, and arise from the needs of the populations of third world countries to escape poverty and seek welfare and freedom.
What is the situation that migrants find in the European Countries, and how is possible to improve it?
The debate in Europe on the need for a European policy on migration management is open for years and still has not found a solution shared by all member states.
So each state has to deal daily with the problems that this phenomenon leads to social stability, often being connected to the illegality, now aggravated by the severe economic crisis.
To give answer to these questions, ALDA, the Association of Local Democracy Agencies, has managed the European project, GOAL, that aims at improving the situation of migrants in Europe by giving them the occasion to discuss their own situation and suggesting ways to get better their life.
With this international workshop in Bucharest ALDA will try to conclude the project with a recommendation to European Institutions and policy makers.
During the project, groups of citizens in six EU Member States and accession countries (France, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Italy and Greece) have met and debated about the situation of migrants in their country and how to improve it.
The members of these citizens’ panels were themselves migrants. Drawing on the panels’ discussions, the partners have drafted recommendations to European policy makers on how to improve the situation of migrants in Europe.
The final workshop of GOAL will be the occasion to present the panels’ recommendations to the participants – professionals in migration matters and concerned citizens – and policy makers.
All participants will be encouraged to debate about the recommendations in particular and migration matters in general in three workshops on the topics of intercultural dialogue, political participation and access to services and the labour market.
The workshop is entitled “Improving the situation of immigrants – Citizens and experts debate”.