The European Court of Auditors has recently published a report setting out seven key challenges for integrating migrants from outside the EU and the actions that need to be taken to meet them.
Challenge 1: Reducing delays in the start of integration process. "The earlier integration starts, the more likely it is to be successful," reads the document. However, "divergences in national rules regarding entry and residence conditions, or long waiting periods to process applications" can lead migrants to move on to another EU member state, affecting "the effective integration of migrants into society".
Challenge 2: Guaranteeing equal rights and non-discrimination.Though EU legislation promotes equal rights and non discrimination, "immigration of people from outside the EU evokes a negative feeling for the majority of Europeans". This can have a negative impact on the integration of migrants in some member states.
Challenge 3: Sound and comprehensive assessment of needs and funding. "In response to the increase in the migration inflows, starting from 2015, the EU budget mobilized over €5 000 million of additional funding for migration up to 2021," reads the document. However, "Member States declared that they needed an additional amount of around €450 million to address the integration needs of migrants".
Challenge 4: Commitment of Member States to implement the Action Plan. In 2016 the European Commission developed an action plan containing 52 measures at EU level. In December 2017, 23 of these had still not been carried out.
Challenge 5: Supporting all migrants across all relevant policy areas. Most EU member states have integration policies in place, bu these do not systematically relate to all groups of migrants or all areas of integration. In addition, the ECA has identified "deficiencies in the design of the integration policies" and "weaknesses related to the implementation of integration measures for migrants".
Challenge 6: Effective monitoring of integration outcomes to measure progress and adapt policies if needed. ECA reports that most member states do not have an overall view of the number of migrants assisted or of the amount spent on integration. The Commission is currently working on a proposal to create dedicated indictaors, which could facilitate the development of policies based on concrete data.
Challenge 7: Effective coordination of funding at EU and national level. "The same type of action for the same target group may be financed under different EU funds," the ECA writes.Most member states have a coordinating body, "but the existing mechanisms are weak".