E.g., 01/27/2023
E.g., 01/27/2023
Europe

Europe

European Union

Europe faces an interesting set of immigration challenges and opportunities: Demographic pressures as many European societies age, a lively and at times tense policy and political debate over questions of identity and immigrant integration, and a unique policy environment that has knit many European countries together with regards to free movement, the management of outer borders, asylum, and other immigration-related topics. MPI has long conducted research and analysis of European policy on topics ranging from labor mobility and border security to immigrant integration, citizenship, and foreign qualifications recognition, which can be found below.

A flow chart showing the steps of the policy cycle
Policy Briefs

Promoting Evidence-Informed Immigrant Integration Policymaking

While many policy areas have seen a revolution in how information is gathered, shared, and used to inform new policies and improve existing ones, immigrant integration has not kept pace. This policy brief explores why integration policy in Europe has not yet seen the development of a robust evidence culture and offers recommendations for creating an environment in which evidence-informed policymaking can flourish.

Image of women and young children from Ukraine arriving at train station in Bucharest
Commentaries

Why the European Labor Market Integration of Displaced Ukrainians Is Defying Expectations

People displaced from Ukraine are finding work more rapidly in European countries than prior refugee cohorts. But uncertainty over how long they will stay, combined with hurdles such as language barriers, has meant many are prioritizing any job over the right job. This commentary examines how policymakers could address this waste of skills as they seek to fill pressing labor needs and facilitate deeper integration of the new arrivals.

Two women at a Sudanese community center rehabilitated by IOM and a local NGO
Policy Briefs

Embedding Reintegration Assistance for Returning Migrants in the Local Context: The Role of Referrals

Although European programs to support returning migrants’ reintegration into the communities where they settle have expanded and improved in recent years, returning—at times after years away—is never easy. This policy brief looks at how reintegration programs can adapt the assistance they provide to the local context and connect returnees with longer-term support through referrals, and what it takes to make these referrals successful.

Recent Activity

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Reports
September 2014
Decentralising Immigrant Integration: Denmark’s Mainstreaming Initiatives in Employment, Education, and Social Affairs
By  Martin Bak Jørgensen
coverthumb_TCM Cities Gebhardt
Reports
September 2014
Building Inclusive Cities: Challenges in the Multilevel Governance of Immigrant Integration in Europe
By  Dirk Gebhardt
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Reports
September 2014
Residential Segregation: A Transatlantic Analysis
By  John Iceland
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Reports
October 2014
Building an Integration System: Policies to Support Immigrants’ Progression in the Czech Labor Market
By  Dušan Drbohlav and Ondřej Valenta
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Reports
September 2014
No Quick Fix: Policies to Support the Labor Market Integration of New Arrivals in Sweden
By  Henrik Emilsson
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Reports
August 2014
Mainstreaming Immigrant Integration Policy in France: Education, Employment, and Social Cohesion Initiatives
By  Angéline Escafré-Dublet
coverthumb Mainstreaming Germany
Reports
August 2014
Coordinating Immigrant Integration in Germany: Mainstreaming at the federal and local levels
By  Petra Bendel
EventPH2 2014.8.13 Giving Cities and Regions a Greater Voice in Immigration Policy
Multimedia
August 13, 2014
Giving Cities and Regions a Greater Voice in Immigration Policy

Pages

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Profile
March 1, 2003
Austria: A Country of Immigration?
Recent policies — some more restrictive, some more liberal — reflect Austria's continuing ambivalence about immigration.
Feature
March 1, 2003
Gender, Religion, and Secularism Meet in Germany's Headscarf Battle

A German court has restored the job of a Muslim nursery school teacher dismissed from her post for wearing a symbol of her faith, the headscarf.

Feature
February 1, 2003
España: Hacia una nueva política migratoria

En la última mitad de la década de los 90, la inmigración llegó a ser un tema de vital importancia para los políticos y el público español.

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Profile
February 1, 2003
Spain: Forging an Immigration Policy
In the mid-1990s, immigration became a matter of vital importance to Spain's political elites and in the eyes of the public.
Feature
February 1, 2003
Germany's High Court Strikes Down Planned Immigration Law
The German Constitutional Court has blocked a landmark immigration law scheduled to take effect at the beginning of 2003, temporarily ending a running dispute between the ruling and opposition parties.

Pages

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Recent Activity

Reports
September 2014

Decentralising Immigrant Integration: Denmark’s Mainstreaming Initiatives in Employment, Education, and Social Affairs

This report examines the development of immigrant integration policies in Denmark over the past 15 years, specifically focusing on the centralization of Danish integration policies and exploring differences between policy frameworks at national and local levels, where certain areas have developed less restrictive and more accommodating policy responses to immigrant integration.
Reports
September 2014

Building Inclusive Cities: Challenges in the Multilevel Governance of Immigrant Integration in Europe

As the initial point of contact for most immigrants, cities see firsthand how both local and national policies affect newcomers and minorities. This report explores the steps cities across Europe are taking to be more inclusive of immigrants and minorities and how these efforts relate to national policies.
Reports
September 2014

Residential Segregation: A Transatlantic Analysis

Where does residential segregation come from, and why does it vary significantly across minority groups and country contexts? This report explores these questions and examines the policy tools that lawmakers on both sides of the Atlantic have used to address the segregation of immigrant groups.
Reports
October 2014

Building an Integration System: Policies to Support Immigrants’ Progression in the Czech Labor Market

This report presents an overview of Czech integration policies, with a special focus on economic integration. It focuses on policies designed to support migrants’ incorporation in the Czech labor market, and assesses the extent to which these policies facilitate migrants’ upward mobility into more skilled work.
Reports
September 2014

No Quick Fix: Policies to Support the Labor Market Integration of New Arrivals in Sweden

Sweden’s strong economic record continues to be marred by its struggles to integrate immigrants, especially those who come through humanitarian or family channels. This report describes how Sweden is trying to overcome these labor market integration challenges and analyzes how successful its workforce development and integration policies have been in helping immigrants progress from low-skilled work to middle-skilled jobs.
Reports
August 2014

Mainstreaming Immigrant Integration Policy in France: Education, Employment, and Social Cohesion Initiatives

In France, where integration initiatives are limited to an immigrant's first five years in the country, "mainstreaming" is an intrinsic characteristic of integration policy. This report traces the history and recent developments of immigrant integration in France, and explores how policies aimed at the general population are benefiting immigrant youth.
Reports
August 2014

Coordinating Immigrant Integration in Germany: Mainstreaming at the federal and local levels

In contrast to other European countries, the idea of "mainstreaming" immigrant integration policy has not caught on among policymakers in Germany. This report explores the history and recent trends of integration policy in Germany as well as obstacles facing policymakers moving forward.

Video
August 13, 2014

Giving Cities and Regions a Greater Voice in Immigration Policy

MPI researchers and representatives from London and Detroit discuss the policies and strategies used—at national and local levels—to attract immigrants into local economies.

Pages