On 12-13
November 2001, the 5th
European Conference on the Integration of Refugees “Furthering the
Spirit of Tampere” took place in Helsinki,
Finland. The
Conference was organised by the Regional
Office of IOM in Helsinki in close cooperation with the European Commission (European Refugee Fund), the Finnish Ministry of
Labour, the Swedish Integration Board, the Swedish Migration Board and the
European Council on Refugees and Exiles. The European Refugee Fund has
been the main contributor to the Conference.
The conference brought together all major actors of refugee integration in
the European Union - refugee NGOs, national governmental officials and
politicians, community and social partners, international organisations, the
media and academia – to tackle jointly challenges related to
integration of refugees in today’s Europe. The conference aimed to highlight particular
areas where additional efforts were needed, and to facilitate innovative
proposals for practical steps of action. In particular, every effort was made
to ensure strong participation of refugee NGOs, so that the voice of refugees
themselves was well heard and taken into account when designing national
integration policies and measures.
The conference provided participants with a
regional perspective and an opportunity to exchange information, promote best
practices and generate new insights through informed discussion and shared
experience. It built on the findings of four previous European refugee
integration conferences to ensure continuity and promoted further cooperation in the
multi-faceted and fast-moving field of refugee integration in today’s
dynamic Europe.
The event attracted over 180 participants from EU Member States. The
agenda comprised two plenary sessions and five workshops addressing the key
issues related to the integration of refugees in Europe. The insights and
recommendations generated at the workshops gave further momentum to practical
measure of the integration of refugees in the European Union. In particular,
the Conference enhanced dialogue between politicians, researchers, civil
servants, NGOs and other experts in the field from all the participating
countries, thus leading to the closer cooperation and networking between the
participants, and furthering new important initiatives in this area.
The title of the Conference referred to the Spirit of Tampere,
which gave a credit to Finland’s role in tackling refugee reception and
integration in the European Union, as well the joint efforts of all EU Member States
in implementing the ambitious provisions of the Amsterdam Treaty of creating
“an area of freedom, security and justice.” Effective integration
of refugees is an important element part of this vision, and was the main area
addressed by the Conference.
The inauguration part of the Conference started at the House of Estates with a brief video on the integration of
refugees in the European Union. In
his welcome speech, Mr Jose-Angel Oropeza,
IOM Regional
Representative, stressed that “the devastating terrorist attacks of 11
September brought some changes to the international migration environment, with most
governments considering strengthening border security and the adoption of
enhanced security measures to prevent terrorism. While this may result in
temporary changes in migratory patterns, fundamental migratory push and pull
factors are unlikely to change”. He also indicated that international
migration contributed
to creating societies with cultural and
ethnic diversity. As people of different
cultures interact with each other, they face different belief systems, values,
customs, patterns
of behaviour and
social relations. The process of integration involves adaptation on the part of
both the migrant and the receiving population and that further efforts should
be done both by receiving societies and refugee and migrant communities to
allow a smooth process of integration.
Ms Tarja Filatov, Minister
of Labour of Finland, indicated in her welcome remarks that
the “Spirit
of Tampere,
as the title of the
Conference refers to, is indeed symbolic in a number of ways. The Tampere
Summit clearly demonstrated that justice and home affairs issues have to be
tackled by concerted efforts of all EU Member States, while maintaining a
practical approach ensuring that the ambitious provisions of creating ‘an area of freedom,
security and justice’ become reality. Successful integration of refugees
is an indispensable part of this vision. In Tampere we committed ourselves to
fair treatment of third country nationals legally residing on our territory,
and called for a more rigorous policy in granting them rights and obligations
comparable to those of our citizens.” The Minister also concluded that at Tampere the EU Member States “promised to promote
non-discrimination in economic, social and cultural life as well as to develop
measures to combat racism and xenophobia.” The Minister stressed that the integration of refugees
was “a two-way process and
therefore the responsibility equally rests on both the newcomer as well as the
host society. Successful integration is unthinkable in the atmosphere of
hostility, suspicion or racism. Therefore, our integration measures can succeed
only with mutual and full commitment of all actors involved”.
Mr Juhani Sormunen, Deputy Head of EU Delegation in Finland, welcomed participants and elaborated on current EU
developments in crystallising a common framework for addressing asylum issues
and refugee integration in the context of deepening European integration.
Ms Essak Batulo, Finnish Refugee of the Year, highlighted from her personal experience that that integration of
refugees ought
to start from
the very first day when a newcomer arrives at his host country. Ms Batulo, a
Somali refugee herself, stated that “as from our part as the so called
Target Group, I wish that we could find in good spirits new ways in equal
co-operation to develop.”
The plenary session continued with key speakers who included Ms Mervi Virtanen, Finnish Director of the Ministry of
Labour, Mr Andreas Calgren, Director General of the Swedish Integration Board
and Mr Andrew Gregg from the World University Services. They respectively addressed the Finnish and
Swedish models of integration as well as refugee integration in the
European context from an NGO perspective.
The opening session was followed by five working groups which constituted the heart
of the Conference, being the main part where major issues related to the
integration of refugees in Europe were addressed in detailed and practical
manner. At this year’s Conference, five specific areas were identified as key
issues in addressing the Conference goals, taking into account the diverse
interest and areas of expertise of the audience:
· Furthering
refugee integration: projects v long-term integration
measures
· Identity
and image: refugee perception and self-perception
· Meeting a
new culture and society: gender, family and minority issues
· Citizenship
and naturalisation: the legal dimensions of successful integration?
· Refugees
facing the changes in EU labour markets: implications to integration.
Conclusion and recommendation that emanates from
the working groups were presented at the closing plenary session on 13 November
2001. With an
audience coming from Governments, NGOs, refugee community organisations, and international
organisations with various perspectives, the Conference succeeded in setting
forth the balanced recommendations derived from five Working Groups where
participants shared concerns, information, best practices as well as high level
of innovative ideas to facilitate the integration of refugees and migrants in
the host societies.
The insights and results of the working groups clearly
demonstrated that
sustainable integration of refugees in Europe was inherently linked to addressing the
causes of under-employment, social and cultural integration. More ambitious
initiatives were
also raised and recommended on more sensitive issues such as citizenship,
freedom of movement, political rights, etc. The Conference also noted that the tolerance
was more essential than ever before, especially after the tragedy of 11
September 2002. Tolerance has to be
promoted in all part of the society: between individuals and at the family and
community levels. Tolerance promotion and the shaping of
attitudes of openness, mutual listening and solidarity should take place in
schools and universities, and in the workplace. The press and other mass media are in a
position to play a critical role in facilitating free and open dialogue and
discussion, disseminating the values of tolerance, and highlighting the dangers
of indifference towards the rise in intolerant groups and ideologies.
In addition to the agenda of the Conference, a
cultural and social programme was organised, in order to promote and
consolidate working contacts between refugee NGOs, governmental participants
and other actors in the field of refugee integration. On 11 November, the
participants were hosted by the International Cultural Centre Caisa for an
international cultural party with the participation of Jambedula Cultural Group
and the Caisa band. On 12 November, a reception was offered by the Lord Mayor
of the City of Helsinki. In addition, visits to the Reception Centre of
Helsinki were arranged so participants could have first hand experience on the practical
arrangements for the reception and reintegration of refugees in Finland.