The economic and cultural integration of migrants represents both a challenge and an opportunity for all Member States. Many of the challenges are dealt with at the local level. Cities and local authorities have a vital role to play, not only in the implementation of integration policies, but also in the development of innovative policies on housing, education and cultural diversity.
CLIP network
In 2006, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, the city of Stuttgart and Eurofound established a 'European network of cities for local integration policies for migrants' (CLIP). The network comprises of a steering committee, a group of expert European research centres and a number of European cities. In the subsequent two years the cities of Vienna and Amsterdam joined the CLIP Steering Committee. The network is also supported by the Committee of the Regions (CoR) and the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR). The CLIP network has also formed a partnership with the European Network Against Racism (ENAR).
Working methods
Through the medium of separate city reports and workshops the network enables local authorities to learn from each other and to deliver a more effective integration policy. The unique character of the CLIP network is that it organises a shared learning process between the participating cities, between the cities and a group of expert European research centres as well as between policy makers on the local and European level.
CLIP cities
The CLIP network brings together more than 30 large and medium sized cities from all regions of Europe and includes:
Amsterdam (NL), Arnsberg (DE), Antwerp (BE), Athens (GR), Diputaciò de Barcelona (ES), Bologna (IT), Breda (NL), Brescia (IT), Budapest (HU), Copenhagen (DK), Dublin (IE), Frankfurt (DE), Helsinki (FI), Istanbul (TR), Izmir (TR), Kirklees (UK), Lisbon (PT), Liège (BE), City of Luxembourg (LU), Matarò (ES), Malmö (SE), Prague (CZ), Sefton (UK), Stuttgart (DE), Sundsvall (SE), Tallinn (EE), Terrassa (ES), Torino (IT), Turku (FI), Valencia (ES), Vienna (AT), Wolverhampton (UK), Wroclaw (PL), Zagreb (HR), Zurich (CH).
Scientific experience
The cities in the network are supported in their shared learning by a group of expert European research centres in Bamberg (european forum for migration studies (efms), Vienna (Institute for Urban and Regional Research (IST), Amsterdam (Institute for Migration and Ethnic Studies (IMES), FIERI (Forum of International and European Research on Immigration), Wroclaw (Institute of International Studies) and Swansea (Centre for Migration Policy Research).
Outputs
Each research module produces an overview report based on the case studies compiled by the CLIP research team in cooperation with the cities. A set of guidelines for good practice on three levels – European, national and city – is also published. All reports including a number of case studies are available from Eurofound (see housing, diversity, intercultural policies, ethnic entrepreneurship). The European Urban Knowledge Network (EUKN) also hosts the case studies.
See also: