European Web Site on Integration

In October 1999 at the European Council meeting in Tampere (Finland), the leaders of the European Union (EU) called for a common immigration policy which would include more dynamic policies to ensure the integration of third-country nationals residing in the European Union. They agreed that the aim of this integration policy should be to grant third-country nationals rights and obligations comparable to those of citizens of the EU.

The Hague Programme and the Common Basic Principles
The Hague Programme adopted by the European Council on 4-5 November 2004 underlined the need for greater co-ordination of national integration policies and EU initiatives in this field. It further stated that a framework, based on common basic principles, should form the foundation for future initiatives in the EU. The Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) Council of 19 November 2004 adopted such Common Basic Principles (CBPs) and these underline the importance of a holistic approach to integration. Those principles were further developed in the Common Agenda for Integration which was put forward by the Commission in September 2005.

Ministerial Conferences
To continue the political debate initiated at the first Ministerial Conference on integration of Groningen in 2004, an Informal Meeting of EU Ministers Responsible for Integration took place in May 2007 in Potsdam.

A third Ministerial Conference was held in Vichy in November 2008 .

National Contact Points on Integration
The network of National Contact Points on Integration is a forum for the exchange of information and good practice at EU level with the purpose of finding successful solutions for integration of immigrants in all Member States and to ensure policy co-ordination and coherence at national level and with EU initiatives.

Handbook on Integration for policy-makers and practitioners
The main objective of the Handbook is to act as a driver for the exchange of information and good practice between stakeholders in all Member States.

The second edition of the Handbook was published in May 2007 in all EU official languages. It was compiled in cooperation with National Contact Points on Integration together with regional/local authorities and non-governmental stakeholders. The second edition focuses on some of the key issues developed in the Common Basic Principles presenting lessons learned in these areas: mainstreaming immigrant integration, housing in a urban environment, economic integration and integration governance.

A third edition is currently under elaboration.

European Fund for the Integration of third-country nationals
A European Fund for the Integration of third-country nationals was set up in 2007. The general objective of the Fund is to contribute to national efforts to provide a response to the multidimensional issue of integration of third-country nationals and to create a new form of solidarity in order to support the efforts of Member States in enabling third-country nationals of different cultural, religious, linguistic and ethnic backgrounds to settle and participate actively in European societies.

For this purpose the Fund supports the development of national integration strategies and action plans which take into account the common basic principles for immigrant integration in the European Union as agreed by the Council and the representatives of the governments of the Member States, the coordination of national integration policies and the promotion of structural exchange of experiences, good practice and information on integration. The Fund has a total budget of EUR 825 million for the period 2007-2013.

Involving civil society and practitioners
Two last instruments foreseen in the Commission's Common Agenda for Integration are the European Integration Forum gathering representatives of civil society and a European Web Site on Integration. Both initiatives were launched on 20 April 2009.