Evidence suggests that housing companies which proactively seek to improve their service to immigrant clients are more successful in attracting them. Because housing issues directly affect the personal lives of individuals and families, interventions in these fields must be based on close co-operation with those concerned. For example, the project ‘Un tetto per tutti’ was developed in the Umbria region and was then extended to the region of Lombardia. Future owners, immigrants and Italian nationals, build or restore houses on land provided by Municipalities.

Experts and local associations coordinate the project and provide logistical and technical support, including access to credit. Owners can be encouraged to improve the quality of their properties while, at the same time, opening them to immigrants. The Italian municipality of Scicli (province of Ragusa, Sicily) offers a contribution of up to 50% of the expenses for renovation and repairs to landlords who agree to rent out these properties to immigrants at agreed low prices for at least five years. To overcome difficulties associated with formal recognition of qualifications, employers, professional associations and governments can seek to develop more flexible ways of assessing and validating skills.

Involving employers in skills assessment process can increase the likelihood of further employment. Also very important are anti-discrimination provisions concern all stages of immigrants’ labour integration: anti-discriminatory recruitment practices, fighting harassment and barriers to promotion.

Governments should scrutinise their own practices as employers and where possible remove obstacles such as nationality requirements. Comprehensive diversity management policies should include positive action on recruitment and promotion, as well as cultural adaptation at the workplace.

Immigrant businesses are increasingly acknowledged to be a vital part of Europe’s entrepreneurial culture. Targeted services should be developed for them and banks should be encouraged to give equal access to start-up capital. Employability is a key concern, for exemple, of the Belgian SIDE project (‘Service d’intervention directe sur l’emploi’) which the regional employment office of Bruxelles-Capitale has been running for four years. Newcomers are first referred to NGOs, which carry out skills audit, provide training and psychological counselling and help with obtaining documents.

Once participants have passed this preparatory stage, SIDE helps to match them with specific vacancies actively approaching companies. In Sweden, the programme ‘skills assessment on the job’ offers to qualified immigrants a three-week apprenticeship within their profession so that they can demonstrate their skills on the job. They Structured communication and dialogue between national, regional and local governance levels is crucial.

Strong and visible leadership of mayors and elected local officials in integration issues, is instrumental to a coherent approach to integration across multiple policy areas and helps bridge gaps between government and residents with or without an immigrant background. Local integration policies are more effective when they build on the support of the whole community. Rather than being directed at immigrants only, they should relate to all residents, as well as administration itself. Good governance indicators should be developed.

They should go hand in hand with planning to shape and modify ongoing programmes. The Municipal Immigration Plan of the city of Barcelona was approved with the consensus of all political parties and emphasises that integration is a joint responsibility. It is based on the view of diversity as a resource. Immigrants are seen to have a positive impact on the human capital of the city. The Plan foresees significant adaptation to public services in response to new needs.

Franco FRATTINI,
Commissioner for Justice, Freedom and Security, European Commission

The European File N°12 - July 2007