AER General Assembly adopts the “Tampere Declaration on Migration and Integration”

European regions commit to mutual understanding and respect

Tampere (FIN), 14th November 2008

Photos (AER/Arno Fougeres) available at www.aer.eu

NOTE: Latest videos from the Assembly of European Regions’ (AER) General Assembly in Tampere (FIN) are available online on the AERegions channel: http://www.youtube.com/AERegions

Regional politicians from across the wider Europe agreed today that the rewards of welcoming new migrants “far outweigh the negative examples of misunderstandings and prejudices”. Those rewards, according to AER’s “Tampere Declaration on Migration and Integration”, include the “richness of society” and “competitive workforce” enjoyed by regions that are successfully integrating migrants into their societies.

Following today’s adoption of the Tampere Declaration at AER’s General Assembly in Tampere (FIN), Michèle Sabban, AER’s newly elected president and vice-president of the Ile-de-France region (F), said: “Our declaration sets out policy initiatives the regions have committed to in order to better integrate migrants into their societies. These initiatives are based on the principle that integration is not a one-sided process, but one of mutual learning and respect. As a migrant myself, I will use my personal experiences and commitment to these principles as a basis in urging the European Commission, the Parliament and the European states to follow the regions’ lead.”

Note to media:

AER’s 3-day annual General Assembly (GA) concluded today. The gathering brought together over 400 participants from across the wider Europe, including senior politicians from around 150 regions, as well as EU officials and migration/integration experts. Apart from the usual plenary sessions for AER members, the GA included an “Open Space” featuring a marketplace, debates, expert speakers and workshops.

The Tampere Declaration:

Most European regions have a history of either emigration or immigration.
 
Although the migration of populations has for centuries contributed to the development and diversity of Europe, this contribution has been tempered by challenges.

Integration of migrants implies mutual learning, respect, and “give and take”. Regions that welcome migrants according to these principles will invariably be rewarded with a richness of society and a competitive workforce. These rewards far outweigh the negative examples of misunderstandings and prejudices.

We, the regions of Europe, recognise that the challenge of integration requires regional efforts to be undertaken within the constraints of national policies. We are therefore committed to:

Integration through education, through mobility within and outside Europe and through promoting effective language acquisition – including a good command of their mother tongue – and multiculturalism from an early age while ensuring equal access to the education system; and by exchanging information on educational attainment.
Integration requires the ability to command the language/s and understand the educational norms of the host region, and language competence among citizens is crucial for the sustainability of our societies;

Integration through employment by recognising qualifications and skills attained abroad, easing access to the labour market and developing targeted approaches for specific migrant communities, including the provision of micro-finance schemes to stimulate business start-ups;

Integration through access to housing by providing appropriate housing while avoiding the proliferation of migrant “ghettos” that lead to social segregation;

Integration through equal access to services such as healthcare, giving information for migrants and recognising that regions require state-level support;

Integration through gender equality by including a strong gender perspective in regional policies;

Integration through politics and civil society by encouraging migrants to participate in regional democratic processes and civil society.

Furthermore, whilst supporting migration within the European Union, we recognise that the costs of migration are usually borne at a local and regional level and require adequate recognition and resources from national governments and the EU.

Adopted by the AER General Assembly in Tampere (FIN) on 14 November 2008.


The Assembly of European Regions (AER) is the largest independent network of regions in wider Europe. Bringing together more than 270 regions from 33 countries and 13 interregional organisations, AER is the political voice of its members and a forum for interregional co-operation.


AER Contacts:
Richard Medic, Spokesperson / Director of Press and Communications, r.medic@aer.eu -
Tel (mob) +33 678 695 235
Francine Huhardeaux, Press and Communications Officer, f.huhardeaux@aer.eu - Tel. +33 3 88 22 74 49 - Fax: +33 3 69 20 13 15