ARRIVAL CITIES

The last decade has seen a significant change in the nature and pattern of migration flows within the EU. As a result one can observe a rapid change in the population structure and interactions between individuals and social groups in cities. Cities of migration are places of inclusion and exclusion. The chilling events of the past year from Charlie Hebdo to Pegida, remind us that discrimination and prejudice on all sides remain important challenges to face. Local authorities need to deal with how to manage this diversity and find the intersection between various areas in relation to the growing migrant population.

In particular, local authorities have to tackle some concrete challenges, such as: more difficult economic integration due to the economic crisis; increasing risk of social exclusion; educational achievement of second- and third-generation migrants; rise of racist and xenophobe movements; increasing diversification in the composition of immigration flows (e.g. migrants from either Member States and third countries; both skilled and unskilled migrants).

To deal with this situation, the project aims to foster migrants’ social inclusion sharing good practices between project partners, in order to facilitate local authorities facing the challenges and problems described above. In particular, the project has the objective of exchange practices on the following topics: effective use of migrant human capital; access to key services such as housing, health and education; fight against xenophobia; encourage the involvement of the private sector; e-Inclusion (use of the new technologies).