15 June, 2011 Brussels, Hotel Leopold, Rue du Luxembourg 35, 1050 Brussels
Using the Migrant Integration Policy Index (MIPEX), this event will ask whether the EU and its Member States will improve or maintain their integration standards. Granting comparable rights, responsibilities, and opportunities for all legal residents by 2014 is the EU's core aim for integration policy according to the Stockholm programme.
The first panel will assess the future of EU standards on family reunion, which Member States and the Commission are supposed to evaluate and review, taking into account the importance of integration measures. MIPEX finds that the future for immigrant families is unclear, as national changes and EU proposals go in opposite directions. Indeed, some countries' family reunion policies are being challenged under EU law like the European Court of Justice's 2010 Chakroun case. The second panel will raise one area currently outside EU competence - acquisition of nationality. Since 1999, EU Member State governments also agreed that naturalisation has an impact on integration and should be part of national strategies on integration. MIPEX finds that the necessary major reforms takes time. While several reform trends are spreading across Europe from dual nationality to birthright citizenship, there are few European standards and many political and practical obstacles.
Programme
12:45-14:00 Arrival and buffet lunch
14:00-14:05 Welcome by British Council
14:05-14:30 MIPEX monitoring, analysis and recommendations, keynote by Thomas Huddleston, MPG
14:30-15:45 Family Reunion - Panel and Q&A: Eva Ersboll, Danish Institute for Human RightsAnki Carlsson, Swedish Red Cross Tineke Strik, Dutch Senate Borbala Szigeti, European Commission, DG Home Affairs Suzanne Monkasa, European Network of Migrant Women Facilitator: Yves Pascouau, EPC
15:45-16:00 Coffee Break
16:00-17:15 Access to Nationality - Panel and Q&A: Gerard-Rene de Groot, Maastricht University Maarten Vink, Maastricht University Claire Healy, ICMPD Vienna Thomas Liebig, OECD Facilitator: Mekonnen Mesghena, Heinrich Böll Foundation
17:15-17:45 Discussion of recommendations and final conclusions
18:00-19:00 Networking Reception
REGISTER before 27 MAY by sending an email to anita.cassidy@britishcouncil.org
