Diversity and Integration 

The European Union is traditionally a destination for migrants, as it promotes values like tolerance, diversity and respect for other cultures. However, the level of integration of migrants - who settled in Europe during the last thirty years - may vary from country to country inside the EU, either because one country’s effort is supported by all sectors of society or because there is already a range of successful experiences dealing with integration.

In light of “2007, Year of Equal Opportunity for All” the PES, agreed at the Presidency of May 2007, to take this opportunity and set up a “Diversity and Integration Network” to promote discussion and best-practice exchanging between European citizens and PES member parties.

What do we want to achieve when talking about diversity and integration? As a political party we should take into consideration the specific interests and difficulties of the different minorities and their communities if we want to reach out to them. Do we know what obstacles these communities come across and how they experience the upcoming extremism, racism and difficulties of integration?

As a start, the Network, chaired by Gary Titley MEP and vice-chaired by Emine Bozkurt MEP, has a one year mandate (May 2007 – May 2008), with a special focus on European Muslims. Consecutive mandates will tackle different minority groups. The following topics are being discussed: diversity, integration and inclusion, values of the PES; democracies, representation and citizenship; multi-Culturalism versus integration; secularism and rule of law; young Muslims and the place of women.

The Network will contribute towards formulating ideas for the manifesto process, have an exchange of views on what our member parties are doing with respect to integration, looking at what - as social-democrats - our strengths and weaknesses are in the debate on diversity and integration. How can we improve what we are doing on diversity and integration and find new perspectives in order to move forward in this debate.

Meetings of the Network:

14 February 2008, Brussels

17 October 2007, Brussels   

2 July 2007, Committee of the Regions, Brussels 

 
Fact Finding Missions:

28 January 2008, United Kingdom

12 October 2007, Sweden

5 July 2007, European Parliament Bureau, The Hague

Related news:

• PES President supports the Declaration of the Romanian and Italian delegations of the Socialist Group in the European Parliament, 24 November 2007
  
• Time for ALDE and EPP to join PES in strong stance against intolerance and prejudice, 13 November 2007
  
• PES calls on EPP to condemn ‘Hungarian Guard’, 27 August 2007 
  
  

Read more:

• Inclusion of vulnerable groups, European Commission
  
• Handbook on Integration for policy-makers and practitioners  , European Commission