14 February 2023 Nearly one year into the massive displacement crisis caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, European policymakers and service providers are having to confront the likelihood of prolonged stay for millions of Ukrainians and the prospect of more arrivals as the brutal war rages. Looming over the integration conversation is the awareness that the task of rebuilding a shattered Ukraine and preparing for the eventual return of millions of its citizens cannot be postponed. A Migration Policy Institute Europe commentary out today examines the uneasy marriage of reception, integration, and return policies and services that has developed and the ways in which EU, national, and subnational leaders can juggle these very different activities. Dual-intent integration policies that are aimed at boosting newcomers’ integration and assuring their success upon eventual return to rebuild Ukraine could help dispel some of the tensions, the commentary notes. ‘Think of programs that stir Ukrainians’ interest in learning the host-country language, contributing to the local economy, and developing new social ties while also exploring with them how their new networks, work experience, and languages may benefit them and the Ukrainian reconstruction project if and when they return’, write analysts Hanne Beirens, Lucía Salgado, and Jasmijn Slootjes. Emerging programmes, such as dual-intent integration that aims to cater to integration and reintegration, offer inspiration on how to address the present uneasy, at times disconnected, coexistence of policy objectives geared towards Ukrainian refugees’. I commend this commentary to your attention, and invite you to join us in 20 minutes for a webinar that will examine what has been done to foster the integration of those staying long(er) in host societies, to organise first reception services for any additional newcomers, and to prepare the return of those set on going home and rebuilding Ukraine. |
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| Migration Policy Institute Europe, which is based in Brussels, provides authoritative research and practical policy design to governmental and non-governmental stakeholders who seek more effective management of immigration, immigrant integration and asylum systems, as well as better outcomes for newcomers, families of immigrant background and receiving communities throughout Europe. For more on its work, visit www.mpieurope.org. |
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