The European Commission and the EU Social and Economic partners ETUC, BusinessEurope, UAPME, CEEP and Eurochambers signed a European Partnership for Integration, laying down key principles and commitments to support and strengthen opportunities for refugees and migrants legally residing in the EU to integrate into the European labour market.

Integration can only be effective if all relevant actors play their role: EU Institutions, national and local authorities, Social and Economic partners and civil society organisations. The Partnership for Integration lays down key principles for the integration of refugees into the labour market, including:

• providing support as early as possible,
• ensuring that integration benefits refugees as well as the economy and society at large and
• ensuring a multi-stakeholder approach.

Among the commitments the Social and Economic partners have undertaken is the sharing of best practices for labour market integration of refugees, for instance the organisation of mentoring programmes to integrate them into the workplace or facilitating the identification, assessment and documentation of skills and qualifications. They have also committed to promote the Partnership amongst their members, and strengthen cooperation with public authorities at all appropriate levels. 

The European Commission will endeavour, amongst other things, to promote synergies with EU funds, ensure synergies with other related initiatives at European level and continue to work with relevant EU bodies, groups, committees and networks as well as Social and Economic partners to support the labour market integration of refugees.

The partnership will be signed by Dimitris Avramopoulos, Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship, and Marianne Thyssen, Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility on behalf of the Commission.

Full text of the European Partnership for Integration