Project # 1: Welcoming Network for Migrant' Rights and European Citizenship

This project, which was submitted by the Unione dei Comuni del Comprensorio di Naxos e Taormina-Italia under the measure 'Network of towns', aims to create a thematic Network of Towns for raising awareness about actual matters linked to Migration, Human Rights and Active Citizenship. Its promoters want to strengthen a strong, long lasting and fruitful towns cooperation network between partners from Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Malta, Romania, Croatia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia and France, most of them being countries where migration is a central issue.

The main objective of 'Welcoming Network for Migrant' Rights and European Citizenship' is to involve municipalities, stakeholders, experts and CSO, Association of Human rights, ONG, citizens and young people, in order for them to increase awareness on policies of integration, human rights, asylum, participation and political rights, intercultural communication and cultural mediator, minors, women and gender perspective, services to immigrants.

The project's events will focus on the following topics: Multicultural societies; Migration and Integration policies; European borders; Trade in people; Asylum rights; European funds dealing with migrations issues; Fundamental Rights and Immigration; From being “clandestine” to becoming “EU citizen”; Migrant women rights; Right to vote; Migrants’ Right to healthcare; Fight to racism and xenophobia.

Several international events will be organised around Europe, and will notably consist in debates, diffusion of best practices, comparison of experiences, case studies, interactive workshops, true stories interviews and documentaries, itinerant exhibition, flashmobs, solemn commemorations of sea victims. The first event took place from 9 to 11 October 2015 in Italy.

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Project # 2: Migration, Integration and co-development in Europe

The project “Migrations, Integration and Co-Development in Europe”, which was proposed by the Italian organisation 'PRISM - Promozione Internazionale Sicilia-Mondo' under the measure 'Civil Society Project', intended to encourage an intercultural dialogue between civil society organizations and citizens from different countries and living communities in Europe to express their views about EU policies related to migration and asylum.

Through a bottom-up approach, the project involved citizens and members from civil society organisations, local authorities, educational, cultural or research institutions, town-twinning committees and networks that are active in the migration and asylum field.

The project’s objectives were to foster a lively and cross-border debate about EU policy related to migration, asylum and international protection among civil society organizations and citizens in Europe; to contribute to the kick-start of a common EU migration and asylum policy; to increase further cooperation, democratic engagement and civic participation between civil society organizations and citizens that are active in the migrations, asylum and inclusion field from different countries and living communities in Europe.

In this framework, many initiatives were implemented:

• an initial international workshop on “Migration, integration and co-development in Europe” took place in 8-10 May 2015 in Caltanissetta, Italy;
• an online survey was launched in order to gather individual opinions on a common migration and asylum policy from a large number of citizens in all participating countries;
• a final international seminar entitiled “A common European migration policy” was organised in Caltanissetta, Italy from 3 to 4 October 2015;
• as final output of the project, participants worked on recommendations for a European citizens’ initiative demanding a new European migration policy.

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Project # 3: Boosting Young Migrants’ participation in European cities: transnational solutions to common challenges

This project, which was submitted by ICEI – cittadini nel mondo under the measure 'Civil Society Projects', is addressed to young extra-UE people legally residing in Europe or born from non-EU parents.

The project’s aims are :

1. to promote the participation of young foreigners living in Europe to European life;
2. to strengthen the role of foreign young people in defining and debating European policies;
3. to encourage exchanges of experiences and best practices relating to migration agenda.

The project will actively involve organisations active in the migration field and directly working with migrants, as well as institutions and policy-makers.

Since migrants do not usually participate to European civic life, the project's promoters wants to encourage them to express their opinion on EU policies and to discuss them with European citizens; in additions to this, it tries to overcome traditional negative stereotypes about migrants.

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