Housing and integration of migrantsin Europe: Good practice guide

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Introduction

European cities, particularly those with strongeconomies, attract migrants from all over the world,raising the challenge of integrating people from verydifferent backgrounds. The housing of migrants – acentral issue which affects quality of life in general –is a crucial aspect of the process of integration. Onthe one hand, the situation of migrants in a city withregard to their housing situation can be consideredan important indicator for the state of structuralintegration in the receiving society. On the otherhand, housing policies are an important part ofgeneral social policy at the local level, with a strongimpact on future processes of integration of migrantsand their descendants.

Many of the challenges of integration have to bedealt with at local level. Cities and local authoritieshave a vital role to play, not only in theimplementation of integration policies, but also in thedevelopment of innovative policies on housing,education and cultural diversity.

This paper is based on findings from the 20 casestudies carried out as part of the first CLIP module onhousing. The research took into account the keydimensions of local housing policies for theintegration of migrants and minority groups. Thereport, Housing and integration of migrants inEurope, presents innovative policies and theirimplementation at local level (Council of Europe andEurofound, 2007). This résumé highlights key issuesand puts forward recommendations for policymakersat three levels: European, national and local. Theserecommendations are intended to be used as inputin the development of guidelines for good practiceto help cities deal more effectively with the challengeof integrating migrants into the local community.

CLIP research

Given the relevance of housing for the integration ofmigrants, the European network of ‘Cities for LocalIntegration Policies for Migrants’ (CLIP), whichinvolves about 30 EU and non-EU cities in theproject’s initial phase, began its research activitieswith a first module on housing. This module seeks toprovide an overview and expert analysis of relevanthousing policies and measures in Europe at the locallevel, as well as indicators for evaluating theiroutcome. Overall, the CLIP project aims to triggerand support a structured process of mutual exchangeof experiences among the participating cities. Suchan approach requires a bottom-up research designand involves the participating cities as actors of theongoing CLIP project.

The CLIP project’s research on housing focuses on asystematic analysis of the residential segregation orconcentration of migrant or ethnic minority groupsin European cities and on the access of migrants toaffordable and decent housing. The research looks atthe situation of vulnerable groups with a migratorybackground. Of course, not all migrants belong tothese vulnerable groups and face poor housingconditions. Thus, migrants should not generally beseen as victims who are unable to develop positivestrategies, individually or collectively, to improve theirhousing situation.

Typical challenges for migrants include a limitedcommand of the language of the receiving country, alower socioeconomic status, social exclusion, lack ofknowledge on housing-related rights andresponsibilities, as well as discrimination andexploitation on the housing market.

‘Indeed, the real question is … whether we can successfully integrate today's and futureimmigrants not only in the labour markets but also in all spheres of our societies. This is the onlyway to achieve strong social cohesion.’

Vladimír Špidla, Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities,Brussels, September 2007

Policy context

The European Commission underlined the need at EUlevel to successfully manage the integration ofpresent and future immigrants into the host societiesin two recent documents: the Green Paper ‘On an EUapproach to managing economic migration’ (2004)and the ‘Communication on the integration of third-country nationals in the European Union’ (2005). Theissue of housing for migrants was also addressed inthe Commission Communication and in the secondedition of the European handbook on integration forpolicymakers and practitioners published by theCommission in May 2007. Moreover, the ongoingdiscussion among the EU Member States onemerging ‘parallel societies’ of migrants and socialunrest within migrant communities – for example, inthe troubled suburban communities (banlieues) ofseveral French cities and more recently inCopenhagen in March 2007 – illustrates theincreasing relevance of integration issues at EU level.This discussion is strongly related to the segregationof migrants and minority groups in European cities,which is dealt with by the CLIP research. Finally, theemerging debate on Europe’s increasingdemographic and labour supply challenge recognisesthe importance of a successful economic migrationand social integration policy for migrants and theirdescendents for the EU’s Lisbon strategy.

Local policies on segregation and housing formigrants can in many cases be considered as a strandof general social policy and city developmentmeasures. The spectrum of policy approaches canrange from neoliberal and radically market-orientedinterpretations of the role of municipal governmentsto welfare-state oriented perceptions of localgovernments as being responsible for the realisationof compensatory social policy measures.

When dealing with migrants, local policy has not onlyto consider the challenges posed by an increaseddiversity of the population in terms of languageacquisition and cognitive integration. It has also totake into account the risk of developing highlysegregated parts of the city which becomestigmatised as a result of public opinion.

The framework for housing policy in each countryand city area is shaped by both the local housingmarket structures and legal regulations. Integrationprocesses for migrants are promoted at local level incities, districts and neighbourhoods. Each city differsin relation to specific opportunities, challenges andbarriers; hence, general objectives concerning accessto housing for vulnerable groups have to beimplemented differently in order to be effective.

For solving the complex problems of migrants’housing, a systematic analysis of housing needs, aswell as strategic urban planning and coordinatinghousing policy with other policies, are necessary. Nosingle policy instrument exists that can solve all

problems in relation to the housing of migrants in thelocal context. Instead, a wide range of potentiallyuseful instruments and combinations of policies aremore suitable to be used in different situations andvarious local contexts. Cities must adapt their housingpolicy to the specific local situations and must alsointegrate this policy into their wider socioeconomicdevelopment objectives.

Recommendations for Europeanpolicymakers

Although the EU has no formal competence inhousing under the EU Treaty, its competence forpolicies related to the free movement of persons andthe prevention of discrimination should be applied inthe area of housing. The Council of Europe has alsomade relevant contributions to the discussion onhousing policies in Europe. This section presentsrecommendations drawn from the CLIP research intohousing for policymakers at European level.

Support networking among cities and dialoguewith European policymakersThe EU and the Council of Europe should support thenetworking of cities at European level and should alsoinclude municipal administrations as stakeholders inthe further development of European policies relevantfor housing and the integration of migrants. In thiscontext, it is recommended to continue activitiessuch as the creation of a Social Platform on Cities andSocial Cohesion by the Commission and developfurther the Commission’s cooperation with Eurocities.The Commission should ensure an adequateparticipation of representatives of European cities intheir planned European Integration Forum. TheEuropean Economic and Social Committee (EESC)and the Committee of the Regions should continuetheir activities on the integration of migrants andhousing.

Initiate and finance relevant researchAnother important area of activities for Europeanorganisations is to initiate relevant researchprogrammes on the integration of migrants andhousing. In relation to these issues, it is suggested tocontinue the Commission’s research programmes inthe area of social exclusion and poverty and initiatenew research programmes on housing and migrantswithin the remit of activities of EU agencies such asthe Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) andEurofound.

Support cities as active bodies and stakeholdersEuropean policymakers should consider cities asactive bodies and stakeholders in policy and stimulateand facilitate them to develop and implementpolicies. In this context, cities could consider applyingfor funding under the new Integration Fund for third-country migrants and the Commission’s new Progressprogramme. They could also include the integrationof migrants in general and integration into the local

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housing market in particular into the National ActionPlans (NAP) for social inclusion.

Integrate social housing into EU cohesion policy The EU Council of Ministers has given priority tocombating social exclusion related to housing and forthe first time has made social housing eligible in thenew Member States for the 2007–2013 cohesionpolicy. The European Parliament adopted a report inMarch 2007 on ‘Housing and regional policy’,committing itself to a ‘European Declaration onHousing’ based on the ‘European Housing Charter’proposed by 65 members of the European Parliament(MEPs) within its intergroup on ‘Urban Housing’. Onthis basis, it is recommended to use available fundsfor social housing to improve the situation of low-wage earners including low-income groups ofmigrants.

Monitor EU directive against racial discriminationThe effectiveness of the implementation of the 2000EU Race Directive is under discussion in severalMember States. It is suggested that the EuropeanCommission monitors whether it is beingimplemented effectively to protect migrants fromdiscrimination on the grounds of their race in termsof access to housing.

Recommendations for EU MemberStates

This section presents recommendations drawn fromthe CLIP research into housing for policymakers atnational level. Governments have a key role to playin formulating policies for the integration of migrants,giving public funding for urban renewal and housingprojects and tackling discrimination and segregationof migrants.

Formulate a national integration policyA local policy for integrating immigrants into thehousing market must be integrated into a generalpolicy of migration and integration. This nationalpolicy should clearly define the conditions forresidence.

Strengthen the scope of action at municipal levelMeasures to encourage integration that are related tothe housing market need cities and communities tobe financially empowered, therefore cities andcommunities should be allocated sufficient resources.National housing programmes should give citiesmore latitude to act in ways they deem appropriateto their local circumstances. City centres tend to haveless financial means at their disposal than suburbanand regional areas. The Member States are thus calledupon to ensure cities have adequate finances forintegration projects and support the applications ofmunicipalities for financing housing-related projectswithin the framework of the structural funds or theEuropean Integration Fund.

Establish framework conditions for the provisionof housingIt is recommended that EU Member States create thelegal framework conditions that allow cities andcommunities to take on an active role in the housingmarket, for example, as building contractors,landlords or property owners. They should, moreover,establish the legal framework conditions that allowthe cities and communities to introduce forms of rentcontrol if this seems desirable from the perspective ofurban planning, social considerations or economicconcerns. The conditions for access to publicly-supported housing should be organised in such a waythat they do not indirectly discriminate againstmigrants.

Support affordabilityMeasures to encourage integration related to thehousing market should be based on a balancedmixture of offering subsidies for buildings andproviding subsidies directly to people, thus increasingthe affordability of housing. Offering subsidies forbuildings aims to reduce the market price of housing,by offering, for example, direct support for buildingcontractors who agree to limit the selling price orrent, or pass on distribution rights to public bodies.Subsidies allocated to individual buyers involvemeasures such as monthly rent allowances, taxbenefits or awarding a fixed subsidy amount.Member States should therefore create legalprovisions for offering subsidies, in principle to bothlow-income indigenous as well as migrant groups.Repayable funding such as low-interest loans to buynew property or to renovate an existing propertycould, moreover, be made available.

Curb the process of urban devaluationThe concentration of immigrant population groupsin certain sections of cities has had the self-perpetuating effect of property devaluation in theseareas, with the exodus of native middle-classhouseholds, a loss in spending power and lowinvestment in the physical structure of the city. Toprevent this devaluation process, the Member Statesshould monitor systematically the socioeconomicdevelopment in cities and urban districts in order tobe able to implement countermeasures in time suchas urban renewal projects. Public funding should beused to initiate projects and encourage privateinvestors to become involved but such financialincentives should also be withdrawn if urban renewaltakes place of its own accord. The social mix of thepopulation should be acknowledged and preservedas a special quality.

Improve ‘good practice’ in local governanceLocal governance structures must be improved interms of the participation of the groups ofstakeholders and their efficiency. National policyshould promote the intercultural opening anddiversity policies of national and local institutions, aswell as promoting better cooperation andpartnerships with local NGOs and welfare

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organisations, churches, local chambers ofcommerce, local trade unions, landlords’ and tenants’associations. The aim should be to avoid complexbureaucratic requirements in national housingprogrammes and allow for flexible customisation tolocal needs. Governments need to support preventivemeasures with regard to the segregation of migrants,as well as monitoring discrimination and supportinganti-discrimination measures.

Recommendations for localpolicymakers

The following recommendations for localpolicymakers bring together specific experiencesmade in various cities, as well as innovative ideas putforward in several cities within the CLIP network. Ingeneral, these recommendations are applicable toevery European city. For the actual implementationof a measure or policy, the appropriate adaptation tolocal characteristics is, of course, a precondition forthe success of an initiative.

Partnership and cross-departmental cooperationGiven the complex interrelation of policies targetinghousing issues, the integration of migrants and othermunicipal areas, an integrated, cross-departmentalapproach is strongly recommended. A centralcoordination unit should be established within thelocal administration for the integration policy ofmigrants. This unit would be responsible forinforming and being informed by all departments,participating in integration programmes and decisionpreparation. Such collaboration within the municipaladministration should be accompanied bycooperation and partnerships with local bodies, suchas NGOs, welfare organisations, churches, chamberof commerce, unions, as well as associationsrepresenting landlords and tenants. Examples of suchtransversal cooperation would be regular internalworking groups between relevant departments of thelocal administration, including institutions dealingwith issues in relation to housing, urban planning,social affairs and welfare, health, youth, integrationand diversity, education and law enforcement; orregular round tables and meetings with externalexperts and representatives of civil society tacklinghousing and migrants’ integration issues. Theseinitiatives should be embedded in a long-termintegration policy with a holistic approach tohousing.

Reliable and up-to-date informationIn order to plan and implement local integrationpolicies and policies in relation to housing andsegregation, local policymakers and administratorsneed reliable, comprehensive and up-to-dateinformation. This would include data on migrantsliving in the city, such as the number of migrants, theage structure of migrant population and typicalhousehold sizes, migrants’ national and ethnic

background, as well as their legal status. A city shouldnot only deal with foreign persons, but also considerindividuals with a ‘migratory background’, such assecond and third generation migrants.

In addition, information on housing conditions andspatial distribution of migrants (segregation indices)could form the basis for appropriate measures andthe development of a preventive and sustainablehousing policy. For that reason, city administrationsshould collect information on migrant movement ina city through flow data and develop indicators tomonitor and evaluate the current housing situationof migrants, including size and quality ofaccommodation, as well as indicators to evaluatemigrants’ access to housing, such as the waitingperiod for social housing of migrants versus that ofindigenous population groups.

This information should be part of an overallmonitoring of the quality of life of migrants in thecommunity. The data collection would rely on avariety of sources such as general population surveys,local population data, scientific studies and opinionsurveys. Own data collections could be considered ifthe existing sources do not refer to the migrant statusor are otherwise insufficient.

Access to social housingTo ensure decent housing for low income groups inparticular, the supply and provision of access toaffordable social housing under public influence isvital. As far as the integration of migrants isconcerned, local authorities should consider thespecific market position of migrants with regard tosupply, access and affordability of housing, as well asthe degree of spatial segregation and the extent ofdiscrimination.

Due to the undersupply of social housing and strongcompetition between native and migrant low-incomeearners, access to social housing often represents amajor issue for local policymakers. To enhanceadequate access to social housing for everyone inneed while also securing neighbourhoods that aresocioeconomically and ethnically mixed, cityauthorities should set out clearly the requirementsand regulations for getting access to social housing,such as maximum family income, waiting period, andchildren or elderly family members in need of care inthe household, as well as establishing a ranking listand emergency provisions enabling people waitingfor social housing to jump the queue in case ofurgency. Access for migrants can be enhanced byproviding up-to-date and relevant information onavailable social housing in different languages asnecessary.

The aim should be to achieve mixed neighbour -hoods. There are various ways of achieving this, forexample, opening access to social housing to middle-class households or by defining explicit or implicit

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quotas for migrants in social housing. However, thelegality and efficiency of such quotas have to beconsidered carefully. Equally, opening up the socialhousing market to middle-class income earners mightcontradict the basic rationale of providing affordablesocial housing.

More efficient housing cooperativesMost of what has been said regarding access to socialhousing also holds true for housing associations, inwhich the associates are the owners. In this case,while competition between native and migranttenants or owners seems to be even stronger, thelocal authorities’ influence over the allocation ofhousing to migrants is lower. To improve thissituation, authorities should provide municipalground to housing associations in exchange for acontrolled level of rents and a certain quota ofapartments for which the city has the right to assigntenants. They could also coordinate the provision ofhousing for migrants among housing associations byestablishing a round table. Authorities could, wherepossible, abolish existing formal regulations orinformal practices in housing associations, whichdiscriminate migrants against indigenous populationgroups – for example, waiting lists requiring a longperiod of residence or providing for inheritingresidence rights.

Access to local housing marketDue to the many challenges inherent in the process –a lack of command of the receiving country’slanguage, lack of knowledge of housing-related rightsand responsibilities, as well as discrimination andexploitation on the housing market – migrants oftenexperience difficulties in finding appropriate housing,particularly new and recent arrivals to a country. Cityadministrations can support access to the housingmarket through better provision of information andsystematically monitoring discrimination. They canset up low-threshold ‘one-stop’ citizens advicecentres, where migrants obtain advice andinformation on the local housing market and get helpin intercultural conflicts, as well as information onfinancial and legal issues, such as rent payment, rentindex, extortion, rent-related debts, legal period ofnotice, and other obligations and rights.Administrations should also consider theestablishment of an ombudsman who collectscomplaints, makes recommendations andsystematically monitors discrimination of migrants onthe housing market. Information leaflets should beavailable in different languages, and the applicant putin touch with volunteer mentors or migrantassociations of the same language group.

Measures against overcrowdingSeveral cities report exploitation of migrants byprivate landlords and the problem of voluntaryovercrowding in privately rented housing to keepdown the rents as a serious challenge for migrants.To tackle this challenge, national governments needto review the control mechanisms and resources

available to local authorities to deal with this issue,for example, a licensing system for private landlordswith properties in multiple occupation. Localauthorities could work in partnership with otheragencies which have the authority to enter suchproperties, so that they share information on housingwhere conditions are unacceptable and take jointaction to address the situation.

Public-private partnershipsIn order to improve access and affordability formigrants to privately rented housing, cityadministrations could consider innovative public-private partnerships (PPPs). One way of doing thiswould be to act as contractor by renting privateproperty below market price and subletting theselow-priced apartments to migrants – private ownersgenerally accept a lower rent in exchange for a rentguarantee over several years and a guarantee topreserve the quality of the accommodation. Anothermeans would be to provide municipal ground atbelow market price to private builders or developers,who in turn have to offer a certain share of theapartments at reduced rents to target groups likefamilies with children. Similarly, local authorities couldact as a mediator in contracts between tenants withmigratory background and owners who may benationals, while providing the guarantee to theowner, for instance, that potential damages causedby the tenant will be repaired.

Affordable home ownershipWhile publicly-owned or privately-owned rentedaccommodation dominates the housing market insome European cities, some housing markets inEurope are dominated by owner-occupied housing.This structure leaves migrant families, who want tostay for a longer period of time, often no other choicethan to buy a house in order to find appropriateaccommodation. Migrants are often in a moresocioeconomically disadvantaged situation than theindigenous population, and cannot easily afford tobuy a house.

However, since home ownership often improves thehousing conditions of migrant families and can beconsidered as a major step of integration into thereceiving society, it should be actively promoted.Local authorities can support this process by offeringsubsidies or tax reductions to low-income families,including migrants, for building houses, as well as forpurchasing or renovating occupied housing. They canalso provide municipal land at a subsidised price tolow-income families who build houses on thatground, as well as to private developers, who in turnhave to sell housing units below market price totarget groups. Another way to support this process isto facilitate access to mortgages at reduced interestrates in cooperation with local banks, for example, byproviding a guarantee for default by privateorganisations to the bank. Local authorities shouldalso consider enabling migrants to contribute to theconstruction of their house through their own labour

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and support their involvement in housingcooperatives.

Better personal securityCity administration should aim to improve the level ofpersonal security in neighbourhoods with a poorinfrastructure, a sizeable proportion of residents withlow socioeconomic status and a high proportion ofmigrants. Establishing a structured and continuousdialogue between local police officers and migrantswould go some way towards achieving this goal. Aspart of this process, police should receive training inintercultural competence. Having specially trainedcommunity police officers would help to increase theindispensable involvement from the migrantcommunity. Their contribution in this process couldinclude, for example, having ‘neighbourhood fathers’who moderate the behaviour of youngsters frommigrant families and thus help prevent provocativeacts and petty crime by local youth gangs. Authoritiesshould aim to maintain regular cooperation betweenschools, police and social services in an effort toreduce crime. There should be low-thresholdprovisions for reporting of hate crime againstmigrants, and the availability of an independent placeseparate from the police station where people canreport such crimes, in order to overcome the problemof migrants being too fearful to go to the policestation.

Soft urban renewalUrban renewal – the physical rehabilitation ofimpoverished urban neighbourhoods by renovationand (re)construction of housing and public infra -structure – is often not sufficient for the rehabilitationof deprived areas with a high concentration ofmigrants and low-income indigenous populationgroups. Hence, some CLIP cities have developed amore innovative approach: beyond physicalrenovation measures, ‘soft urban renewal’ takessocial, economic and cultural demands intoconsideration, and the planning and implementationprocess is influenced by the residents. In such aprocess, existing housing stock can be re-convertedand upgraded instead of demolished, and publicspaces built or modernised. Public services likelibraries, municipal offices and university buildingscan be allocated to these neighbourhoods. Localauthorities could try to improve the employment andeconomic opportunities for low-income andunemployed citizens in deprived districts, includingthe promotion of local ethnic entrepreneurship. Achallenge will be how to attract new middle classfamilies to the renewed areas while retaining thelong-term residents, some of whom have a migrantbackground.

Anti-segregation policyThe city administrations participating in the CLIPproject believe that a high concentration of migrantsand particularly of one ethnic group of migrants inareas should be avoided, since this situation hindersthe successful integration of migrants. It is

recommended to aim for a mix of different types ofhousing and different ethnic groups with the nativepopulation, as a balanced socioeconomic anddemographic composition is regarded as constitutingan important aspect of any anti-segregation policy. Inparticular, efforts should be made to spread socialhousing across the city, to build smaller social housingunits and to retain the middle class native populationin areas with a high concentration of migrants inorder to achieve a social mix. Such areas should haveadequate provision of childcare services, schools andsports facilities in order to enhance the integration ofthis area into the city as a whole and hence reducesegregation patterns. It has been found also thaturban renewal programmes can help to createsocioeconomically mixed neighbourhoods. Finally,authorities could improve the neighbourhood imagein the media and among the general public by usingan effective communication strategy and organisingcultural or sports events.

When aiming to achieve more balancedneighbourhoods, local policy often uses formal orinformal quotas to avoid high concentration ofmigrants. Quota regulations must be checked withregard to effectiveness, fairness and lawfulness.Voluntary measures might achieve more in thiscontext: instead of attempting to control the inflowof migrants into neighbourhoods, a more successfulapproach could be to support measures thatencourage the native population to stay.

Ethnic enclavesGenerally, the research recommends promotingneighbourhoods that are ethnically and socio-economically mixed. However, the CLIP network isalso aware that some concentration of ethnic groupscannot and need not be avoided. Ethnic networkscan serve an important function, in particular for newarrivals who are unfamiliar with local conditions. Localadministrations should support migrant organisationsat neighbourhood level and maintain regular contactwith them. They should also integrate suchneighbourhoods as far as possible into the city as awhole by providing the necessary infrastructure andservices and maintaining a positive dialogue. Theyshould carefully monitor the mobility of migrant andnative population to avoid undesirable outcomes.

Community relations and participationGood community relations – that is, relationsbetween groups in a community – is an importantfactor regarding the quality of housing for bothmigrants and indigenous residents in an area. Theparticipation and involvement of local residents intoactivities and projects may contribute strongly togood community relations. This can be achieved byeffective and early participation in the planningprocess of measures and projects and theestablishment of neighbourhood action groups.Support should be given to local associations andtheir activities, as well as the involvement of migrantsinto owners’ associations.

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Further reading

Council of Europe and European Foundation for theImprovement of Living and Working Conditions,Housing and integration of migrants in Europe,Dublin 2007, available online athttp://www.eurofound.europa.eu/publications/htmlfiles/ef0794.htm

European Commission, European handbook onintegration for policymakers and practitioners(second edition), Luxembourg, Office for OfficialPublications of the European Communities, May2007, available online at:http://ec.europa.eu/justice_home/doc_centre/immigration/integration/doc/2007/handbook_2007_en.pdf

European Commission, A common agenda forintegration – Framework for the integration of third-country nationals in the European Union,COM(2005) 389 final, Brussels, September 2005,available online at: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/site/en/com/2005/com2005_0389en01.pdf

European Commission, Green Paper on an EUapproach to managing economic migration,COM(2004) 811 final, Brussels, January 2005,available online at:http://ec.europa.eu/justice_home/doc_centre/immigration/work/doc/com_2004_811_en.pdf

European Economic and Social Committee,Information Memo (own-initiative opinion), EESCown-initiative opinion on Immigration in the EU andintegration policies: cooperation between regionaland local governments and civil societyorganisations, Brussels, 2005.

Organisation for Economic Cooperation andDevelopment (OECD), Competitive cities: A newentrepreneurial paradigm in spatial development,Paris, 2007.

Organisation for Economic Cooperation andDevelopment (OECD), Competitive cities in theglobal economy, OECD Territorial Reviews, Paris,2006.

Further information

Teresa Renehan, Information Liaison Officer

ter@eurofound.europa.eu

European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and WorkingConditionsWyattville Road, Loughlinstown, Dublin 18, IrelandTelephone: (+353 1) 204 31 00 Email: information@eurofound.europa.euWebsite: http://www.eurofound.europa.eu

EF/08/18/EN

About the CLIP network

In September 2006, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, the city of Stuttgart andEuropean Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions launched the CLIP network. The aimwas to bring together large European cities in a joint learning process over several years. Through structured sharingof experiences, the network will enable local authorities to learn from each other and to deliver a more effectiveintegration policy for migrants. In addition the analyses will support the emerging European policy debate withinnovative concepts of integration policy on the local level.

In all, 20 European cities and five research institutes from the EU-funded International, Migration, Integration andSocial Cohesion (IMISCOE) network of excellence participated in the first module on housing. Cities that activelyparticipate in the research include Amsterdam, Antwerp, Arnsberg, Breda, Brescia, Budapest, Copenhagen,Dublin, Frankfurt am Main, Izmir, Liège, Luxembourg, Marseille, Prague, Sefton, Stuttgart, Terrassa, Turku,Vienna and Zagreb.

The first module of the CLIP network in 2007 was on housing and involved cooperation with the Committee of theRegions and the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR), as well as the European Commission’sDirectorate-General for Justice, Freedom and Security and the Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs andEqual Opportunities.

The second research module of the CLIP network in 2007–2008 will focus on diversity policy, dealing with a core issueof the 2007 European Year of Equal Opportunities. The third module in 2008–2009 will focus on intercultural andinter-religious dialogue with Muslim communities at the local level, and the fourth module in 2009–2010 will dealwith various aspects of ethnic entrepreneurship and the role of local authorities.

For the implementation of the second and subsequent research modules, the network has been extended to 25 citieswith active participation in the CLIP network. The overall network encompasses just under 30 cities.

CLIP European research group

Centre for Ethnic and Migration Studies (CEDEM), University of Liège

Centre on Migration, Policy and Society (COMPAS), University of Oxford

European Forum for Migration Studies (efms), University of Bamberg

European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions

Institute for Migration and Ethnic Studies (IMES), University of Amsterdam

Institute for Urban and Regional Research (ISR), Austrian Academy of Sciences

Research coordinator: efms, University of Bamberg

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