EUMINT

EUMINT - Euroregions, Migration and Integration

A cross-border project for asylum seekers and refugees

2018-2020

Project description

The EUMINT project intends to strengthen institutional cross-border cooperation between Italy and Austria in the territories of Südtirol-Alto Adige (IT), Tirol (AT), Friuli Venezia Giulia (IT), Kärnten (AT), Veneto (IT) and Trentino (IT) in order to tackle the social, economic, political and cultural challenges connected to migration. Common and coherent integration measures in border regions are of prime importance and an added value, particularly for asylum seekers and refugees.

Project goals

The project will involve municipal, provincial/regional and euroregional institutions in three different areas:

• Consolidating multilevel cross-border cooperation between institutions
• Strengthening civic and labour integration processes
• Strengthening social cohesion

 Expected Results

• Institutional cooperation (WP3): The project promotes the exchange of experiences between project partners through field visits, ideas labs and recommendations for institutions operating at different levels in the field of integration.
• Civic integration (WP4): The project develops and tests innovative teaching materials on civic integration and trains social workers and other professionals working in the field of welfare and social care. The aim is to promote awareness of European common values (as mentioned in the EU Treaty of Lisbon) among asylum seekers and refugees.
• Labour integration (WP5): Through participatory processes, the project will design long-term measures and instruments for a better integration of asylum seekers and refugees in the labour market.

 Beneficiary Partners

• Eurac Research (lead partner)
• ZeMiT - Center for Migrants in Tyrol
• Institute of Geography, University of Innsbruck
• EGTC - Euregio Without Borders
• Regio Wipptal
• ARLeF - Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia
• Administrative Districts of: Burggrafenamt/Burgraviato, Überetsch-Unterland/Oltradige-Bassa Atesina, Salten-Schlern/Salto-Sciliar, Eisacktal/Valle Isarco, Vinschgau/Val Venosta

 Associated Partners

• Autonomous Province of Bolzano - Department of social affairs
• Cinformi - Autonomous Province of Trento
• Land of Tyrol
• Municipality of Innsbruck
• EGTC - Euroregion Tyrol - South Tyrol - Trentino
• Autonomous Province of Bolzano - Department of education, German culture and integration
• Municipality of Bolzano - Department of services to the local community

Institutional cooperation:

Report “Cooperation or Parallel Universes? Integration of Migrants in Italian-Austrian Border Areas”. This publication highlights the experiences of exemplary integration projects in Italy, Austria and several other European countries and makes them available to similar initiatives.

Four cross-border visits at integration projects in Austria and Italy. Between April and September 2019, these visits organised enabled groups of integration stakeholders to get to know innovative projects in Tyrol, South Tyrol, Carinthia and Trentino and to exchange their experiences.

These outputs have been facilitated by two activities:

1. The project team conducted 44 Interviews with stakeholders from the public and private sectors discussing the status quo and future perspectives for integration measures in the EUMINT project areas.
2. The „Ideas Lab for Cross-border Integration Projects“, organised in November 2019 in Bolzano/Bozen, provided fresh inputs from other parts of Europe. The event highlighted innovative projects, among others from Germany, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands and Sweden, and tested the feasibility of similar projects in the EUMINT project areas.

Civic integration:

The board game 'The House of Common Values' is an interactive and collaborative game that allows exploring the common values of the European Union, by strengthening the ties of mutual understanding among the participants, while respecting their diversity. The game offers also the opportunity to reflect on other values, such as hospitality, and on virtues, such as resilience, that complement and strengthen the common values of the European Union. The board game represents a house with various daily life situations. Asylum seekers, refugees and the local population elaborate short stories and narrate personal experiences out of the scenes represented in the house and link them to the common values listed in Art. 2, EU Treaty: Freedom - Democracy - Equality - Rule of law - Human rights - Minority rights - Human dignity - Pluralism - Non-discrimination - Tolerance - Justice - Solidarity - Gender equality.

Supporting material on common values: in-depth notes, short notes, illustrations with definitions, multilingual poster, game tutorial video, video clips and promo video.

Download further material: survey result on common values an evaluation of the board game collected in the frame of 82 encounters carried out in Italy and Austria with more than 700 participants and more than 500 questionnaires.

Labour integration:

Innovative evaluation check for practical, hard and soft skills: competence cards, manual to use the skills balance tool, portfolio for employees and portfolio for operators.

Online platform for the matching between supply and demand of labour and services at the local level for foreigners and natives (Wippcare www.wippcare.com).

Implementation of participatory workshops (Seefeld).

Innovative workshops combining minority language, cultural and professional skills.

Interactive online mapping of good practices for the social and labour integration of asylum seekers and refugees (www.foralps.eu/maps).

The final report of WP5.