‘When Mayors make Migration Policy’: What role for cities in EU migration and integration policymaking?

Mar 04, 2020

Petra Bendel

Janina Stürner

Christiane Heimann

Hannes Schammann

MIGRATION

European cities and towns deserve to have a bigger say in developing migration and integration policies at the national and EU level.

European cities and towns are at the forefront of the reception and integration of refugees and migrants. Their expertise and knowledge are crucial in crafting workable solutions for new arrivals and their host communities.

Luckily, EU institutions and a growing number of member states are starting to recognise municipal actors as essential players in integration governance. However, moving away from ad hoc exchanges on integration towards more structural forms of cooperation, and opening up migration policy debates to local input remains challenging.

Building on an analysis of the benefits of proactive cooperation between local authorities and EU institutions, this Policy Brief presents recommendations to (i) strengthen the local impact on supranational policymaking; (ii) link migration and integration policies through the inclusion of municipalities; and (iii) mitigate the urban-rural divide.

This Policy Brief is the result of a cooperation between the project 'When Mayors make Migration Policy' and the European Policy Centre (EPC), within the framework of the EPC-Stiftung Mercator’s Connecting Europe initiative.

Read the full paper here