Webinar: Access to migration and integration funding for cities

 

Municipalities have the lions share when it comes to migrant and refugee reception. They are responsible for providing housing, integration into local labor markets and social services such as health care, childcare, and education. Yet, they are notoriously short on funding and continue to be precluded from most EU decisions on asylum and migration policy. Nevertheless, many municipalities across Europe have declared they are ready to welcome migrants and refugees.

Starting from a recently published policy brief by HUMBOLDT-VIADRINA Governance Platform on EU funding, this webinar discussion will attempt to provide an overview of the possibilities for migration and integration funding for cities within the new EU Budget. The discussion will ask: What funds can be used in what way by cities and municipalities for migration and integration expenses? What is currently be done to improve cities access to direct EU funding? And what can and should be done in the future to strengthen the financial capabilities of cities in migration and integration matters?

Co-organised by The Greens / EFA in the European Parliament

 

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IT – DE –  EN – FR interpretation will be provided

Programme

17:00 – 17:05: Welcome by MEP Damian Boeselager

17:05 – 17:15: Introduction and presentation policy brief

• Dr. Malisa Zobel, HUMBOLDT- VIADRINA Governance Platform
• Johannes Krabbe, HUMBOLDT- VIADRINA Governance Platform

17:15 – 18:30: Panel
Moderated by Malisa Zobel

• Anita Vella, Head of Unit Legal Pathways and Integration, DG Home
• Antje Grotheer, Vice President Bremen State Parliament and member of COR
• Emilia Postolache, European Affairs Officer, Council of Europe Development Bank
• Niels Tubbing, senior policy advisor with the city of Amsterdam and chair of Eurocities‘ working group Migration & Integration
• Claus Habfast, elected representative of the City of Grenoble, in charge of European Affairs.

 

Speakers

Damian Boeselager is a Member of the European Parliament. Damian co-founded Volt – a pan-European, progressive and pragmatic Europe-wide movement with the aim of reforming the European continent and solving the big challenges of our time, including migration and asylum. In the European Parliament, Damian focuses on creating a real European parliamentary democracy, with a focus on establishing regular migration for talent to come to Europe and setting up a common, fair and fast European asylum system.

 

 

Antje Grotheer is a German politician (SPD). She is currently the Vice-President of  the Bremen State Parliament and member of the  European Committee of the Regions.

 

 

 

Anita Vella is currently Head of Unit in the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs, Unit HOME C2, responsible for Legal pathways and integration. Prior to that, she was political assistant to the Director General, Ms. Monique Pariat, since May 2020, preceded by a short period in 2019 as Deputy Head of Unit in HOME E2, dealing with National Programmes and EMAS for South and East Europe.

 

 

Emilia Postolache is a European Affairs Officer with the Council of Europe Development Bank. In this capacity, Emilia represents the Bank in European technical and policy fora and works with potential clients and the European Commission on identifying solutions and defining projects that may be financed by the EU.

 

 

Niels Tubbing has been working in the field of civic integration of migrants and refugees for the City of Amsterdam since 2009. He currently works both as senior policy advisor at the department of asylum status holders and as senior advisor on Social Affairs at the International Office. Since 2020 he is the chair of the Eurocities Working Group for Migration & Integration, after having been the vice-chair for the two previous years.

 

 

 

Claus Habfast is City Councillor of Grenoble (France) where he oversees European affairs, alpine policies and cultural heritage. His responsibilities also include the Bastille natural heritage site, one of the region’s top tourist attractions. Previously, he was Vice-Chair of the Grenoble Metropolitan Council in charge of innovation, sport and European affairs.

 

 

 

Dr. Malisa Zobel studied cultural and political science in Berlin, Potsdam and the USA. She was a research assistant at the Social Science Research Center Berlin (WZB) for four years. After completing her doctorate at the European University Viadrina, she ledof the Municipal Integration and Development Initiative at the HUMBOLDT-VIADRINA Governance Platform.

 

 

 

 

Johannes Krabbe is project assistant to the Municipal Integration and Development Initative (MIDI) at the HUMBOLDT-VIADRINA Governance Platform. He works on various projects related to European migration governance and city-to-city diplomacy.

 

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