Understanding Integration Processes of Immigrants and Local Policies in Europe

A journey through the “Europe of immigration” from the end of the Second World War until the present, with special emphasis on immigration policies, increasingly more restrictive with citizens of third countries and more open to citizens of the European Union.

This was explained today by Rinus Penninx, Emeritus Professor at the University of Amsterdam and founder of the main network of European researchers on migrations, IMISCOE, in the second Aula Mediterrània 2018-2019 lecture at the IEMed.

Integration can be defined “simply” as the “process by which a person is accepted by the rest of society” but, according to Penninx, carrying this out is highly complex and involves a great effort by the political class and governments. Penninx applies a heuristic model in his study that takes into account three “dimensions” when approaching integration: political-legal, socioeconomic and cultural, and/or religious. Moreover, this model distinguishes two parts – the immigrants and the host society – and three levels – the individuals, the organisations and the institutions.

During his lecture he also dealt with the concept of “multilevel” governance between regional, national and European governments, which has been applied in the last fifteen years to mobility and immigration policies. “This kind of policy is not free of controversy, especially in terms of migrants without papers,” he noted.