EUROCITIES INTEGRATING CITIES CHARTER
our commitment to integrating migrants and migrant communities in European cities
THE CHARTER
This Charter on Integrating Cities harnesses the duties and responsibilities of European cities in their roles as policy-makers, service providers, employers and buyers of goods and services to provide equal opportunities for all residents, to integrate migrants, and to embrace the diversity of their populations that is a reality in cities across Europe
The charter lists specific commitments, which you can read further below. Developed within the DIVE project, the Charter was launched and signed by 17 European Mayors at the Integrating Cities IV conference in London, February 2010
COMMITMENTS
As policy-makers we will:
Actively communicate our commitment to equal opportunities for everyone living in the city;
Ensure equal access and non-discrimination across all our policies;
Facilitate engagement from migrant communities in our policy-making processes and remove barriers to participation.
As service providers we will:
Support equal access for migrants to services to which they are entitled, particularly access to language learning, housing, employment, health, social care and education;
Ensure that migrants’ needs are understood and met by service providers.
As policy-makers we will:
Actively communicate our commitment to equal opportunities for everyone living in the city;
Ensure equal access and non-discrimination across all our policies;
Facilitate engagement from migrant communities in our policy-making processes and remove barriers to participation.
As service providers we will :
Support equal access for migrants to services to which they are entitled, particularly access to language learning, housing, employment, health, social care and education;
Ensure that migrants’ needs are understood and met by service providers.
As employers we will:
Take steps where required to reflect our city’s diversity in the composition of our workforce across all staffing levels;
Ensure that all staff, including staff with a migrant background, experience fair and equal treatment by their managers and colleagues;
Ensure that staff understand and respect diversity and equality issues.
As buyers of goods and services we will :
Apply principles of equality and diversity in procurement and tendering;
Promote the development of a diverse supplier-base;
Promote principles of equality and diversity amongst our contractors.
As employers we will:
Take steps where required to reflect our city’s diversity in the composition of our workforce across all staffing levels;
Ensure that all staff, including staff with a migrant background, experience fair and equal treatment by their managers and colleagues;
Ensure that staff understand and respect diversity and equality issues.
As service providers we will (1):
As buyers of goods and services we will:
Promote the development of a diverse supplier-base.
Promote principles of equality and diversity amongst our contractors;
(1) the signatories of this charter have different public duties for the delivery of public services. Where the signatory city is the direct service provider they agree to the provisions of this charter. Where the signatory city is not the direct service provider, they agree to advocate the provisions of this charter with the service providers.
SIGNATORIES
As of September 2024, the Charter has been signed by the following 52 cities:
Amsterdam Antwerp Athens Barcelona Belfast Berlin Bilbao Bologna Bristol Brussels Cesena Copenhagen Dortmund Dublin Dusseldorf Genoa Ghent Grenoble Alpes Metropole Helsinki Leipzig Lisbon London Madrid Malmö Manchester Montpellier Milan Munich Nantes Nicosia Nuremberg Oulu Oslo Paris Pesaro Rennes Riga Rome Rotterdam Stockholm Tampere The Hague Thessaloniki Toronto* Toulouse Turin Utrecht Vantaa Vienna Vilnius Warsaw Zagreb
*Toronto (Canada) is the 34th and first non-European signatory of the Integrating Cities Charter
FIFTH INTEGRATING CITIES REPORT 2022
This fifth Integrating Cities Report provides insights into the measures cities put in place to integrate migrants and refugees in Europe and North America, covering the period from mid- 2020 to mid-2022. Based on cities’ self- evaluation, it charters their progress over the last two and a half years in implementing the Integrating Cities Charter.
The report is structured along three main chapters: 1) the methodology of the Integrating Cities Charter; 2) the current (political) context that shapes cities’ integration policies, with a particular focus on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic; and 3) integration actions implemented by cities in their capacities as:
- Policy makers
- Service providers
- Employers
- Buyers of goods and services
Within each of these main fields of responsibility, key trends are identified and analysed across the participating cities. Among others, these include how cities ensure equal access and non-discrimination in policies and access to services, and how they strive to make their own administrations more diverse and inclusive. The progress made by cities in this respect clearly highlights their role as political frontrunners that shape integration and inclusion policies and practices in Europe.
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FOURTH INTEGRATING CITIES REPORT 2020
This fourth Integrating Cities Report is a snapshot of how cities integrate migrants in Europe and North America. It charters the progress cities have made over the last two and a half years and identifies commonalities across different approaches to integration and diversity.
The report is divided into three main chapters: 1) the context of integration in cities, which touches on the policy context at the EU level, national migration developments and the debate on migration and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in cities; 2) the methodology of the Integrating Cities Charter; and 3) key integration actions in cities. This third, and main, chapter outlines cities’ integration measures, and identifies the following key trends across all cities:
- Developing integration policies in a structured and sustainable way
- Mainstreaming integration across different policy areas
- Focusing on the specific integration needs of particular groups
- Creating low-threshold access to integration services
- Communicating openly about equal opportunities
- Implementing an inclusive and participatory integration approach
- Working towards more inclusive city administrations and procurement practices
- Participating as key actors in the EU policy context and global governance on migration
These key overarching trends paint a clear picture of cities as leaders in implementing effective and future-oriented integration policies.
FOURTH INTEGRATING CITIES REPORT 2020
This fourth Integrating Cities Report is a snapshot of how cities integrate migrants in Europe and North America. It charters the progress cities have made over the last two and a half years and identifies commonalities across different approaches to integration and diversity.
The report is divided into three main chapters: 1) the context of integration in cities, which touches on the policy context at the EU level, national migration developments and the debate on migration and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in cities; 2) the methodology of the Integrating Cities Charter; and 3) key integration actions in cities. This third, and main, chapter outlines cities’ integration measures, and identifies the following key trends across all cities:
- Developing integration policies in a structured and sustainable way
- Mainstreaming integration across different policy areas
- Focusing on the specific integration needs of particular groups
- Creating low-threshold access to integration services
- Communicating openly about equal opportunities
- Implementing an inclusive and participatory integration approach
- Working towards more inclusive city administrations and procurement practices
- Participating as key actors in the EU policy context and global governance on migration
These key overarching trends paint a clear picture of cities as leaders in implementing effective and future-oriented integration policies.
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THIRD INTEGRATING CITIES REPORT 2018
This third edition of the report contains an expanded section on the institutional organisation of municipalities and local integration models. We explored in more detail the way cities organised their departments and offices in the area of integration and the development of the concept of integration across different cities. We also tried to underline the changes that occurred as a consequence of the refugee situation in 2015. Moreover, more consideration has been given to the challenges encountered in each field.
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SECOND IMPLEMENTATION REPORT 2015
This is our second report on the implementation of our Integrating Cities Charter, produced by our working group on migration and integration. The main observations in the report are based on evidence collected through the Integrating Cities Charter reporting survey, which ran from December 2014 to April 2015. Twenty cities, signatories of the charter or members of the working group, participated in the survey.
Since we published the first report in March 2013, a further seven European cities (Brussels, Leipzig, Lisbon, Montpellier, Nuremberg, Paris and Toulouse) and one non-European city (Toronto) have signed the charter. These and several other cities have worked with us on the topic of migrant integration and helped develop tools to implement the charter commitments at local level.
SECOND IMPLEMENTATION REPORT 2015
This is our second report on the implementation of our Integrating Cities Charter, produced by our working group on migration and integration. The main observations in the report are based on evidence collected through the Integrating Cities Charter reporting survey, which ran from December 2014 to April 2015. Twenty cities, signatories of the charter or members of the working group, participated in the survey.
Since we published the first report in March 2013, a further seven European cities (Brussels, Leipzig, Lisbon, Montpellier, Nuremberg, Paris and Toulouse) and one non-European city (Toronto) have signed the charter. These and several other cities have worked with us on the topic of migrant integration and helped develop tools to implement the charter commitments at local level.
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FIRST IMPLEMENTATION REPORT 2013
This report is based on the input of 22 of the signatory cities, three years after the charter’s launch. It finds that migrant integration is being redefined, with city policies becoming more broad in relation to social inclusion, equality and participation. It is a snapshot of the reality of local integration policies and practices, presenting some examples of what cities are doing to include migrants in their everyday policies.
We will add to this report so that it will build into a periodic overview on the state of migrant integration in European cities. We will continue to monitor cities’ progress on implementing the charter and highlight trends that we will use to inform relevant policies at local, national and EU level.
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