Gudrun Biffl

The potential role of NGOs in the integration of migrants in the context of Mainstreaming: The case of Tyrol

INTI Technical Seminar Mainstreaming- A critical tool for successful integrationDublin, 4/5 October 2005

No federal governance system of integration in Austria

No federal coordination of migration and integration, but diverse systems of integration in various federal states (Bundesländer)

The various systems differ in scope, depth and speed

They vary according to the role of migration in socio-economic development (population growth model versus migrant worker model), the extent of migration on humanitarian grounds, and the migration pattern and dynamics in general

Federal authorities lack comprehensive information about

local systems of integration and their effectiveness

Austria has a long tradition of immigration

It is among the countries with the highest proportion of foreign born in its population in the EU, the majority from third countries

Both, migration and integration policies, are decided upon and implemented in the regions (Bundesländer)

The comparatively high degree of social harmony and cohesion can be seen as a result of effective integration measures on a regional and local level

Austria is an important immigration country in Europe

Some EU-MS (Austria, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden) have a percentage of immigrants at least as high as the United States, i.e., approximately 12% of the population are foreign-born.

Luxembourg and Switzerland have even higher shares, close to or higher than 20% (the majority from the EU), not dissimilar to the traditional immigration countries Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

The percentage of foreign-born exceeds 10% in most old, and in some Southern European MS (Belgium, France, Ireland, Greece).

Also the new MS in the East are attracting increasing numbers of migrants, the leading country being the Czech Republic with 4.5% foreign-born in 2001.

Foreign born as a proportion of the total population in selected OECD

countries: 2001

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Large differences in regional concentrations of migrants in

Austria

The proportion of foreign born in total population differs significantly between the Federal States

It spans from 23.6% in Vienna to 6.7% in Burgenland (2001)

Thus the challenge of integrating migrants differs

The states with the highest proportion of migrants tend to have the most comprehensive system of integration, in particular Vienna, less so Vorarlberg.

More recently Tyrol, Salzburg and Upper Austria followed

Tyrol has followed a mainstreaming concept from the very beginning, granting NGOs an important role.

Foreign born as a proportion of the total population in the Austrian

regions in 2001

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Mainstreaming immigrant integration in Tyrol

Tyrol has 12.5% foreign born, i.e., the national average (2001)

It has a diverse demographic and socio-economic structure, encompassing rural as well as urban areas,

a wide spread of industries with a dominance of small and medium-sized enterprises,

a great diversity of migrants as far as their ethnic and cultural mix is concerned, their educational attainment and the reason for coming (work, family reunion, refugees).

The mainstream integration system developed in Tyrol has the ingredients necessary for a national system of integration.

Mainstream Integration in Tyrol

Establishment of an agency within the State government (Integrationsreferat der Landesregierung) in 2002

the mission of the agency is to mainstream integration policies and measures for migrants in all relevant portfolios of the State government and the communities, reaching out to and including civil society and social partners.

For details see the multilingual website www.integrationsportal.at

Development of guiding lines/principles of integration for migrants in Tyrol ((Leitbild zur Integration von Zuwanderern in Tirol), whereby the integration of migrants constitutes an integral part of social development.

The role of NGOs in mainstream integration

NGOs have participated in the early stages of planning mainstreaming.

In addition, they are important partners of public administration in organising integration initiatives and implementing integration measures.

'Verein Multikulturell‘, a multicultural association is an example of an NGO, which acts as a bridge between public administration, migrants and host communities.

It is integrated in the development of the guidelines of integration (mainstreaming), as well as the effective execution of various tasks, in particular provision of intercultural and professional competence.

This association cooperates with other NGOs/NPOs in the region, helping migrants and their families to access mainstream as well as targeted services.

The intercultural competence of the association is also accessed by public institutions.

The integration of NGOs into EU-wide networks promotes the expertise and professionalism of local actors; it is also helpful in accessing EU funding of integration.

Contracting out mainstream activities to NGOs

According to the NGOs, mainstreaming can be organised most effectively by contracting out various activities from public institutions to NGOs.

Currently activities of NGOs tend to be co-funded by a variety of institutions as well as users

Examples of services, which can be effectively outsourced to NGOs, are bilingual occupational education and training measures, as well as helping to address health issues of migrants, particularly of migrant women, as intercultural expertise tends to be higher in migrant associations than in traditional public sector institutions.

Concluding remarks

In view of the challenges an increasingly diverse and mobile society poses for integration, mainstream organisations will have to be complemented by NGOs/civil society groups.

They are capable of voicing new needs and their inclusion in integration policies ensures the credibility of policy initiatives.

This implies the inclusion of associations of migrant groups and/or NGOs which cater for the various needs of migrants in policy formulation, decision making and implementation.