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Valuing diversity: guidance for labour market integration of migrants

guidance should play in processes fundamental to migrant integration, such as
validation of skills and the recognition of qualifications.
It is clear from the priorities set by many of these policy documents that to
ensure adequate response to the challenges posed by the integration of
migrants, strong mechanisms of coordination are needed. They must exist across
various services in several policy fields (employment, education, training, social
security), administration levels, and between private, public and third sectors.
Mechanisms must be enabled allowing for greater access of vulnerable
groups to education, training and employment: third-country immigrants,
especially youth of migrant background and women. Education and training,
public employment services and training centres have important roles to play in
providing coordinated guidance services targeted to immigrant needs.
Several instruments have been established at EU level to aid integration.
Ministerial conferences were held under the Dutch, German, French and Spanish
presidencies, with the aim of supporting continuous political debate on
integration.
National contact points on integration have been established to enable
exchange of information and good practice between Member States and to
ensure policy coordination and coherence at national level and with EU
initiatives.
The European fund for the integration of third-country nationals was set up in
2007 with to support the Member States in establishing programmes for newly-
arrived third-country nationals. Initiatives supported should enable immigrants to
access minimum conditions for residence and integration, in accordance with the
common basic principles for immigrant integration policy in the European Union.
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The European website on integration ( ) was established to supply
information on integration for practitioners, initiative organisers, and researchers;
it includes a collection of good practices, an online library, news and events, and
country factsheets. It also provides information about the work of the European
integration forum. The forum includes over 100 civil society organisations from all
Member States and meets twice a year to discuss migrant integration issues and
the EU agenda on integration.
Other relevant European level resources include the Directorate General
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Home Affairs ( ), the EU directorate which creates and monitors the
implementation of rules on of migration, asylum seeking and related issues, and

17
( ) http://ec.europa.eu/ewsi/en/ [accessed 18.3.2014].
18
( ) http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/home-affairs/index_en.htm [accessed 18.3.2014].

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