09:00 – 09:30          Registration and coffee

09:30 – 10:00         Opening address: From crisis management to everyday practice

  • Pavel TRANTINA, President of the Section for Employment, Social Affairs and Citizenship (SOC), European Economic and Social Committee
  • Michel SERVOZ, Director General, DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, European Commission

10:00 – 10:45 Setting the scene: What are the lessons learned from recent refugee‑related policy developments?

  • Jean-Christophe DUMONT, Head of the International Migration Division, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
  • Matthias OEL, Director, DG Migration and Home Affairs, European Commission

Q&A session

10:45 – 12:15 Parallel workshops

Job search and job matching

Acknowledging that employment is a core part of the integration process, labour market actors across the EU have in recent years been extremely active in designing and implementing innovative approaches to fostering prompt and effective labour market integration of refugees.

The workshop will analyse some of the key refugee-related challenges and developments regarding job-search services and discuss how they could also be helpful for other groups.

Chair: 

  • Vladimíra DRBALOVÁ, Vice-President of the Labour Market Observatory (LMO), European Economic and Social Committee

Discussant:     

  • Klára FÓTI, Research Manager, Social Policies, Eurofound

Projects:                     

  • Action Emploi Réfugiés - Violette DEBARBOUILLE
  • Cooperation between PES and employers, Germany, The European Network of Public Employment Services - Axel PROKOT, Julian JUHRS

 

Skills and qualifications

Improving, recognising and validating existing skills and qualifications is a key component of a successful integration pathway for refugees and other migrants.

The workshop will take stock of key policy developments in the EU in the area of refugee skills and discuss whether and how these new policies and tools could help address other labour market and social challenges in the EU.

Chair

  • Alison CRABB, Head of Unit EMPL E2 Skills and Qualifications, DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, European Commission

Discussant:     

  • Christian BODEWIG, Program Leader for Inclusive Growth in EU Member States, the World Bank

Projects:     

Housing and inclusion

Providing refugees with decent, stable and safe housing, while avoiding segregation and discrimination, has proved to be a significant way of contributing to successful inclusion in society and the labour market and to protecting them and their families from poverty.

The workshop will examine some key refugee-related challenges and developments in this area and explore whether and how they could benefit the broader population

Chair

  • Krzysztof PATER, Vice-President of the Labour Market Observatory (LMO), European Economic and Social Committee

Discussant:     

  • Ruth OWEN, Policy Coordinator, European Federation of National Organisations Working with the Homeless (FEANTSA)

Projects:                    

12:15 – 13:45          Lunch and concert: "Syrians got Talent" (Atrium, 6th floor)

13:45 – 15:00 Parallel workshops

Children and young adults

Children and young adults represent a significant proportion of refugees and migrants. EU governments must therefore look ahead towards lasting solutions and sustainable integration measures.

This workshop will investigate policies relevant to the social inclusion of refugee children and young adults, including tailored and mainstreamed approaches that could facilitate the inclusion of this and other vulnerable groups.

Chair

  • Emmanuelle GRANGE, Head of Unit EMPL C3 Disability and Inclusion, DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, European Commission

Discussant:     

  • Barbara LUCCHESI, Head of Unit, Minors Emergency Service, City of Milan, Italy

Projects:       

Fast-track integration in the labour market

Targeted and integrated interventions for refugees and asylum seekers, in particular where there are skill shortages, may result in swifter labour market integration and benefit the overall economy.

The workshop will take stock of existing fast-track initiatives, examine the outcomes obtained so far and discuss how to move from ad hoc emergency approaches to sustainable strategies that could foster the labour market integration of other groups as well.

Chair
Max UEBE, Head of Unit EMPL B1 - Employment Strategy, DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, European Commission

Discussant:     
José Antonio MORENO DÍAZ, Member of the European Economic and Social Committee

Projects:         

  • Fast-track scheme, Norway, The European Network of Public Employment Services - Haakon HERTZBERG
  • Social Impact Bonds, Finland, Finnish Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment - Susanna PIEPPONEN

 

15:00 – 15:30          Coffee break

15:30 – 16:20 Closing panel: Can we transform these lessons into long-term gains for social and employment policies?

Moderator:     
Manuela GELENG, Acting Director, DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, European Commission

  • Jean LAMBERT, Member of the European Parliament
  • Carlos Manuel TRINDADE, President of the Labour Market Observatory (LMO), European Economic and Social Committee
  • Claire COURTEILLE-MULDER, Director, International Labour Organisation, Office for the European Union and the Benelux countries
  • Heather ROY, Secretary General, Eurodiaconia

16:20 – 16:30 Final conclusions from the Labour Market Observatory of the EESC and the European Commission

Downloads

Draft agenda